Assyrian Other Ranks

An Interview with 3335 Pte Shawil [shimasha] Talia 21st company-29thOct2002   Gk- Where and when did you join the Levies? Pte- I joined in Syria at the beginning of 1942. I was 16. Gk- Where did you go from there? Pte- They sent us to Habbaniya for our training. After three months we were sent to Tel Hawa on the border of Iraq and Syria. Our job was to patrol the border. We did that for three months. I was in the 21st Assyrian company. From there we returned to Habbaniya. We stayed there for four months. Doing more training. Gk- What type of training did you do at that time? Pte- It was mostly target shooting at the rifle range. Gk- What type of rifle did you carry? Pte- I had a short magazine. Gk- Where did they send you after Habbaniya? Pte- They sent us to Karmansha in Iran. There we guarded the material that was to be sent to Russia. To help them fight the Germans. We also had to go on patrols in the mountains and surrounding area. Gk- Was there many Assyrian Levies in Iran? Pte- Yes, we had many. I couldn't even imagine how many. We had companies in Tehran, in Abadan, in Touris, in Kasbin. There were many other places in Iran. From Karmansha, we were sent to Sultanabad. About the end of 1943 we were sent back to Habbaniya. We were only there for a couple of months. We were preparing to be sent to Palestine. In Palestine we were based in Akka near Haifa, from there my Platoon was sent to Lebanon for two months, we did more guard duty there then returned to Akka. In Palestine we guarded the RAF Planes so we were bombed all the time by German planes. When I was in Palestine they gave us four weeks leave so I decided to go and see my parents in Mosul, I stayed there for a while then they asked me to go and visit my sister in Syria. I went to Syria to see them. There they were all on my back to get married [I think they all planed it] so they found me a wife and I got married. I was in Syria for four days then i decided to take my wife to Mosul. It was easy for me to cross the border, being a Levie. But they would not have let my wife through. I had to do something. I dressed her as a Levie. The whole uniform including the hat! I put her in the back of an Army truck with other Levies going to Habbaniya. We crossed the border without a problem. We made it to Mosul. I stayed with her for four days. Then i had to go back to Palestine. We stayed there until 1946. Then we had a big problem. We were supposed to go on British ships to go to war. But we had had enough by that time. Allot of Assyrians were getting killed. We wanted the same rights for our families as any British soldier killed in battle. They would not give us that right. So we went on strike and refused to go to war. They were forced to send us back to Habbaniya. We stayed in Habbaniya for two months. Then we were sent to Bahrain. There we guarded supply depots full of military equipment. We did that for about a year. Then returned to Habbaniya. Because i had an Army truck license, I had it since 1943; my job was to drive the duty truck from Habbaniya to Baghdad. There, we loaded supplies on trains for other Levies still overseas. One day they told me I was to join a convoy to go to Egypt. I left Habbaniya with other Levies that had truck licenses, and some Indian and British troops. When we reached Egypt it was at the height of the Cholera epidemic. We were walking down the main street one day and you could see people falling all around you. They were dying in the street. We were not affected because we were given injections. Each of the Levies drove a truck back to Habbaniya. The Indians took their own trucks back. I stayed with the Levies until 1948. Then i was discharged. Gk- Did you receive any medals from the British? Pte- Yes. I have the 1939-45 Star and the War Medal. Gk- I also want to ask you about the certificate you have hanging on the wall. Pte- That certificate was given to me by the Australian Government. I will read it to you. "ON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, A GRATEFUL NATION EXPRESSES IT’S THANKS TO SHAWIL TALIA FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE WAR EFFORT AND THE COMING OF PEACE". It is signed by the Prime Minister. Mr. Paul Keating and the Minister for Veterans affairs. Gk- What did you do after the Levies? Pte- I joined the Swiss Airlines. I was a catering officer. I worked with them for twelve years. In 1968 I immigrated to Australia.     An interview with Pte Yacoub Marcus, Mr. Marcus went to God in 2007.   