Trans-Jordan Frontier Force Certificate of Discharge (F.F. 54)

Original black-titled blue cloth 9x13cm, opening to reveal a printed form with ms entries and ink stamp to the left-hand pastedown, and a blank with large red ink stamp to the right. Very good with some rippling to the cloth, handling marks, paperclip imprint, and wear to the corners. This identifies the bearer as L/Cpl Jamil Massud Salem, Serial No. 966, Regtl No. 0915, of M Company, employed in the Mechanised Infantry. He enlisted on 15 March 1927, and is being discharged on 1 December 1932 on medical grounds. His character is "Good", and he was in receipt of Proficiency Pay and Good Conduct Pay for 2 badges. It is signed by J.M. Sinclair with his faint Adjutant TJFF ink stamp, on behalf of the Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding. This and the facing HQTJFF ink stamp are both dated 3 Nov 1932. The formation of the TJFF in April 1926 would make Salem one of its early recruits. Britain's High Commissioner for Palestine Lord Plumer had created it to defend TJ's northern border with Syria, and its southern border with the Hejaz, recognising the potential expansionist threat from its new King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. As part of the British Imperial Troops, it was answerable to the High Commissioner, with Amir Abdullah named as an honorary Colonel. Detractors argued that Plumer should have expanded Abdullah's Arab Legion instead. It was headquartered at Zarqa under the command of a British Lieutenant Colonel. Salem would have served under its first two, namely Lieut-Col FW Bewsher (1926-28) and Major (local Lieut-Col) CA Shute (1928-33). The Second-in-Command (a Major) and Adjutant (a Major or Captain) were both British. Junior ranks were filled by Palestinian and Syrian Arabs, Circassians, Sudanese and a few Jews. Palestinian fellahin made up around 70% of the other ranks, taken primarily from the disbanded Palestine Gendarmerie, with over half the Arab Legion's force along with its machine guns and artillery. Its cavalry squadrons were based at Zarqa, and the Camel Company at Ma'an. By the end of Salem's first year, there were 51 officers, 3 staff sergeants and 676 other ranks. In 1927 it was charged with repatriating Druzes refugees from Azraq to Syria. At various points it was called upon to help deal with Arab unrest in Palestine including the 1929 Riots. In 1930, a new Mechanised Company, which Salem was attached to, replaced the Camel Company at Ma'an. This expanded the TJFF's range in the desert. However, it struggled to pacify the desert tribes, and in February 1931 this function transferred to Glubb's newly formed Desert Patrol under the Arab Legion. The Adjutant, Captain J.M. Sinclair, wrote an article for the Journal of the Royal Artillery titled "Transjordan and the Transjordan Frontier Force", v60, Jan 1934. Very rare. An online search found two later examples dated 1942 and 1943 (Ref. Amadouny (1993) "The British Role in the Development of an Infrastructure in Transjordan"; British & Commonwealth Orders of Battle website: TJFF page; Palestine Museum Digital Archive: The Yousef Ali Bey Collection).…