Pasha of Jerusalem: Memoirs of a District Commissioner Under the British Mandate

This evocative account begins with the author's memories of a childhood in Clifton, Gloucestershire, and Hampshire. After working in Surrey and Sussex for the London and County Bank, Keith-Roach joined the Mercantile Bank of India in Bombay. He presents a vivid picture of life in a teeming and sprawling city during the height of the Raj. After World War I service in Egypt and a period in the Darfur region of Sudan, Keith-Roach went to Palestine. He succeeded the legendary Sir Ronald Storrs and became steeped in the history, culture and traditions of Jerusalem. His energy, courage, administrative abilities, even-handedness, and a gift for making friends among all sections of the community, were given full rein. But his life and work and that of the administration were increasingly overshadowed by the emerging Arab-Jewish divide.