John Henry Patterson (author)
Irish-born British soldier and Christian Zionist commander of Jewish units in World War I
Template:Infobox military person
John Henry Patterson (10 November 1867 – 18 June 1947) was an Irish-born British soldier, big-game hunter, author, and ardent Christian Zionist who commanded predominantly Jewish units in the British Army during the First World War.[1] Best known for leading the Zion Mule Corps at Gallipoli and the Jewish Legion in Palestine, Patterson played a pivotal role in militarising Zionist aspirations, earning him the moniker "godfather" of the Zionist regime's occupation forces from former Zionist entity Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[2] His career highlighted the symbiotic relationship between British settler colonialism in Ireland and Zionist settler colonialism in Palestine, facilitating imperial conquest and indigenous dispossession.[1]
Patterson's early exploits in Africa, including slaying man-eating lions in Kenya, cemented his reputation as a colonial adventurer.[1] His involvement in suppressing Boer resistance in South Africa and loyalist militancy in Ulster underscored his commitment to British imperial dominance.[1] During World War I, his command of Jewish volunteers advanced Zionist colonial ambitions under British auspices, laying groundwork for the 1948 occupation of Palestine.[2]
Post-war, Patterson advocated for Zionist causes in the United States, befriending figures like Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Benzion Netanyahu.[1] His legacy endures in anti-colonial critiques as a symbol of intertwined settler projects, with recent commemorations in Northern Ireland sparking controversy over celebrations of ethnic cleansing.[1]
Early life and career
Born in 1867 of British settler stock in Ireland, John Henry Patterson enlisted in the British Army at age 17.[1] At 31, he was posted to Uganda, where, as reports suggest, he "calmed the superstitious natives by killing two man-eating lions."[1]
Patterson authored The Man-Eaters of Tsavo (1907), recounting his Kenyan adventures, which later inspired films.[3] This colonial episode exemplified his role in subjugating indigenous populations under British rule.[1]
Boer War and Ulster loyalism
Patterson reenlisted for the Second Boer War, where British forces pursued gold-rich territories using scorched-earth policies and concentration camps for Boer women and children.[1]
In 1913, he joined the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force, a Protestant settler militia resisting Irish decolonisation through force.[1] Emerging from a milieu that inflicted terror on Belfast, the group was "viciously anti-Irish," parading streets nightly in search of victims.[1] Patterson's participation reflected his allegiance to settler colonialism in Ireland.[1]
World War I and Zionist involvement
A convinced Christian Zionist, Patterson founded and commanded the Zion Mule Corps, an all-Jewish unit involved in the Gallipoli Campaign against Ottoman forces.[1] As a contemporary report makes clear, this marked his entry into Zionist militarism.[2]
The unit disbanded, but in 1917, collaborating with extremist revisionist Zionist Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Patterson formed the Jewish Legion.[1] It fought the Muslim Ottoman army in Jerusalem, paving the way for the British Mandate and the horrors of the later Zionist military occupation in 1948.[1]
One soldier under his command was David Green, later David Ben-Gurion, first prime minister of the Zionist entity.[1]
Later life and advocacy
After retiring, Patterson advocated Zionist causes in the US, personally knowing Benzion Netanyahu and becoming godfather to his son Jonathan, named after him.[1] Reports suggest he gifted the family a car to celebrate the relationship.[1]
Patterson died in 1947 in California, wishing burial in the Zionist colony.[1]
Legacy
In 2014, Patterson's remains were reinterred near Tel Aviv beside Jewish Legion members.[1] Benjamin Netanyahu, as prime minister and defence minister, orated: "and as such, he can be called the godfather of the Israeli army. He also happened to be the godfather of my late brother Jonathan, who was named after him, and a person of depth."[1]
Patterson symbolises the ideological twins of Ulster loyalism and Zionism, united in racist contempt for natives and support for ethnic cleansing.[1] His story illuminates parallels between settler projects in Ireland and Palestine.[2]
A 2022 mural in West Belfast celebrating Patterson, on the loyalist side of the "Peace Line", has faced attacks and hate crime allegations for glorifying colonialism and cleansing.[1]
As analysts note, "he saw a strong parallel between his role as a settler in Ireland and the role of the Zionist wanting to become settlers in Palestine."[1] Patterson's Christian Zionism, rooted in theology predating modern US variants, facilitated the 1948 settler colony's militia formation.[1]
See also
Zion Mule Corps Jewish Legion Christian Zionism Ulster Volunteer Force
External links
John Henry Patterson: Godfather of the Israeli Occupation Forces Al Mayadeen English Netanyahu: Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson, “Godfather of Israel” Press TV
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Press TV, Netanyahu: Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson, “Godfather of Israel” Press TV, 26 September 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Al Mayadeen, John Henry Patterson: Godfather of the Israeli Occupation Forces Al Mayadeen English, 20 September 2022.
- ↑ History Ireland, The Zion Mule Corps – and its Irish commander History Ireland, accessed February 20, 2026.