A Century of Soldiers: A Jewish Infantryman in the United States Army in World War One, and, After: Sergeant Irving Sydney Clair of the 28th Infantry Division

In several prior posts, I’ve presented an overview of the military service of American Jewish soldiers during the First World War, through a general overview of the military service of American Jewish soldiers during that conflict and coverage of this in the general and Jewish news media (in three parts – here, here, and here); via photographic portraits of American Jewish WW I soldiers from the state of Pennsylvania who were military casualties (here, here, and here); and, by biographical profiles of American Jewish soldiers who were military casualties on Armistice Day; November 11, 1918.  Each of the men so presented merits the story of his life to be told in completeness, but, through the inevitably of time’s erasure of human memory – sometimes abrupt, sometimes gentle – and the gradual loss of personal memorabilia and historical records (let alone for the sake of physical brevity – in a format like “this”!) this simply isn’t possible: We have to go with what we have.  We have to go with the information available to us. 

Yet, for two particular soldiers, a fuller story can be told, by virtue of numerous, or, lengthy and substantive, news items.  One such soldier, whose story is related here, is Sergeant Irving Sydney Clair (serial number 1,235,015), while the other – to be presented in a subsequent post – is Lieutenant Benjamin Goward.  

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 1st of January in the year 1894, Sgt. Clair was the son of Samuel and Minnie (Friedman) Clair, the family residing at 4800 Walnut Street, though another place of residence having been 3230 Berks Street, in Philadelphia. 

Assigned to A Company, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division, Sergeant Clair was severely wounded in action on July 15, 1918, while coming to the aid of a wounded comrade, Corporal Ralph Ferdinand Shortall. 

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This example of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 28th Infantry Division dates from the Second World War.  The insignia has remained unchanged since its creation in 1918. 

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Though he certainly survived the immediacy of his injuries – at least, going by historical records and news articles – he passed away from an altogether different cause: While undergoing rehabilitation at United States Army General Hospital Number 2, at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, he passed on from meningitis  The date was the 5th of February, in the year 1919.  

Four days later, he was buried at Har Nebo Cemetery, in Philadelphia.  (Lot 2, Grave 1599).  

News articles about Sgt. Clair’s military experiences appeared in a variety of newspapers.  These include the Philadelphia Inquirer (8/10/18, 2/8/19, and 9/4/19), Evening Public Ledger (8/22/18, 12/1/19, and 10/16/20), and Patterson Morning Call (as in Patterson, New Jersey) (9/4/18).  Curiously though, the mostly lengthy, revealing, and poignant account of his story – ‘”I Have Not Paid Too High a Price’, Says Sightless Sergeant Clair'” – authored by Margaret M. Lukes – appeared in The Argus (published in Albany, New York, between 1865 and 1921) on December 1, 1918.  (Lukes’ article was found via Thomas M. Tryniski’s Fulton History website.)

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Akin to photographic portraits of other soldiers within Pennsylvania World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files (via Ancestry.com) here’s Corporal (not yet Sergeant!) Clair’s photo.

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This news article appeared in either the The Philadelphia Inquirer or The Philadelphia Bulletin.  Its specific date is unknown; probably late 1918.

IRVING SIDNEY CLAIR

After having erroneously reported Sergeant Clair as having returned to duty, the War Department today listed him as wounded severely.  Sergeant Clair, who was the first Philadelphia boy to be blinded in the war, is at present in this country.  He was sent here to convalesce and has recovered so rapidly that he is expected today at his home, 3230 Berks Street.  The young sergeant was studying law at the University of Pennsylvania before the war and despite his blindness expects to continue his course.

Clair was reported missing on July 15.  A letter received from him by his mother, Mrs. Minnie Clair, 3230 Berks Street, dated August 4, states that he is wounded and that he is in a base hospital.

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Here’s Margaret M. Lukes’ lengthy December 1, 1918 story from The Argus.  The image has been digitally edited to display its three illustration’s separately.

“I Have Not Paid Too High a Price” – Says Sightless Sergeant Clair

THE night the newspapers blazed forth the lines “Berlin Sends Deputies to Conclude Allied Armistice Terms” Sergeant Irving Sidney Clair, of the 109th Infantry, sat in the dining room of his home in Philadelphia with his arm around his little sister.  To be exact he was running his fingers through her thick golden hair, aglint in the light of the lamp.  There was a general conversation, feverish, light-hearted going on.  Then suddenly it stopped.  Sentences half finished faded into the air.

“Why, let me feel it,” a strong voice in the other side of the table was saying.  “I’ll bit it’s twice as long as when I went away.”  And we sat there in silence, watching the strong, vigorous hand of the soldier slowly make his way through the shining hair of the beloved little sister, in whose name he had made out his life insurance.

If there were stray tears hastily flicked away in that room that minute, why then they did no harm.  White bandages tightly bound around a man’s eyes are merciful trappings for those who come for the first lime to wring the hand of a boy who gave his eyes for his country.  In a minute the room was ringing with laughter and college day reminiscences again.  And Sergeant Clair, two years ago a boy of twenty-two entering his third year law and that night home from the war totally blind, will never nnow there were those about him who laughed through a mist of tears.

Or if he does know we are never going to be aware of it.

“I Am Going to Win”

With all the world standing on the threshold of a peace where men will be forever safe from the mad burst of shells that maim, with America herself in the main unbroken, Sergeant Clair, who gave the gift that all the indemnities of the earth cannot pay back, smiles cheerfully.  Eyes are no longer the windows of the soul.  Tile spirit of a man never shone more vividly than from that splendid sunburned face gleaming bronze against the while gauze.

“I have not paid too high a price,” was the way he explained things.

Sergeant Clair will never see again, but he is content.  This young man who gave his eyes to America is more.  Sitting there, with strong eager hands unlike the hands of the blind because they lately belonged to a boy who was winning medals for athletics in school, this youth outlined a program of stupendous courage that can well serve as a flaming banner for all the men who must march down the ways of life paying the price of victory as they so.

“I am going to win out,” he said.  “Eyes do not count; legs and arms do not count.  It’s the man inside that matters.  Eyes do not count.  Why, I can see with my memory.  You won’t believe that.

“Well, I wouldn’t have believed it if you said it to me five months ago.  Then I looked at blindness as a seeing man looks at it.  Now it is different.  I look at it as a blind man looks at it.  And I know blindness to the blind isn’t the crushing thing or the handicap it appears to the outsider.

“I am going to be a lawyer, as I had always planned to be.  The Government will pay for my schooling.  I am going to try to make good because I believe making good depends on the determination in a man.  It’s up to the stuff inside of you.”

Strictly speaking, Clair gave his eyes in the cause of world democracy.  But in the fine human vernacular of the trenches he gave his eyes for a pal.  The cane which the Republican committee of his ward presented him has in letters of gold, “Blinded in the Second Battle of the Marne, July 14.”  All America knows now it was on July 14 the 109th massed itself near the banks of the Maine, waiting to hurl back what proved to be the last offensive of the Crown Prince of Germany.  On the 15th the Germans crossed the Marne and the Americans attacked and pushed them back.  On the 14th, Bastille Day, the bombardment began and men went mad, targets for the first time of the most terrific artillery fire the world had ever known.

That tells part of the story.  As for the rest:

Blinded Helping Comrade

A boy named Shortall was hit.  That was what he called out.  “I’m hit.”  Through the whizz and the bang of shells Sergeant Clair heard.  Out through the rain of death he scooted to try to give first aid.  Just as he was bending down to cut away Shortall’s puttees with his trench knife a shell exploded in his face.  Clair was shot high in the air.  When he came down he was on his back.  It was at that moment, 5 o’clock on a sunlit afternoon, Clair discovered he could no longer see.

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I don’t think the shell’s explosion was anywhere near as visually simple and – for lack of a better word, “clean”, as depicted in this accompanying sketch, but, w e l l…  I suppose this is how such things were depicted by the standards of the news media in 1918.  Then again, perhaps there is something to be said in favor of obfuscation.  

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Here’s Cpl. Shortall’s Abstract of Military Service, listing the date on which he was wounded as about July 15, 1918…

…followed by his Veteran’s Compensation Application.

Born on February 7, 1891, Ralph F. Shortall passed away at the young age of 52 on March 5, 1943.  He is buried at the Philadelphia National Cemetery.  

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There are eight totally blind soldiers back home in America.  Clair is one of them.  Together with some twenty other partially war blind they are stationed at Base Hospital No. 7, the Government’s experimental hospital for the blind in Baltimore.  Sergeant Clair goes home to Philadelphia every other week-end on furlough.  It was on the second trip home I went to talk to the blind soldier.

Science can make artificial arms for men., she can make legs, but there never have been discovered eyes with which a man can see.  There have been men in this war who have said they would rather die over there in France than come home blind.

Knowing all this, then, it was not easy to undertake to talk to a man whose war fate had been what is universally considered the supreme sacrifice.  There is a service flag hanging in the front window of the home where young Clair lives with his mother, Mrs. S. Clair, who is a widow; Arthur, and Harry his brothers, and Miriam, the little twelve-year-old sister he has always been peculiarly attached to.  I have seen many service flags, but this was more poignantly different than them all.  Back of the little square through the window and in the light I could see a boy with his eyes swathed in bandages, and I knew he would never see again.  There were boys all around him, some in sailor suits, some in khaki, and there was his mother back of his chair.  And there was no one in the room who was not laughing at a joke the lad with bound eyes was telling.

Inside in the luxurious living room which showed so plainly how many of the good things of life had always been Clair’s, that was the first swift impression you formed of him.  He is a boy with a natural ability to make others laugh.  Yet the theme of this young man’s life ran far deeper.

It was Reuben, a student at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the boy’s best friends, who made me realize what despair blindness could have brought into the life of Clair if ambition had not been tempered with the quality that made him throw ambition to the winds when war was declared.

Pictures of Memory

“He was a chap who hitched his wagon to a star,” Reuben told me.  “At eighteen with most boys it is here one day and some place else tomorrow, as far as definite aims are concerned.  But it wasn’t that way with Clair.  He knew what he wanted, law.  He dreamed it and lived it.  A boy can’t help knowing when he has the power to sway the crowd, and that is what Clair has.  At high school they always singled him out to be spokesman for his class, and it seems he was forever at the head of things.

