Ralph Cairns

Inspector Ralph Cairns (born 1908, Tynemouth, Northumberland, England – died 26 August 1939, Rehavia, Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate) was Commander of the Palestine Police CID's Jewish Section.

Cairns and a colleague, Ronald Barker, were assassinated by an Irgun land mine on 26 August 1939 in Rehavia, Jerusalem,[1] on the orders of then Irgun leader Hanoch Kalai.[2] Cairns is buried in the Jerusalem Protestant Cemetery; he was succeeded by Geoffrey J. Morton as head of CID's Jewish Section.

Accusations of Torture

During his service in the Palestine Police, Cairns was widely accused of using torture against members of Irgun,[3] including Irgun leaders Benjamin Zerony and Mordechai Pacho.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Ben-Yehuda, Nachman (1993). Political Assassinations by Jews: A Rhetorical Device for Justice. SUNY Press. pp. 155–57. ISBN 9780791411650.
  2. ↑ Bell, J. Bowyer (1977). Terror Out of Zion: The Fight for Israeli Independence. Transaction Publishers. pp. 48–49. ISBN 9781560008705.
  3. ↑ John, Robert (2006). The Palestine Diary: 1914-1945. BookSurge Publishing. pp. 326fn. ISBN 9781419635694.
  4. ↑ Golan, Zev (2003). Free Jerusalem: Heroes, Heroines and Rogues Who Created the State of Israel. Devora Publishing Company. p. 144. ISBN 1930143540.