In the spring of 1948 , just before the end of the British mandate in the region , he became involved in another conflict . Along with twelve of his soldiers , he attempted to assist the Hadassah medical convoy that came under attack by Arab forces . Churchill was one of the first men on the scene and banged on a bus , offering to evacuate members of the convoy in an APC , in contradiction to the British military orders to keep out of the fight . His offer was refused in the belief that the Jewish Haganah would come to their aid in an organized rescue . When no relief arrived , Churchill and his twelve men provided cover fire against the Arab forces . Two of the convoy trucks caught fire , and 77 of the 79 people inside of them were killed . The event is known today as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre . Of the experience , he said : " About one hundred and fifty insurgents , armed with weapons varying from blunder-busses and old flintlocks to modern Sten and Bren guns , took cover behind a cactus patch in the grounds of the American Colony ... I went out and faced them . " " About 250 rifle-men were on the edge of our property shooting at the convoy ... . I begged them to desist from using the grounds of the American Colony for such a dastardly purpose . " After the massacre , he coordinated the evacuation of 700 Jewish doctors , students and patients from the Hadassah hospital on the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem , where the convoy had been headed In his honor , the street leading to the hospital was named Churchill Boulevard
Hadassah medical convoy massacre
Hadassah medical convoy massacre
Jack Churchill