“Is,” as many of the boys affectionately call the wounded soldier, was a member of the class of 1910 at Central High, where he achieved laurels in sports as well as in studies.  Later be won a scholarship.

Tire scholarship entitled him to a full course of law at the Temple University.  He was entering his third year when America declared war on Germany.  Then it was Clair stripped the dreams out of his life.  With the vanguard of the country’s young manhood he was off to a training camp.  Because he had unlisted at the time of the trouble at the border, “Is” was automatically a member of the old Pennsylvania First Regiment, and he went to Camp Hancock, in Augusta, with the others.  Last May, with the rest of the Twenty-eighth or Iron Division, Clair sailed for France a corporal in Company A, 109th Infantry.

I! was July 13 when the five fleets of motortrucks brought the 109th into fighting position at Conde-en Brie and St. Agnan.  Then came July 14.

Clair does not mind talking about that day.  It was after most of the boys had drifted out he came into the dining room, played with his little sister’s hair, teased her about her little beau, Martin, and between times talked of the things that had come into his life in France.

I have told how Sergeant Clair’s sight was destroyed as he bent over a young corporal to try to ease his wounds.  The boy picks up the narrative here and tells a story that illustrates another matchless friendship that flowered in the muddy trenches of France.

“What happened to me after I found myself on my back?” he continued.  “Why Barrett ran like lightning to me.  Who is Barrett?  Why it seems funny for any one around here not to know.  He is William Barrett, a boy from Bristol, who went to the border with the old First when I did.  Then we went to Hancock together, then to France and to the Marne.  Barrett was my best pat all the way through.

“The shells were bursting all around, but Barrett lifted me up quickly.  He put my arm around his shoulder and we walked back together that way.  We thought we were going to the dressing station.  But we found they all had been moved back on account of the heavy artillery fire.  But the ambulances were beginning to come up for the wounded.

“Barrett put me down on a stretcher beside Shortall, the boy I tried to help, and the two of us lay there for three quarters of an hour with shells sweeping over us.  That was the worst part of it all.  The shells were corning, and we were helpless.

“Were you in pain?” one of the boys asked.

“No.” was the answer.  “I was more worried about Ralph Shortall than anything else.  He was groaning so and in such pain.  They had to take his right leg off later on.”

“Didn’t you groan too?”

“Well, I really wasn’t in much pain,” answered “Is,” “and I guess I didn’t have anything to groan about.  I couldn’t see, of course, but it wasn’t until I got back to the States I knew I would always be blind.

“Barrett went right back to the firing line after he left us.  In thirty-minutes he was severely wounded himself.  I believe they had to take off an arm and possibly a leg.  I am worried about Barrett.  I don’t know where he is.”

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Here’s William Barrett: Specifically, his photographic portrait, from his Pennsylvania Veteran’s Compensation File.

William Barrett’s Abstract of Military Service, confirming that he was wounded on July 15, 1918…

…and, his Veteran’s Compensation Application.

William Cresswell Barrett passed away on July 13, 1966, in Lebanon, Pa.

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In the course of his conversation young Clair spoke of the beauty of Grande Fontaine, the little headquarters town in that particular part of the Marne battlefield.

“There was a wonderful big fountain there in the middle of the town – that’s how it got its name.  I used to love to watch it sparkle in the sunshine.”

Over and over again he repealed the words, “I can see with my memory.”  What farewell pictures there must be stored in the mind of this splendid boy.

In those last days of sunshine there was the Marne, little blue stream of destiny, sparkling down through its green banks.  There was the Eiffel Tower, miles away in Paris, that could be seen in the vast lovely distance of the sky on a clear day.  There were the warm poppies and the little wild flowers of France spread like delicately colored tapestry in graceful profusion over the hills.  There were the sunsets and the nights with their stars that came to blot out the devastation of the day.

But if there are pictures stored away against the day when hunger for the beauty of the world might gnaw at his heart, the boy who gave his eyes for the great intangible cause does not say.  If there are things locked in his heart the world is not going to know about them.

Young Clair’s attitude toward blindness worries his mother sometimes.

“I think sometimes he does not tell how he really feels for fear it will make me worry,” she says.  “When I went lo Baltimore to see him that first time I did not know I could stand to set my boy blind.  He was such a wonderful son.  Then I did see him at last.  Then he told me how he felt.  And, oh, I was so glad to have him back, to touch him and be near him.  Pretty soon he wanted to talk-about the business, which he was very much interested in since his father died.  Then we sat there together and talked things over.  Suddenly I discovered I had forgotten he was blind.  You can’t know what that feeling meant to me.  I knew my same boy was back again in spite of anything that had happened.  I knew he could go on living his life as he had planned.

“Colonel Bordley, in charge of the base hospital there, told me there was no hope for his eyes.  They are going to operate on his left eye.  Of course I do not know what that means.  I am not going to give up hope, though.  But down there, although they cannot say he will see again, they say wonderful things about what my boy is going to be able to do without seeing.”

Clair is the only professional man out of the eight who are totally blind back in this country.  It is natural his case should provoke unusual interest, his progress in the studies for the blind is already said to be marvelous.  Mrs. Clair produced a little letter her son had written on the typewriter, learning without his eyes in the few short weeks he has been in America the touch system to such a degree of proficiency that there were only two misplaced letters on the entire page.  At the hospital, an estate turned over to the Government by Mrs. T. Harrison Garrett, of Baltimore, there are regular classes held all day, with intervals for gymnasium and swimming.  Clair divides his time between the Braille, which is learning to read” by the raised letter method, and typewriting.

From a Mother’s Letter

There was a sentence in Sergeant Clair’s letter to his mother which seemed to stretch its significance beyond the little typewritten page.

“If you want to meet me, all right.” he wrote, “but you know that I can get home alone in case you can’t make it.”  That is the spirit of Irving Sidney Clair, blinded in the second battle of the Marne.  He can get along.  The Government allots to him $100 a month for the duration of his life.  It is not too much to say Clair is not going to need his pension.  The dreams and surgings that whispered to him back in the days when the war was mercifully hidden in the future will come true.  This boy, who gave his eyes in order that the rest of us might go on seeing, shall not die with his song unsung.  We shall hear from him later on – Clair, the lawyer who won with his brains.

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Probably dating from late 1918 or very early 1919, this news article was (as above) probably published in the The Philadelphia Inquirer or The Philadelphia Bulletin.

Although he lost his sight in a battle in France, Sergeant Irving Sidney Clair, of Company A, 109th Infantry, will continue the study of law, which he had been pursuing at Temple University previous to his enlistment.

He is twenty-four years of age, a son of Mrs. Minnie Clair, 3230 Berks Street, and is in a hospital for blinded soldiers in Baltimore.

His courage and his devotion to his duty as a non-commissioned officer were displayed when he risked his life to bind the wound of a fallen comrade.  As the sergeant bent down to ease the pain of the wounded man a shell dropped before him and, exploding, blinded him.

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Here’s Sergeant Clair’s War Service Record, as completed by his mother in June of 1919…

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…and, his Matzeva, at Har Nebo Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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MY BELOVED SON
AND OUR DEAR
BROTHER
SGT. IRVING S.
CLAIR
Co. A. 109TH. U.S. INF
BLINDED IN THE 2ND
BATTLE OF THE MARNE
JULY 15TH, 1918.
DIED
FEBRUARY 5TH, 1919
AGED 25 YEARS
ת׳ נ׳ צ׳ ב׳ ה׳

The Long Journey: A Russian-Jewish Soldier in the Midst of the Great War, and Beyond

A number of my posts have focused on the military service of Jews in the army of Imperial Russia during the First World War.  These directly pertain to a soldier’s military experience per se, whether as reported in contemporary news articles, or on one occasion, in a work of fiction.  In the context of the former, this post – presenting a news item about a certain Joseph Baru, a Jewish veteran of the Army of Imperial Russia – published in The New York Times in late 1918 – is a little different. 

Though briefly touching upon Baru’s military service, which apparently encompassed the seven (seven? – gad!) years between 1911 and 1918, the anonymously-authored article is much more noteworthy for its description of life in German-occupied Ukraine, and subsequently, the economic and social chaos prevailing in Russia subsequent to the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Russia’s withdrawal from military participation in the Great War, and finally, the Russian Civil War.  In all these, especially living conditions under German military occupation, I’m strongly reminded of S. Ansky’s riveting chronicle of Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement during the Great War, The Enemy At His Pleasure.

Four and one hundred years have passed since this article’s publication.  As to the subsequent life and fate of Joseph Baru and his family, I have no idea. 

But, at least they survived.

ROBBED BY GERMAN INVADERS IN UKRAINE
Young Russian Merchant and Soldier Arrives Here with Wife, Baby, and Only $3.

The New York Times
October 31, 1918

AN ATLANTIC PORT, Oct. 30. – After passing through all kinds of dangers since the war began, Joseph Baru, 28 years old, a flour merchant, arrived today on a freighter from Murmansk on the northern coast of Russia, with his wife, Beula, 18 years old, and their baby.  Baru said that he was in business in New York and went to Russia to visit his relatives, in the Summer of 1911.  When the military officials heard he was in Kiev they ordered him to do his service in the army, which was three years.  Just as the time expired the big war began, and the young man had to go with the army.

“I was wounded four times,” he said, “in fighting at various points along the eastern front, including Toltchin, Wolynska and Vedla.”

During his stay at Vladimir Joseph Baru amassed 200,000 rubles in business.  When the Germans came into Ukraine, he said that they took away all the flour, grain, and other produce from the merchants and gave them promissory notes in exchange which were practically worthless.  When he arrived today he had only $3 in the world to support himself and his family.

The Germans did not appear to have any real money, he said.  They robbed the people in the Cities of Kiev, Orsho, and Gomel, in the Ukraine, of all their foodstuffs and left them penniless.  In addition, they treated the people like slaves, and men were hanged in Kiev on the slightest pretext.  Not to uncover the head and bow with deep humility when spoken to by a German officer, to answer back when cursed, and not being quick in giving up one’s store of grain or wheat meant death.  He saw 150 Russians hanged one morning at Kiev, Baru said.

