Glubb Pasha
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
Sir John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha (1897-1986), was a British soldier best known for commanding Transjordan's Arab Legion 1939-1956. During World War I, he served in France and was then transferred to Iraq in 1920, a British colony at the time.
Educated at Cheltenham College, he became an officer of the Arab Legion in 1930. The next year he formed the Desert Patrol a force consisting of exclusively beduins to curb the raiding problem that plagued the southern part of the country. Within a few years he had managed to get the beduins to abandon their habit of raiding neighbour tribes and the raids was soon a thing of the past.
In 1939, Glubb succeeded Frederick G. Peake as the commander of the Arab Legion. During this period, he transformed the legion to the best trained force in the Arab world.
He remained as the commander of the Arab Legion until March 2, 1956 when he was dismissed by King Hussein who wanted to distance himself from the British that participated in the Suez War. Despite his decommission, that was forced upon him by public opinion, he remained a close friend of the king. He spent the remainder of his life writing books and articles, mostly on the Middle East and his experiences with the Arabs.
See also
Bibliography
- The story of the Arab Legion, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1948)
- A soldier with the Arabs, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1957)
- Britain and the Arabs, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1959)
- A short history of the Arab peoples (Hodder and Stoughton, )
References
- James D. Lunt, Glubb Pasha, a biography, ISBN 0002726386
- Benny Morris, The Road to Jerusalem: Glubb Pasha, Palestine and the Jews, ISBN 1860648126
External links
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/G/Glubb-S1i.asp
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/2/newsid_2514000/2514379.stm