GK - When did you join the Levies? Pte - I joined in November 1942, in Habbaniya. I was 17. GK - You are from Syria. How did you join in Habbaniya? Pte - Well, I was only 16. I stole 25 Dinars from my father's money box, I wanted to go to Habbaniya to join the Levies. Three of my friends and I ran away, we walked to the border and hitched a ride into Iraq. We walked some more and reached Mosul. In Mosul I saw a friend of mine standing near a bridge, he asked me what I was doing there. I told him and he said he will come too. After that we got on a bus to Habbaniya. On the bus a woman called out to me in Assyrian, she said "Come here boy what are you doing here?" I told her my story and she said to us to sit with her until we reach Habbaniya and if anyone asks who you are you say you are my sons. When we reached Habbaniya an Iraqi officer came up to us and asked who we were, the woman said they are my sons. He said you are lying and started to take us away, the woman screamed and yelled something in Assyrian and a Levie Sergeant came up to her and asked her what the matter was. She told him in Assyrian and the sergeant pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the Iraqi's head and said if you don't release them I will kill you, the officer stepped back and let us go. The sergeant escorted us to Habbaniya station through Falluja Gate but when I got there I saw thousands of Assyrians waiting to join. Luckily I was recognized by an officer who knew my father, he helped me enlist. I trained for three months and then I joined the signals squadron. GK - Where was your training in the signal squadron and what was your job? Pte - My training was in Iran I was there for three months. My job was a wireless operator I had to learn to communicate with other operators from other companies. GK - Were there any markings on your uniform that identified you as a wireless operator? Pte - Yes, I had a blue patch on my arm that identified me as a [WP] plus the color of the patch was important. Mine was blue that meant I could receive and send signals in English. If you could not communicate in English you had to have a red patch. GK - Were you familiar with Morse code? Pte - Yes, I could accept 25 groups per minute. GK - Where did you go after Habbaniya? Pte - In 1943 we went to Palestine there we served until 1944. In Palestine we had a problem, one Assyrian officer was killed. Some Jewish group held him up. He refused to give up so they shot him. When we heard this all hell broke loose, the levies wanted to go into town and take revenge but the English officers stopped them, so we wireless operators sent a signal to our parachute company and they went into town to a night club loaded with grenades and blew the place apart. The Jews left us alone after that. We were there until 1946 then we returned to Habbaniya. I was there until 1948 until I was discharged. Then I returned to Syria.   An interview with 4252 ZAYIA KHOSHABA ISKHAK 1942-1946     I joined the Levies in Syria in 1942, I was 17 years old, we left by train to Habbaniya. After my initial training about three months I joined the 16th Signal company, From there we were sent to Palestine, we stayed in Akeer Palestine for three months at 19MU [supply depot], and then to Gaza at 129MU, our commander was Captain Young but in April 1944 I had an Appendix operation, they took me to IGH [Indian general hospital].   I stayed in Hospital for 19 days, I should have stayed for four days but in Hospital they made a mistake, they operated on me twice for the same operation, this is what happened; the hospital recovery room was a large tent and my bed was close to the opening, it was very cold at night and in the bed next to me was a Greek guy and he was in for the same operation. I was first to have the operation so three days later when they took him for his operation I asked for his bed because it was warmer there. They put me in his bed but they forgot to change the medical sheets that hang off the beds so his papers became mine and mine his, my papers now say I need an operation, so this Indian orderly comes in and sticks a needle in my arm and takes me to the operating room, I didn't know what was going on I was drugged by this time.   So this Indian Doctor opens me up and "surprise" doesn't find anything. But operating twice in three days is dangerous and I got very sick and my wound would not heal. So they put me on the DI list [danger list]. I could not recover in that Hospital they fed me Japarties every day. So they sent me to stay in the King David hotel in the City. From there I was driven to see specialists, I was there for six months then they returned me to my unit, but by that time all our units were coming back, in 1946 we were sent back to Habbaniya, in 1947 we were disbanded and I returned to Syria.    An interview with 1950 Pte Seroja Yaghoupour   I joined the Levies in 1950. I was in the 3rd Squadron. My O.C. was RAB 100 Nimrod. My instructor was Cpl Giwargis.   We were in peacetime. There was no war but unfortunately soldiers still die in training. We lost my instructor Cpl Giwargis and Pte Dinkha a soldier from my platoon on a night river crossing exercise. We had to cross a river using a rope tied to a tree at one end and held by Levies at the other end.   Six were ordered to cross at the same time. They were in full battle gear and were very heavy. A strong current started pulling them down river. The other Levies could not hold them, four managed to swim out but we lost two.     We found them the next morning washed up on the beach.   I joined the Levies to learn a trade, there were not many opportunities at that time there was talk of the British leaving Iraq. I served for two years.