The refugees who fled to Archangel had to pay heavy fees to the officials, German and Bolsheviki, to get safely away, and when he left Murmansk three weeks ago the living conditions were almost unbearable.  Bread cost $10, sugar 500, and tobacco 1200 a pound.  The Bolsheviki had seized everything.  But conditions changed for the better in every way seven weeks ago when the English troops entered the city and took charge of all the stores of foodstuffs that were piled 100 or more feet high around the harbor.

During his stay in Russia Joseph Baru said he served under three regimes, the late Czar Nicholas, the Germans, and the Bolsheviki.  He managed to keep 7,000 rubles, but it was taken from him by German officials before he got away from the Ukraine.  When the family landed today the baby saw fresh milk for the first time in two months.  Baru and his wife and baby will stop with the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, 225 East Broadway, New York, until he can make plans to go into some business and communicate with his relatives in this country.

Here’s Ansky’s Book…

The Enemy At His Pleasure – A Journey Through the Jewish Pale of Settlement During World War I, by S. Ansky (Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport), Henry Holt and Company (Metropolitan Books), New York, N.Y., 2002

A Century of Soldiers: Images of Jewish Infantrymen in the United States Army, World War One (Surnames P through T)

This is the third (of four) posts presenting photographs and biographical records of American Jewish soldiers from the state of Pennsylvania who served in the First World War.  The images displayed here were found in Veterans Service and Compensation Files for Pennsylvania WW I veterans, were were accessed via Ancestry.com.  The images are accompanied by biographical information about these soldiers, from a variety of sources.

This post covers men whose surnames began with the letters P through T, the first post having encompassed men whose last names began with the letters A through G.  The Second post shows images of men whose surnames begin with the letters K through M. 

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Polin, Herbert, Pvt., 1,235,292
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, B Company
WIA 7/15/18 (gunshot wound right thigh)
Mrs. Ida (Probinsky) Polin (wife), 3213 Snyder Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham and Bessie (Nepomnu) Polin (parents), 1602 S. 8th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Harrisburg, Pa., 7/4/96
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/23/18

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Polin, Jack, Pvt., 1,256,401
28th Infantry Division, 107th Machine Gun Battalion, A Company
Slightly WIA 10/1/18 (“shrapnel”)
(Deserted ~ 12/14/18!)
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Jennie Polin (parents), 340 Winton St. / 2322 West Columbia Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Kiev, Russia, 4/21/97

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Robbins, Moe, Pvt., 1,235,347
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, B Company
WIA approximately 7/16/18 (gas; initially reported MIA)
Mrs. Mary (McKeever) Robbins (wife), Lorraine and Theodore (daughter and son)
5213 Arlington St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Myer and Theresa (Goodstein) Robbins (parents); Miss Mazie Robbins (sister)
3821 N. 16th St. / 3213 Oxford St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 5/2/95
Occupation: Tire salesman
Philadelphia Inquirer 9/5/18

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Roberts, Leon, Pvt., 1,252,751
28th Infantry Division, 108th Field Artillery Regiment, F Battery
KIA 9/7/18
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard (died 4/19/40) and Minnie (Jacobs) (3/29/71-11/30/25) Roberts (parents)
2044 East Fletcher St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Charles, Gustav, and Hattie (brothers and sister)
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 4/23/94
Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown, Pa. – Section C, Lot 1, Grave 1; Buried 7/14/21
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/12/18

Pvt. Roberts’ matzevot, at Montefiore Cemetery, in Jenkintown, Pa.

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Rose, Mathew Louis, Sgt., 1,251,933
28th Infantry Division, 108th Field Artillery Regiment, C Battery
WIA 8/25/18 (high explosive in back / struck in hip by shrapnel)
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham and Bessie (Wolphe) Rose (parents), Harry (brother), 420 N. 9th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Also 4818 North Franklin St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 1/18/92
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/2/18

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Sandrow, Harry, Pvt., 3,110,731
79th Infantry Division, 315th Infantry Regiment, I Company
KIA 11/9/18
Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Sarah S. Sandrow (parents), 3911 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Ansonia, Ct., 1/28/95
Ivy Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/12/18, 12/13/18

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Seltzer, Joseph, Pvt., 1,239,440
28th Infantry Division, 110th Infantry Regiment, A Company
KIA 10/1/18
Mrs. Leona Seltzer (wife), 312 League St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Julius and Anna (Waterman) Seltzer (parents)
2547 or 2548 or 2647 (?) South 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Abstract lists parents’ address as “2647”
Another address: Mr. Passen, at 1221 South 2nd St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Moscow, Russia, 1900
Occupation: Hardwood finisher
Served in National Guard for six years
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France – Plot B, Row 45, Grave 26
Philadelphia Inquirer 3/1/19

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Senecoff, Abe, PFC, 1,238,466
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, Machine Gun Company
WIA 7/30/18 (gassed and shell shock)
Mrs. Sara (Selsky) Senecoff (wife), Max (son), 2440 South Beulah St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Ida Senecoff (parents), Pvt. Emanuel Senecoff (brother), 2435 South Franklin St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 5/15/93

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Shapiro, Israel, Pvt., 1,237,202
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, I Company
Slightly wounded in action 7/30/18
Wounded in action 9/27/18
Mrs. Lena (Ginsburg) Shapiro (wife), Lester (son), 4251 N. Marshall St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Sarah Shapiro (mother), 542 Pike St. / 1242 Brown St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 9/22/97
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/2/18

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Silnutzer, Meyer, Pvt., 1,235,685
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, C Company
WIA 7/15/18 (“shrapnel” – right foot) / (“wouned by shrapnel in right foot”)
Mrs. Anna (Skibinsky) Silnutzer (wife), Aaron and Ruth (children), 2700 South 16th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan and Sarah (Horn) Silnutzer (parents), 2113 Master St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Barshed, Russia, 6/7/98
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/14/18, 12/18/18

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Simons, Henry, Pvt., 1,237,957
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, M Company
POW / WIA 7/15/18 (“gassed”; “fracture of right ulna”); POW at Camp Langensalza, Germany
Mrs. Bertha H. (Haas) Simons (wife), Helen and Ruth (daughters)
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Minnie (Hirsch) Simons (parents); Jacob Simons (brother), 2212 West Harold St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 11/16/95
Died 11/11/31, Philadelphia, Pa.
New York Times 9/1/18
Philadelphia Inquirer 8/18/18, 8/22/18

____________________

Tarr, Isadore, Pvt., 1,240,783
28th Infantry Division, 110th Infantry Regiment, G Company
WIA 7/30/18 (Slightly wounded) (“left thigh”)
Mrs. Fannie (Byer) Tarr (wife), Evelyn and Rhoda (daughters), 2 Stanle Court, Atlantic City, N.J.
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan and Esther (Ostroff) Tarr (parents), 1718 13th St., Altoona, Pa.
Born Poland (“State of German Poland”), 9/8/96
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/24/18

References

Books

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Jewish Heroes in the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1941

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Americans of the Jewish Faith Who Distinguished Themselves in the Armed Forces in All the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1946

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume I (Alabama through Maryland), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume II (Massachusetts through Ohio), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume III (Oklahoma through Wyoming), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Book – No Specific Author

The War Record of American Jews – First Report of The Office of War Records, American Jewish Committee, January 1, 1919, The American Jewish Committee, New York, N.Y., 1919

A Century of Soldiers: Images of Jewish Infantrymen in the United States Army, World War One (Surnames K through M)

This is the second post (of four) presenting photographs and biographical records of American Jewish soldiers from the state of Pennsylvania who served in the First World War.  The images displayed here were found in Veterans Service and Compensation Files for Pennsylvania WW I veterans, were were accessed via Ancestry.com.  The images are accompanied by biographical information about these soldiers, from a variety of sources.

This post covers men whose surnames began with the letters K through M, the first post having encompassed men whose last names began with the letters A through G.  The next post, of course, will show men whose surnames begin with the letters P through T.  (No U, V, W, X, Y, or Z.)

________________________________________

Kalman, George, Pvt., 1,235,261
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, B Company
WIA 9/6/18 (gas)
Mrs. Belle (Kratzok) Kalman (wife), Franklin and Hamilton (children), 2011 North 54th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf (“William”) and Jennie (Wolfe) Kalman (parents), 312 Manton St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 10/10/92
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/29/18

____________________

Kirschner, William, Pvt., 1,235,903
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, D Company
WIA 7/29/18 (His own account in Veterans Compensation Application lists sole injury as “Back injury early 1919”)
Mrs. Rebecca (Katz) Kirschner (wife); Bernard (son), 42 Fabyan St., Dorchsester, Ma.
Mr. and Mrs. Barnard and Yettie Kirschner (parents), 604 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 12/95
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/23/18

____________________

Knable, George, Cpl., 1,236,163
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, E Company
WIA 9/6/18 (“gunshot wound” / “shrapnel & gas”)
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 12/13/99 – Died 7/25/86
Occupation: Machinist
Mrs. Lillian (Clayman) Knable (wife); Albert, Florence, Harold and Samuel (children), 2732 West Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris (4/30/75-6/11/57) and Annie (Krongold) (1875-10/24/41) Knable (parents)
Abraham, Ethel, Florina, Harry, James, Louis, Mary, Max, Percy, Robert, Theodore (brothers and sisters)
1405 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/13/18

____________________

Kramer, Lewis, Pvt., 1,236,396
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, F Company
WIA 9/4/18 (gunshot wound right & left thighs)
Mrs. Irene (Friedman) Kramer (wife), 117 South Illinois Ave., Atlantic City, N.J.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin and Fanny (Segal) Kramer (parents), 737 West Oxford St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 9/17/98
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/25/18

____________________

Lipschutz, Samuel, Pvt., 1,236,888
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, H Company
WIA 9/4/18 (gunshot left ankle)
Mrs. Lillian (Schaff) Lipschutz (wife), Alice, Howard, and Norton (daughter and sons), 5249 North Franklin St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Anna (Miller) Lipschutz (parents); Mary (sister), 838 Ritter St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 11/6/97
Occupation: Polisher, Frankford Arsenal
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/15/18

