jul 22, 1946 - Bombing of the King David Hotel (HILS)

Description:

The King David Hotel, Jerusalem, was an important social centre for those who could afford it. One wing was used by the Government Secretariat and the British Army and in addition to troops and Civil Servants, many Palestinian civilians worked there. The rest of the hotel operated normally with bar, restaurant, lobby, and visitors coming and going. A bomb in the street, which turned out to be only diversionary, caused some alarm but then everyone just went back to what they had been doing. Such events were commonplace. The main explosion was caused by explosives packed into milk churns brought into the basement of the hotel by terrorists dressed as Palestinian Arabs. A British officer (Capt Alexander D Mackintosh who later died) and a policeman who became suspicious were immediately shot. The alarm was raised and some of the terrorists were shot and wounded but managed to get away and were hidden by the local Jewish population — voluntarily or by 'persuasion'.