Barney was a Corporal in the Cheshire Regiment, stationed at Chester. One day he was on the toilet, in those days they didn't have separate ones they all sat on a long plank with holes in, and on this day he happened to be sat next to the Regimental Sergeant Major who said "Freedman, you're a Jew aren't you?" and Barney being about 19 at the time replied that yes he was. The Sergeant then said "they are looking for a Jewish rifle instructor to form a Jewish battalion in the Royal Fusiliers under Allenby in Africa, are you interested?" Barney said "No, I want to stay with these lads in Chester." "This lot," said the Sergeant Major, "are going to France and they are killing them there, and they would make you up to Sergeant, think about it."

Barney thought about it and fancied being a Sergeant, so that night he took two buckets of beer to the Sergeant's billet, and they were all sat round a fire. He put the buckets down and worked out, not a word said. The next day, he was posted.

On the first morning with the new intake they all came out on parade "with tallises, tefillin, all praying" and he thought, "how on earth am I going to get this lot up to the standard of the Cheshire Regiment?"

But he did, and they fought the Turks with General Allenby through North Africa, into Palestine and beyond, marching into Jerusalem.