____________________

Manasse, Maurice (Moshe bar Efraim), Pvt., 1,238,656, Silver Star, at Montblainville, France
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, Sanitary Detachment
Seriously wounded in action 9/28/18 (“shrapnel right thigh”)
Mrs. Clara (Poplak) Manasse (wife) (Klara Bat Mordechay) (7/25/84-1/6/74), 1604 West Susqueahana Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Margot Manasse (sister), 116 N. 9th St. / 709 Poplar St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Arnhem, Holland, 8/23/82 – Died 10/14/71; Buried at Mount Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia Inquirer 3/4/19

____________________

Mildenberg, Abraham, 1st Sgt., 1,237,501
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, L Company
POW / WIA 7/15/18 (shrapnel wound right leg); POW at Stralkowo / Strakowe, Posen, Germany
Mrs. Nellie J. Mildenberg (wife), 816 South 47th St., Apt. # 12, c/o Mrs. Mary Tracey, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Meyer “Michael” (7/14/60-12/10/38) and Johanna (Levy) (10/13/58-4/13/13) Mildenberg (parents)
Harry, Michael, and Millie (brothers and sister), 2430 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born New York, N.Y., 10/17/89
Died 12/54
Enlisted in 1915; Corporal on Mexican border; Commissioned 2nd Lt. 4/19/18
Jewish Exponent 8/16/18
New York Times 9/18/18
Philadelphia Inquirer 8/9/18, 9/17/18 or 9/18/18, 1/1/19

On July 15, 1918, the Philadelphia Inquirer published this photo of Sergeant Mildenberg.  

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Miller, Abraham, Pvt., 1,236,757
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, H Company
Wounded in Action 9/6/18 (“shot in the right chest and right hand with machine gun bullet”)
Mrs. Ray (Weinstein) Miller (wife); Leon (son), 186 Dauphin St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Peretz (“Philip”) and Pearl (Stogo) Miller (parents), 1014 Winton St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Chicago, Il., 4/7/93
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/14/18

____________________

Musicant, Jacob, Sgt., 1,236,963
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, H Company
WIA 8/12/18 (mustard gas)
Mrs. Rose (Mechanic) Musicant (wife), Adele, Myrna, Sandra, and Sidney (children), 728 West Norris St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Max and Etta (Rabinowitz (“Robbins”)) Musicant (parents), 962 N. 6th St. / 994 West 7th St. / 919 Sartain St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 10/25/92
Served on Mexican border
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/24/18

References

Books

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Jewish Heroes in the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1941

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Americans of the Jewish Faith Who Distinguished Themselves in the Armed Forces in All the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1946

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume I (Alabama through Maryland), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume II (Massachusetts through Ohio), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume III (Oklahoma through Wyoming), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Book (No Specific Author)

The War Record of American Jews – First Report of The Office of War Records, American Jewish Committee, January 1, 1919, The American Jewish Committee, New York, N.Y., 1919

A Century of Soldiers: Images of Jewish Infantrymen in the United States Army, World War One (Surnames A through G)

Among records about the military service of American World War One soldiers – at least, records available via Ancestry.com – those for servicemen from the state of Pennsylvania are certainly the most comprehensive.  While information about soldiers from all other states, and certainly also Pennsylvania, is recorded on Abstract of Military Service Cards as what might be deemed “stand-alone” documents, Abstract cards for Pennsylvania are incorporated into World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948, which are in turn comprised of multiple documents. 

The contents of a Veteran’s Compensation File vary very greatly from soldier to soldier, but can include the following:

1) Veteran’s Compensation Application
2) Abstract of Military Service Card
3) Immediate Report of Casualty Card
4) Casual Officer’s Record Card
5) A.G.O.S.D., A.E.F. Form No. 6 (for recording biographical information, and, transfers and changes)
6) Application for Victory Medal (for Enlisted Men)
7) Pennsylvania War History Commission War Service Record of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines
8) An “I Am the Next of Kin” information card
9) Newspaper clippings about a soldier’s military service, and / or casualty status (specifically for soldiers from Philadelphia)
10) Details of Death or Burial Card
11) Individual Record of Decorations or Citations

No single Veterans Compensation File comprises each and every of the eleven above-listed types of documents, though the majority at least include a Veteran’s Compensation Application form, Abstract of Military Service Card, Pennsylvania War History Commission War Service Record of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and, newspaper clippings.  Among these four categories of items, the Pennsylvania War History Commission War Service Record of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines is (well, when present) as invaluable as it is remarkable, for many of these Records include a veteran’s description of his combat service in his own handwriting, or, for fallen soldiers, an account of the same by his parents or a sibling. 

And, seemingly haven taken the effort to record soldiers’ military service a step farther, the Pennsylvania World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files also include photographic portraits of soldiers, and less commonly, soldier’s portraits published in newspapers in half-tone format. 

These images from a century past – by now sepia toned to a greater or lesser degree; sometimes badly faded – are remarkable, and remarkably evocative, windows upon the past.  Some were obviously taken by military photographers prior to a soldier’s deployment overseas; some were clearly taken by professional civilian photographers in studio settings; a very few were probably taken by a soldier’s family or friends using commercially available cameras.  As such, the some of the images – especially and curiously those taken by military photographers – capture a facet of soldier’s personality in the way of facial gestures or reactions to the very act of being photographed.  Some men are distracted; some have a look of levity; some have a matter-of-fact gaze; some appear to be proud.  (Photographs and candid pictures of WW I soldiers can also be found for Alabama and Connecticut soldiers; the former at the Alabama “World War I Gold Star Database”, and the latter at Ancestry.com.)

Regardless, all look much like people “now” in the year 2022: People have not changed.  

Since all these documents were scanned at 96 dpi, they’re of adequate resolution for digital enhancement. 

So…  I’ve created four posts about Jewish Pennsylvanians who were military casualties in the Great War, for whom photographs exist in the state’s World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files.  They cover soldiers whose surnames begin with the letters A though G (“this” post), K through M, P through T, and concluding with a single post covering Lieutenant Edward Benjamin Goward of the 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, who was killed in action on July 29, 1918. 

An additional post includes one photographic portrait (from a newspaper), but more importantly, features transcripts of veteran’s reminiscences from Pennsylvania War History Commission War Service Records of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines.

Though many men are covered in this set of posts, these records, and the photos therein, represent only a fraction of memory. 

But, the past is irreducible: 

Even the smallest fraction is memory is still and always, memory.

________________________________________

Abramson, Max, Sgt., 1,252,131
28th Infantry Division, 108th Field Artillery Regiment, D Battery
WIA 9/12/18 (“shrapnel wound on right leg”)
Mrs. Rose (Stelweck) Abramson (wife), Florence C. and Robert L. (children), 1581 President St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mrs. Rose (Cohen) Abramson (mother), 1418 North 4th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Bucharest, Rumania, 10/20/98
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/15/18

____________________

Atlas, Harry, Pvt., 1,237,340
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, K Company
WIA 7/16/18 (gas; originally reported MIA)
Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Anna (Gluckman) Atlas (parents)
467 N. 6th St. / 504 North 8th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 8/28/96
Occupation: Machinist helper at Baldwin Locomotive Works
Philadelphia Inquirer 8/18/18

This half-tone photo of a smiling Pvt. Atlas was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 18, 1918.  

Dear Sir:

The reasons this application is so vague, as to the exact dates, may I explain.

After returning from over-seas service, in April 1919, I was re-enlisted in Co. K 50th Infantry and I was immediately mustered out of Co. K 109th Inf. at Camp Dix, New Jersey.  No doubt, my records were transferred to this new outfit, but by some odd occurrences, I did not go back.  My original discharge was destroyed by fire.  I am at present getting my second discharge straightened out in Washington D.C. at present, and I am also requesting a copy of discharge of my enlistment from Co K 109th Inf.

I am enclosing some definite proof as to my identity, by the papers from the Government Bonus which I obtained in January 1925 at Phila. Pa.

Kindly inform me if there is any other way I can assure you that I am the rightful claimant.

Respectfully,
Harry Atlas.

____________________

Berkowitz, Jerome, Pvt., 1,236,202
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, F Company
WIA 9/27/18 (slightly wounded in action)
WIA 11/10/18 (“gassed”)
Mrs. Eva (Markowitz) Berkowitz (wife), Irving Harold (son), 2526 North 33rd St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Jennie (Weiss) Berkowitz (mother), 2017 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 3/11/92
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/15/18

____________________

Berkowitz, Louis Ralph, Cpl., 1,785,675, at Lorraine, France
79th Infantry Division, 315th Infantry Regiment, L Company
KIA 9/28/18
Mr. and Mrs. Albert (6/18/54-12/6/17) and Clara (Landman) (4/8/65-3/7/69) Berkowitz (parents)
Albert Clarence, David Edward, Harvey, Henrietta, and Henry Joseph Berkowitz (brothers and sister)
3225 Turner St. / 1739 Berks St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Reverend Dr. Henry Berkowitz (uncle)
Born Kansas City, Mo., 5/26/91
Occupation: Assistant advertising manager and N. Snellenburg & Co., then, head of advertising at Pennsylvania Knitting Company, then, head of advertising department of Frank & Seder Company
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France – Tablets of the Missing
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/10/18

This image of Cpl. Berkowitz – probably from the Philadelphia Inquirer – is found in his “World War I Veterans Service and Compensation File”, via Ancestry.com.

____________________

Brody, Henry Harry, Cpl., 1,237,806
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, M Company
Prisoner of War; Gassed; 7/15/18
Camp Rastatt, Langensalza, Germany
Mrs. Hannah Brody [Haas] (wife), Marcel and Samuel (5/28/20-1/30/07) (sons), 5751 North Camac St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Maurice (Morris) and Esther Brody (parents), 525 Franklin St. / 3104 Euclid Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Occupation Cigar Store Clerk
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 2/22/95
Died 5/10/30, buried Mount Carmel Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa. – Section H, Lot 681, Grave 1
New York Times 9/1/18, 1/12/19
Philadelphia Inquirer 1/12/19

____________________

Brooks, Frank, Pvt., 12,132
27th Infantry Division, 108th Infantry Regiment, B Company, 11th Engineers
Prisoner of War 11/30/17
Le Quesnoy, France; Camp Duelmen, Germany; Camp Altmann, Germany
Mr. Abraham Brooks (father), 5 Erkley St., London, England
Also 949 Fox St., New York, N.Y.
Born London, 5/24/91
New York Times 12/17/17
Jewish War Veterans Calendar 2017

In this photo published in the 2017 calendar of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, Pvt. Brooks is standing in the front row, 2nd from right, with a group of fellow captured members of the 11th Engineers.  The men’s expressions range from stoic, to defiant, to (?!) jovial.    

____________________

Fine, Samuel E., Cpl., 1,238,983
28th Infantry Division, 110th Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Company
WIA 7/29/18 (shell fire; “loss of two fingers on left hand”)
Mrs. Bessie (Leightstone) Fine (wife), Gilbert and Gordon (sons), 5622 Catharine St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Grace (Garber) Fine (parents), 5426 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 10/14/97
Occupation: Plumber for U.G.I.
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/24/18

____________________

Forkish, Robert Morris, PFC, 1,236,140
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, E Company
WIA 9/12/18 (“gassed & shell shock”)
Mrs. Ruth Ann Forkish (wife), Dolores, John E., Mary, Raymond A., and Robert, Jr. (children), 3844 34th St., Mount Rainier, Md.
Mr. and Mrs. Isadore and Anna Forkish (parents), 903 Parrish St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Bucharest, Roumania, 4/23/98

I Robert M. Forkish received complements off of Major Gregory 109th US Inf. 2nd Battalion for Bravery as you would call it.  I was then a runner, at Condy. Jen. Brien or Chateau Thierry Bois.

He _____ for communicating all day under a continuous bombardment.  This was July 18/918. 

Well it was on the 12th of Sept when I got gassed and Shell Shock at Fismes on trying to cross the Vesle River.  I was in the Hospital at Clichy France Base 19.  I couldn’t see or talk for 2 months after. 

I recovered and caught the Flu, and the Spinal Meningitis besides.  (Mars St. Parie Le Chatel.) 

I still have a whole lot more to write. 
Robert M. Forkish

____________________

Fox, Nathan, PFC, 1,910,867
82nd Infantry Division, 328th Infantry Regiment, K Company
WIA 10/8/18 (gas)
Mrs. Celia (Hoffman) Fox (wife), 1603 East Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Gussy and Bettsy (Malamut) Fox (parents), 1422 North 5th Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Odessa, Russia, 9/26/96
Other reference(s) list place and date of birth as “Russia, Odessa; 9/26/96”, while Draft Registration Card lists place and date of birth as “Russia, Deraznia; 10/24/95”; Original address (crossed out) on Draft Registration Card is “1327 North 5th St.”
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/15/18

____________________

Gell, Abe, Pvt., 2,382,836
5th Infantry Division, 60th Infantry Regiment, C Company
KIA 9/25/18
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Rachel (Gartell) Gell (parents); Samuel (brother), Blossburg, Pa.
Born “Iswan” / “Govna”, Russia, 4/17/87
St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, France – Plot D, Row 10, Grave 13
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/22/18
The Evening Leader (Corning, N.Y.) 10/25/18

____________________

Glashofer, Philip, Pvt., 1,237,065
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, I Company
KIA 10/10/18
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Yetta Glashofer (parents), 1119 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Also 4138 Leidy Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 9/10/96
Har Nebo Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa. (Cemetery has no record)
Philadelphia Inquirer 1/11/19

Matzeva of Pvt. Glashofer, at Har Nebo Cemetery, Philadelphia.

____________________

Goldberg, Walter, Cpl., 1,238,057
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Company
WIA 7/28/18
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham and Rebecca Goldberg (parents)
Cpl. David Goldberg (brother), 731 South 58th St. / 2031 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 1/27/97
Philadelphia Inquirer 11/7/18

____________________

Goldfus, Louis Samuel, Pvt., 1,235,072
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, A Company
WIA 7/30/18
KIA 10/6/18
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Esther (Goldman) Goldfus (parents), 331 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. Charles Kahn (brother in law), 503 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Pa., Philadelphia, 623 South 3rd St.
Born 5/99
Har Nebo Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa. – Section 1, Grave 96B; Buried 8/14/21
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/23/18, 11/17/18, 11/18/18

____________________

Goldstein, Herman, 2 Lt.
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, I Company
Seriously Wounded in Action 9/29/18 (gunshot wound between 3rd and 4th vertebrae)
Mrs. Ida Goldstein (wife), Irwin and Jeanette (son and daughter), 6052 Regent St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mrs. Jennie Goldstein (mother), 2112 Master St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 9/13/93
Philadelphia Inquirer 2/16/19

____________________

Goodman, Harry, Mechanic, 1,235,540
28th Infantry Division, 109th Infantry Regiment, C Company
WIA 9/8/18 (“shell shock” / “wounded, transferred to hospital”)
Mrs. Pearl (Crotis) Goodman (wife), 5025 North Gransback St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Leopold and Freda (Drisen) Goodman (parents), 1122 Germantown Ave. / 2223 Lambert St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born Philadelphia, Pa., 2/21/96
Occupation: Shipper
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/15/18

References

Books

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Jewish Heroes in the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1941

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Americans of the Jewish Faith Who Distinguished Themselves in the Armed Forces in All the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1946

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume I (Alabama through Maryland), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume II (Massachusetts through Ohio), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume III (Oklahoma through Wyoming), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Book – No Specific Author

The War Record of American Jews – First Report of The Office of War Records, American Jewish Committee, January 1, 1919, The American Jewish Committee, New York, N.Y., 1919

Here I Am (Hineni): On the way to Eretz Israel – A Volunteer in the Jewish Legion, 1918

In Through These Pale Cold Days – “Operation Michael” – The German Spring Offensive of March 21, 1918, I touched upon the life of artist and poet Isaac Rosenberg, who, serving as a Private in the 1st Battalion of the King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), was killed in action on April 1, 1918, in a defensive action against German troops during the great German offensive otherwise known as Operation Michael.

Though vastly more could be said (and, has been said) about Rosenberg’s life and poetry, it was; it is, adequate enough to begin that post with his last poem, penned during the final week of March, 1918: “Through These Pale Cold Days”.

The text follows…

Through these pale cold days
What dark faces burn
Out of three thousand years,
And their wild eyes yearn,

While underneath their brows
Like waifs their spirits grope
For the pools of Hebron again –
For Lebanon’s summer slope.

They leave these blond still days
In dust behind their tread
They see with living eyes
How long they have been dead.

The poem directly expresses Rosenberg’s yearning to return to Eretz Israel, and, serve in a specifically Jewish military unit.  As discussed in Joseph Cohen’s Journey to the Trenches, the poet was not at all passive in his hope: He persistently applied for a to transfer to the Judeans, the Jewish volunteer battalions organized by Vladimir Jabotinsky, then serving in Egypt and the Yishuv.   

Sometimes, the wishes of men are fulfilled.  

And yet sometimes, they are…

The following account is a case in point.  Published in the Wilkes-Barre Record on December 17, 1918, it’s the story of the departure for the Jewish Legion, and, eventual military service in Egypt and the Yishuv, of George G. Korson, (by then!) a former reporter for the Record.   Korson’s biographical details appear in this document from Ancestry.com, found among records of “US Residents Serving in the British Expeditionary Forces 1917-1919”.  

Not actually focusing on military training or military duty as such, the article is primarily Korson’s own story of his departure from England, and equally, a description of the optimism and hope felt by the group of Legion soldiers prior to their departure.

Interestingly, the article makes several mentions of the word “Hatikooh”, a misspelling (or variant of translation?!) of the title of Israel’s national anthem Hatikvah, which was penned in 1878.  (Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook proposed an alternative version of an Israeli national anthem, entitled HaEmunah, “The Faith”.  Which, I didn’t know about until creating this post…!)

So, Private Isaac Rosenberg’s dream did not come true.  

So, Private George S. Korson’s did.  

But, in a sense much larger, both dreams did come true, as some dreams – in their own time; in their own way – eventually do.

______________________________________

______________________________________

ON WAY TO EGYPT

Wilkes-Barre Record
December 17, 1918

Former Record Reporter Describes Final Days in England of Jewish Legionnaires

Describing his final days in England before departing with the Jewish Legion for Egypt and the Holy Land George Korson, a former reporter on the Record staff, writes two interesting letters from England.  Korson was born in Russia, raised in America, trained for army life in Canada, Wales and England and is now going to Egypt with the hope of eventually remaining in Palestine, as a permanent member of the new Zionist nation.  He writes:

Good-bye England; Hello Egypt

“November 11, 1918.

“A few hours more and it’s good-bye England and hello Egypt for me.  Final Inspection of our battalion was made by the brigadier-general this morning.  Our impression on the old man was a favorable one.  We spent many a nerve-wracking hour preparing for this day.  ‘As fine a looking lot as I ever saw,’ he pronounced us.

“The inspection took up three hours, the whole of which we stood at attention with rifles and packs on our backs.  Packs, I should explain, is another word for equipment, a matter of but ninety-eight pounds, no more.

“Shortly after the inspection, dressed in full marching order, the battalion went out on a ‘practice’ march, the flag of Zion leading us.  Twelve miles was the length of the march.  The packs were weighty and perspiration flowed freely.  But the charm of the English countryside, in a sense unloosened our loads, or was it the music sent up by our band that had this effect?  I am sure that our hearts would have been heavier than our packs at the end were it not for the inspiring airs.  With the flag of Zion before us and the ‘Hatikooh,’ the battle cry of Israel in the air, who would not go to the bottomest depths of Hades for the cause?

“As the columns of the ‘Modern Macabees’ swung down the country roads and village streets it somehow gave me the feeling that with an army to defend its honor, the first in 2,000 years, Israel was well on its way to the return to the ancient home.

“The battle cries of our ancient warriors were the songs that were sung by us this morning.  Villagers crowded the walks, jostling one another in the effort to gain vantage points.  The applause and cheers of the spectators revealed to us their opinion of us.  No wonder the general said we were as fit a looking lot as he ever saw.

To Do Garrison Duty in Palestine

“The spirit among the Jewish Legionnaires is admirable.  In our eagerness to get across, we are unanimous.  The disappointment in not being able to see active service on the field of battle is almost universal among us.  The fact that we are going to do garrison duty in Palestine is some consolations anyhow.

“The trip to Egypt promises to be an interest one.  If we should follow the routes of previous drafts we would pass through France and Italy with stopover privileges in Paris and Rome.  The trip will probably take three weeks.  I will write upon my arrival.

Farewell Dinner

“November 21, 1918.

“The happiest moments of my life passed last night.  The occasion was a farewell dinner given departing Jewish Legionnaires by the British Zionist organization, of which Lord Rothschild is the president.  The affair is beyond doubt the best reception tendered the Legion and I can assure you fine receptions have been given it both in American and in England.  With the departure of our battalion the last of the Jewish Legion will have left Britain’s shores.  Perhaps this is a reason that led the English Jews to sacrifice so much in our behalf.

Conditions in Holy Land

“At any rate the dinner will not be easily forgotten.  A representative of the recent British investigation committee to Palestine addressed us.  He told us of conditions in the Holy Land.  The colonists who at the beginning of the war were driven out of the country by the Turks have returned and are going about their pre-war occupations quite well.  Bridges, water works, highways, irrigation, railroad building and other improvements are being made by a British engineer corps for the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland.  Touching, indeed, was his description of the colonists’ reception of the Jewish Legionnaires.  Old men in their praying shawls and women fell to the ground and literally kissed the feet of their deliverers and future defenders.  Children fought one another in the efforts to carry part of the soldiers’ equipment.  The colonists tried to outdo one another to provide comforts for these Maccabees.  Doors were thrown wide open.  ‘What is mine is also thine,’ was the common word, the speaker declared.

Inducements to Stay

“The Zionist organizations, he said, is going to offer excellent inducements to the members of the Jewish Legion upon their discharge from the British army.  If I were to speak my heart, I hope the inducements are good.

“The speaker also brought us the news that the Zionist organization has deposited with the commanding officer, Col. Miller, the sum of £250 ($1,250) to provide comforts for our battalion on our approaching journey to Egypt.

Flags of Eleven Nations

“The hall was fittingly decorated.  The flags of eleven nations, from which the various Jewish Legions present had come, waved through the room.  A big camp band enlivened the evening with music, in which the guests occasionally joined.

“Besides the speech of the British committeeman, talks were given by our colonel and officers.  The officers are heart and soul in the cause of the Jewish people and last night expressed their willingness to go with their men to Egypt, thence to Palestine,

“The climax of the evening came with the call for the ‘Hatikooh,’ Israel’s ‘Song of Hope’.  Most of the Jewish Legionnaires, typical of the Jewish race in the last 2,000 years, were wanderers, born in one country, raised in another and living in a third, etc.  Not a few had come from Russia where they had undergone all the hardships and suffering that result from a cruel government.  In a word, the gathering was made up of men who had gone through something and consequently whose feelings and emotions were pent up.

Tears Drip on Banquet Table

“At the singing of the ‘Hatikooh,’ all stood at attention.  It is unnecessary to state that the nation was sent out with feeling.  As the anthem went on one could see tears coming to the eyes of the men, some young, middle-aged, and elderly; some of them hard-hearted business men in civil life.  At the conclusion tears were literally dripping on the banquet table.  Can you imagine now the spirit of the Jewish Legion?

“Private George Korson, No. 2476
28-40 Batt. R.F. Co. G
“E.E.F., Egypt”

Some References…

Adler, Michael, and Freeman, Max R.G., British Jewry Book of Honour, Caxton Publishing Company, London, England, 1922 (Republished in 2006 by Naval & Military Press, Uckfield, East Sussex)

Cohen, Joseph, Journey to the Trenches – The Life of Isaac Rosenberg, 1890-1918, Basic Books, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1975

Jabotinsky, Wladimir, Die jüdische Legion im Weltkrieg, Jüdischer Verlag, Berlin, 1930

A War Is Over: November 11, 1918

In March of 2001, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published two articles about a project to comprehensively identify casualties among American Jewish Soldiers of World War One.  Coinciding with what was – at the time – my own newly-begun effort to identity casualties among Jewish soldiers of the British Commonwealth for the Great War, these JTA news items inspired me to embark on a similarly-themed project concerning Jewish soldiers of the United States. 

By now, I’ve completed much of this project.  But, identifying the names of American Jewish WW I military casualties proved to be vastly more daunting (and even more) than my parallel research concerning British (and Australian, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand, Scottish, South African, Welsh, and more…) Jewish WW I soldiers.

The central challenge was also the most obvious: Compilations and lists of Commonwealth Jewish soldiers of World War One already exist, having been collected and / or published during, and after (and some, decades after) the war.  The central sources of these names are wartime issues of The Jewish Chronicle, the British Jewry Book of Honour of 1922, and, the Australian Jewry Book of Honour of 1923. 

In a similar way, compilations of names of Jewish military casualties in the WW I militaries of France, Germany, and Italy were likewise created and published in the 20s and 30s.  (As for the creation of comprehensive lists of the names of Jewish soldiers, fallen or otherwise, in the militaries of Austria-Hungary and Imperial Russia, well, I suppose that history and other factors have rendered such efforts moot, and, irrelevant.)

Comprehensive compilations of the names of fallen and / or decorated American Jewish soldiers were never published, despite the names, biographical records, and veterans’ recollections of these men having been compiled and preserved.  The reasons for this retrospective “gap” in Jewish history are alluded to in my prior post about the topic, and I believe had vastly less to do with the availability of scholars or laymen to embark on such a project, challenges in the analysis and interpretation of a mass of historical information, or finally, the simple physical ability to actually publish such works … than with the collective degree of self-confidence and comfort in the self-identity prevalent in the “American Jewish Community” – whether of leaders or laymen – during the 20s and 30s.  (Is anything really that different a century later?  I wanted to think so, for a time, but I do no longer.) 

To be honest, a measure of this information was eventually published.  But, this was limited to comparative statistical studies, and, limited to lists of the names of men who received military awards such as the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, and Silver Star.  The result?  This information appeared in both volumes (1934, 1941, and, 1934, 1946) of Sydney G. Gumpertz’s The Jewish Legion of Honor.  However, the vastly greater number of men who never received military awards – despite having served; despite having been casualties – never appeared in print. 

Well, in time, there was one exception to this:  In the early 2000s (I think it was the early 2000s…!) the Center For Jewish History made available online the names of men recorded in this research.  (Unfortunately, I didn’t record the URL!)  This list was limited to a soldier’s first and last names and middle initial; no other information appeared.  I think (? – !) these names were actually those acquired by the American Jewish Committee – Office of Jewish War Records, 1918-1921. 

So, even if tantalizingly incomplete, that CJA list served as a solid foundation for further research into this topic.  And, I looked into it…

My first effort centered around correlating these names to 1) Names listed in records in “Casualties of the AEF By State – World War One” – “WW I Organization Records Office File” at the United States National Archives, in Records Group RG 407, and, 2) names listed in Haulsee, Howe, and Doyle’s Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition.  I then matched these names to published compilations of biographical records for a few specific states (well, those compilations that I could find or that at least exist: for Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, New York, and Ohio) to find further information about these men.

This research eventually led to Ancestry.com (this isn’t a plug for Ancestry, it’s simply the way things worked out!) which in its “Military” category enables access to scans of “Abstract of Military Service” / “Form No, 724-7, A.G.O.” [A.G.O. = Adjutant General’s Office] cards, which were published or standardized on November 22, 1919.  These cards provided a standardized format by which information about a soldier’s military service was recorded.  (You can read about them here.)

Data fields in these cards comprise:

Name (Surname and Given Name)
Serial / Service Number
Race
Place and date of enlistment or induction
Place of Birth
Age (usually) or Date of Birth (much less often)
Service Organization(s) with Assignment Dates and Transfers
Rank (Grade) with Date of Appointment
Engagements
Whether Wounded in Action (how badly), Killed in Action, or Died of Wounds / Illness (date listed in each case, including for multiple wounds)
Name and address of Next of Kin, or Emergency Contact
Overseas Service Dates
Discharge / Separation Date and Information
Degree of Disability at Discharge

Given the format and content of the information presented in the five above-listed state compilations, I believe the cards were source of information used in the creation of published works covering Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, New York, and Ohio.

At Ancestry, scans of Abstract cards can be directly accessed for Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, and Utah, while for other states (such Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and New Jersey) they can be accessed via websites maintained by those states’ historical or archival agencies.

The Abstract Cards for New York and Pennsylvania are particularly interesting, in that they reveal that a soldier’s casualty status was indicated by the color of the card itself.  A pale yellow-orange or tan card indicates a soldier who died in service or was killed in action, while information about wounded or injured soldiers is recorded on gray-ish cards.

Paralleling the Abstract Cards are two other primary sources of information, accessible through Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.  These are U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards for 1917 to 1918, and, U.S. Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists for 1910 to 1939. 

Though Draft Registration Cards by nature don’t include information about a soldier’s military service, they’re utterly invaluable in having genealogical information such as place and date of birth, addresses of residence and employment (at least, on the date when the soon-to-be soldier filled out the card), and trade or profession.  The ubiquity and number of these cards (How many are there? – I don’t know!), a “strength” as it were, can renders them an ambiguous sources of information:  Some information on them, such as place and date of birth, and residential address, doesn’t necessarily correlate to such information recorded on the Abstract Cards.  They don’t typically include the names (names) of a soldier’s next of kin.  Also, it’s very easy to find multiple cards with the same listed surname and given name, despite being for entirely different men!  

More important for this purpose of this project than the Draft Registration Cards – by far – have been the Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, because the information recorded in these records – a soldier’s military unit, his serial number, residential address, and name of next of kin or emergency contact – has direct and immediate relevance to his military service, and, is central in terms of a soldier’s genealogy and ancestry.  (That’s “ancestry” with a small “a”.)  It’s been this particular set of documents, when used in conjunction with the CJA soldiers’ name list, that has been really instrumental in identifying Jewish soldiers. 

Paralleling this effort (lots of parallels here) was a review of four newspapers – The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Jewish Exponent, and The Jewish Chronicle, the latter of which on rare occasion in 1917 and 1918 include information about Jewish casualties in the United States armed forces. 

So, here are the URLs for either historical or archival offices of various states, or, direct links to Ancestry.com, that allow search for Abstract Cards:

Alabama
World War I Gold Star Database” (Abstract Cards, Photos, and Documents)

California (Ancestry.com: California State Council of Defense. California War History Committee. Records of Californians Who Served in World War I. (Set 2: World War I soldiers deaths.) 18 boxes. California State Library, Sacramento, California.  No Abstract Cards, but instead images of newspaper articles.)

Florida
World War One Service Cards

Maine (Ancestry.com)

Mississippi
Mississippi World War I Statement of Service Cards and Indices

Missouri (Transcribed Data from Abstract Cards)
Soldiers’ Records: War of 1812 – World War I

New Jersey
World War I Deaths: Descriptive Cards, Photographs, and Correspondence

New Mexico (Ancestry.com: No Abstract cards, but other documents)

North Dakota (Ancestry.com)

Vermont (Ancestry.com: Transcribed Data from Abstract Cards)

And so, what did I find?

In terms of numbers…

…well, while I’ve made a practice at this blog of not listing total numbers of people in “so-and-so” and “such-and-such” category – that becomes tedious, anyway – a comparison of my data from this research, with information released by the American Jewish Committee’s Office of Jewish War Records, in its Third Report, dated 14 November 1920, is revealing.  I’ve found that the OJWR’s estimate of 2,800 Jewish war dead is incorrect, and is an overcount of American Jewish servicemen (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps) who lost their lives during the war.  However, the total number of casualties I’ve arrived at – comprising soldiers killed in action or died of wounds or illness, plus wounded and survived, plus prisoners of war, – definitely exceeds that above-mentioned OJWR total.

Of interest are the relative proportions of Jewish soldiers serving in the Army and Marine Corps, in terms of men who were casualties (as defined above) … based on place or birth, in terms of country or geographic area.  (Ironic that a historical question from 1918 can be so politically and culturally fraught in 2022!) 

Running my numbers through Excel reveals that these proportions are, largest to smallest:

Born in the United States: 43%
Born in Belorussia, Russia, and Ukraine (I haven’t disambiguated these records, yet…): 36%
Born in Poland: 7%
Born in Romania: 5%
Born in Lithuania: 4%
Born in Austria-Hungary: 3%
And, born in England: 2%

Plus … soldiers born in:

Bulgaria (Pvt. Israel Silverman)
Canada (several)
Cyprus (PFC Moses M. Steinberg)
France, Germany (Privates Nathan Greenbaum, Adolph Katz, and Julius Meyer Lyons)
Latvia (several)
Lithuania (several)
Scotland (Pvt. Robert E. Ognall)
Sweden (Pvt. Einar Skud)
Turkey (Pvt. Raoul Gerson)
and the Yishuv (Pvt. Ruben Cohen).

Well, being that people are neither “data” nor “percentages”, one way to view this mass of information is to focus on casualties incurred on a single day of battle; a day which by its symbolism and historical significance reflects the sad irony of the Great War, and in effect, all wars: 

The day the war ended.

Armistice Day.

The 11th of November, 1918. 

The fact that hostilities were to cease on 11 A.M. on November 11 did not at all preclude casualties in the armies of either the Allies or Germany from occurring prior to that moment, as exemplified by the death of Sergeant Henry N. Gunther, of Baltimore, who was killed at 10:59 A.M., one minute before the Armistice was to have gone into effect.  

The names of Jewish casualties in the United States Army for the same day, killed and wounded, are listed below.  Particularly poignant is the story of thirty year old Jesse Steinthal of Manhattan, concerning whom an illustrated article appeared in the New York Tribune exactly two years and one day before he fell in battle.  Well, actually, they’re all poignant each in their own way, Jesse Steinthal’s story moreso – for the purposes of this post – simply because of the fortuitous availability of more-than-usual information about him. 

Of course, there inevitably were casualties in the German Army that day as well.  In that regard, identifying Jewish casualties in the Deutsches Heer for day was quite straightforward: the names of these men are easily identified in Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch

Among them is Soldat Herman Tichauer, age forty-five. 

Among them is Leutenant Alfred Emil Stettiner, age thirty-seven. 

Among them is Sergeant Ernest Schild of Duisberg, an aviator in Schlachtstaffel 5, about whom I’ve been unable to find any further information … though there is a discussion at TheAerodrome which would imply that he was a crew member of a Hannover CL.III aircraft.  His name doesn’t appear in Casualties of the German Air Service 1914-1920, and, there is no account of the shooting down of a Hannover in The Sky Their Battlefield.

____________________

In any event…

…given the centrality of Abstract cards to this project, some examples of these documents follow below, all for dates other than November 11, 1918, accompanied by information derived from the card, and, other sources.  (This follows the format I’ve been using for records about WW II servicemen.)  I’ve made a point of illustrating Abstract cards showing different places of birth: Austria, England, Poland, Russia, the United States, Ukraine, and the Yishuv.  Also shown are other documents, and, a few photographs. 

And so:

Berman, Benjamin, Pvt., 305,589
Born in Russia: “Rottadum” (?), February 27, 1895
4th Marine Brigade, 6th Marine Regiment, attached to 2nd Infantry Division, US Army
Killed in action September 15, 1918, at Chateau Thierry
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Anna Berman (parents), 548 West Pike St. / 2413 North Hollywood St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Tablets of the Missing at Saint Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, France
Matzeva (symbolic?) at Mount Sharon Cemetery, Springfield, Pa.
Philadelphia Inquirer Casualty List – October 12, 1918
Name not in Center for Jewish History list.

_____

Private Berman’s symbolic matzeva.

_____

Sixteen years later: The Veteran’s Compensation Application for Private Berman, completed by Jacob and Anna in March of 1934.

__________

Louis Gottes Bernheimer, 1st Lieutenant, Reconnaissance Pilot
Born in the United States: New York, N.Y. – December 5, 1895
United States Army Air Service, 88th Observation Squadron
Survived: Awards included Distinguished Service Cross (for actions on August 11, 1918), Silver Star, and Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Mr. and Mrs. Sydney (3/24/75-2/13/70) and Fannie (“Gattis”) (7/16/69-10/6/38) Bernheimer (parents), Leona C. (sister) (5/2/91-_____), 138 East 72nd Street, New York, N.Y.
Yale University Graduate – Class of 1917
Died January 10, 1930, Los Angeles, Ca.
Buried at Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Jewish Legion of Valor – 255
New York Sun January 14, 1930

BERNHEIMER, LOUIS G. (First Award)

First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army
Pilot, 88th Aero Squadron, Air Service, A.E.F.
Date of Action: August 11, 1918

Citation: The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Louis G. Bernheimer, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Fismes, France, August 11, 1918.  Together with John W. Jordan, Second Lieutenant, 7th Field Artillery; Observer (severely wounded);

Roger Wolcott Hitchcock, Second Lieutenant, Pilot (uninjured)
and James S.D. Burns, Second Lieutenant, Observer, 101st Field Artillery (KIA)
(control surfaces shot up, but returned);

Philip R. Babcock, First Lieutenant, Pilot (uninjured)
and Joseph A. Palmer, Second Lieutenant, Observer, 15th Field Artillery (uninjured)

Joel H. McClendon, First Lieutenant, Pilot (KIA)
and Charles W. Plummer, Second Lieutenant, Observer, 101st Field Artillery (KIA)
(shot down by Oberleutnant Rittmeister Karl Bolle of Jasta 2; crashed at Ville Savoye)

all attached to the same squadron.  Under the protection of three pursuit planes, all carrying a pilot and observer, Lieutenants Bernheimer and Jordan, in charge of a photo plane, carried out successfully a hazardous photographic mission over the enemy’s lines to the River Aisne.  The four American ships were attacked by 12 enemy battle planes.  [Fokker DVIIs] Lieutenant Bernheimer, by coolly and skillfully maneuvering his ship, and Lieutenant Jordan, by accurate operation of his machine gun, in spite of wounds in the shoulder and leg, aided materially in the victory which came to the American ships, and returned safely with 36 valuable photographs.  The pursuit plane operated by Lieutenants Hitchcock and Burns was disabled while these two officers were fighting effectively.  Lieutenant Burns was mortally wounded and his body jammed the controls.  After a headlong fall of 2,500 meters, Lieutenant Hitchcock succeeded in regaining control of this plane and piloted it back to the airdrome.  Lieutenants McClendon and Plummer were shot down and killed after a vigorous combat with five of the enemy planes.  Lieutenants Babcock and Palmer, by gallant and skillful fighting, aided in driving off the German planes and were materially responsible for the successful execution of the photographic mission.

General Orders No. 44, W.D., 1919
Birth: New York, NY
Home Town: New York, NY
Other Award: Distinguished Service Cross w/OLC (WWI)

_____

Members of the 88th Observation Squadron stand before one of their squadron’s French designed and built Salmson 2 A.2 reconnaissance planes, in this photo from the flickr photostream of the SDASM (San Diego Air And Space Museum) Archives.  In the photo Lt. Bernheimer is four from left in the front row.  His observer / gunner on the August 11, 1918 mission, Lt. Jordan, is standing in the plane’s observer’s seat next to twin Lewis guns.  Lt. Babcock, one of the pilots in that mission, is second from left in the front row.  The names of all the men in the photo are listed here.      

_____

Lieutenant Bernheimer died in California on January 10, 1930, at the age of thirty-five.  His obituary, which by virtue of its calculated vagueness hints at a very sad conclusion, appeared in The New York Sun four days later.  Assuming that he actually was a playwright, none of his writings – if such still exist – can be found at Worldcat, with the exception of an altogether different sort of work, “The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti: A summary of the outstanding testimony”.  

LOUIS G. BERNHEIMER
The New York Sun
January 14, 1930

Private funeral services will be held here for Louis G. Bernheimer, 35 years old, well known author, who died in Los Angeles, Cal., on Friday.  During the world war Mr. Bernheimer, a member of the air force, was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross with oak leaf cluster for bravery in action.  He was also made Chevalier, Belgian Order of the Crown, by King Albert.

Mr. Bernheimer was born in this city and when here lived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Bernheimer, at 138 East Seventy-Second Street.  He was graduated from Yale in 1917 and entered the first officer’s training camp at Plattsburg.  He later joined the air service and went abroad in November, 1917, with the first American air unit.  He was commissioned a first lieutenant in January, 1918, and the following month was made flight commander of the Eighty-Eighth Aero Squadron.

Since the war Mr. Bernheimer had devoted most of his time to writing plays.  He is survived by his parents and a sister, Miss Leona Bernheimer. 

__________

Ruben Cohen, Pvt., 250,447
Born in the Yishuv: Jerusalem – January 8, 1896
United States Army, B Company, 6th Battalion, 20th Engineer Regiment
Killed: Died in sinking of USS Tuscania on February 5, 1918
Mr. Allen Cohen (father), 199 Christopher Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
(Also 186 Henry Street, New York, N.Y.)
Tablets of the Missing at Brookwood American Cemetery, Woking, England
Soldiers of the Great War – Not Listed
Name in Center for Jewish History list

__________

Morris Kriderman, Pvt., 3,110,427
Born in Ukraine: City of Slavuta, Khmelnitskiy district, Western Ukraine – March 29, 1895 (See Slavuta, and, Jews of Ukraine)
United States Army, D Company, 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division
Killed in Action November 5, 1918
Mr. Morris Miller (uncle), 3129 Morse St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Collingdale, Pa. – Section I, Lot 3189, Grave 2; Buried September 25, 1921
Philadelphia Inquirer Casualty Lists – December 17, 1918 and January 15, 1919
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume III – 146
Name in Center for Jewish History list

Here is Morris’ matzeva, at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Collingdale, Pa.  He was buried on September 25, 1921.  Did his parents or any siblings, probably all still in Ukraine at the time of his death, ever emigrate to the United States and have the chance to visit his grave?

__________

Max Masey, Pvt., 2,337,430
Born in Poland: Bialystok – March 13, 1892
United States Army: K Company, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
Survived: Wounded in Action July 15 and October 1, 1918
Mr. Abraham Masey (father), 108 Forsyth St., New York, N.Y.

__________

Nathan Theodore Nesselson (Nathan Tobiah; “Nate”), Pvt., 1,247,301
Born in United States: Bradford, Pa. – August 31, 1893
Killed in Action: Distinguished Service Cross for actions on August 11, 1918
C Company, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division
Mr. and Mrs. Max (1854-1942) and Bessie Vada (“Ida”) (1862-5/23/98) Nesselson (parents); Miss Etta Helen Nesselson (sister), 5 State St., Bradford, Pa.
Also 72 Kennedy St., Bradford, Pa.
Beth Israel Cemetery, Bradford, Pa.; Buried June, 1921
McKean Democrat June 16, 1921 and May 21, 1925
Bradford Era, November 7, 2020: “Kindness of a child leads to friendship letters with soldier”, by Sally Ryan Costick (see photo below)
Name in Center for Jewish History list

(Only after I created this post did I realize that these records for Pvt. Nesselson, and Lt. Bernheimer, both pertain to August 11, 1918.)

From DSC Citation: “Private Nesselson repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire in order to deliver messages from his company to the battalion commander.  In the performance of this mission it was necessary for him to cross the Vesle River, which was constantly swept by enemy machine-gun fire.  He volunteered to carry a message after others had been killed in the attempt and continued to perform this perilous duty until he was mortally wounded.”

From “Missing Report or Details of Death & Burial” card (see below): “It is not exactly known just where Private Nesselson was killed, but the above named [Pvt. Clayton D. Roche] was present when he ran several messages through a terrific machine gun and artillery barrage from Fismette to battalion headquarters at Fismes on August 11th.  To deliver and return with these messages he had to cross the Vesle River, the bridge over which, was covered by enemy machine gun fire and the bullets of snipers.  Private Nesselson was aware of this and volunteered to deliver the messages.  He made two trips that Private Roche knows of and it is presumed that he was struck by a shell.  If anyone in any fighting division deserves a D.S.C. Private Nesselson is entitled to one.  All soldiers in this company who were in Fismette that day agree to this.”

__________

Israel Rosenberg, Pvt., 2,337,493
Born in England: London – June 2, 1895
United States Army, Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
Survived: Wounded in Action July 27 and October 9, 1918
Mrs. Mary Rosenberg (mother), 941 Simpson St., New York, N.Y.

__________

Max Seller, Pvt., 52,861
Born in Austria: Lemberg (…or, Lviv? (Ukrainian), Lvov?? (Russian), or Lwow??? (Polish)…) – 1896
United States Army: B Company, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Survived: Wounded May 26 and September 30, 1918
Mrs. Rose Gluck (sister), 43 West 212th St., New York, N.Y.

____________________

And so, on Armistice Day…

Monday, November 11, 1918

7 Kislev, 5679

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds

Altman, Henry, Cpl., 2,255,240
4th Infantry Division, 39th Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Company
Mr. and Mrs. Louis (6/55-3/22/18) and Catherine (“Carrie”) (Lobel) (3/60-11/15/32) Altman (parents)
Emma, Esther, Ira, Joseph, Mark, and Minnie (brothers and sisters)
324 15th Ave., San Francisco, Ca.
Born San Francisco, Ca., 8/1/86
Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, Colma, Ca.
San Francisco Bulletin 12/31/18
San Francisco Call 12/30/18
San Francisco Examiner 12/31/18
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume I – 139

This image of Cpl. Altman’s simple matzeva is by FindAGrave contributor Diane Reich.

____________________

Bloom, Louis, Cpl., 1,697,870
77th Infantry Division, 305th Infantry Regiment, G Company
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Mollie (Silverman) (1857-4/7/35) Bloom (parents)
Charles, Harry, Oscar, and Sara (brothers and sister)
230 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 4/15/95
Washington Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y. – Cemetery 1, Range 7, Plot 72, Row 1, Grave 2; Buried 3/23/21
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume II – 343

The photographer and nature of the occasion are unknown, but this image from FindAGrave, by contributor ColtonlThomas, shows Cpl. Bloom.

____________________

Lipsky, Abraham, PFC, 1,025,275
7th Infantry Division, 34th Infantry Regiment, D Company
Died of Disease / Died of Disease or Other Causes
Mr. and Mrs. David and Katherine Lipsky (parents)
Bessie, Esther, Eva, and Lena (sisters)
459 Washington St., Haverhill, Ma.
Born Massachusetts, 5/13/98
Place of burial unknown
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume II – 35

____________________

Steinthal, Jesse, Pvt., 3,209,817
81st Infantry Division, 321st Infantry Regiment, K Company
Mr. and Mrs. Raphael and Rosalie Steinthal (parents), 697 West End Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 2/16/88
Mount Neboh Cemetery, Glendale, N.Y. – Buried 1921
New York Tribune 11/10/16, 12/9/18, 12/8/19
The Argus 12/12/18
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume II – 356

Two years and one day before the last battle:  This remarkable sketch of Jesse Steinthal and his business partner A.F. Windeler, manager (butcher) and grocer at of the Volunteer Food Market at 573 8th Avenue in Manhattan, accompanies an article about retail grocers that appeared in the New York Tribune on November 10, 1916.  (Accessed via FultonHistory.)  The “A.F. Windeler” mentioned in the article might be Adolph Francis Windeler, who was born in 1856 and died in California in 1941.  

Dated June 5, 1917, this is Jesse’s Draft Registration Card.

The intersection of the past and the present: This Oogle Street View from June of 2019 shows the then (relatively) contemporary appearance of 573 Eighth Avenue in New York City, the location now being the site of five adjacent restaurant / take-out establishments.  Perusing the web reveals that as of early 2021, the WOK TO WALK restaurant no longer exists at this location.  Given that the adjacent and nearby buildings are all multi-story structures (like the Manhattan Hotel at 273 West 38th Street, and, the building directly behind the cluster of five restaurants, while 573 Eight Avenue is a one or two-story building, it seems (?) that the building which housed Jesse Steinthal’s Volunteer Market was demolished in the century between 1916 and 2019.  

What will be here a century from now?

This map shows the location of the above intersection, designated by Oogle’s ironic red pointer.  

Jesse Steinthal’s simple matzeva at Mount Neboh Cemetery, and, a memorial plaque in his honor, in images by FindAGrave contributor Athanatos.

SONY DSC

Died of Wounds

Stern, Jacob, Pvt., 1,704,872
77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment, B Company
Mr. Harry Stern (father), 284 East Second St., New York, N.Y.
Also 432 East Houston St., New York, N.Y.
Born Kaspar, Hungary, 1888
Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Seringes-et-Nesles, France – Plot C, Row 4, Grave 19
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume II – 370

____________________

Vogel, William, Jr., Cpl., 45,695
1st Infantry Division, 18th Infantry Regiment, Machine Gun Company
DOW
Mr. Adolph Vogel (father), 2319 West Taylor St., Chicago, Il.
Also 1439 North Clark St., Chicago, Il.     
Born Chicago, Il., 11/18/86
Place of burial unknown; Buried 7/21
Soldiers of the Great War, Volume I – 284

Wounded in Action

Berger, Simon, Pvt., 2,388,750
5th Infantry Division, 61st Infantry Regiment, M Company
Wounded in Action (“shrapnel wound in back of left ear”)
Mrs. Rose (Greenspan) Berger (wife), Clara and Faiga (daughters), 2345 North 26th St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. and Mrs. Joan and Faiga Berger (parents) and Mr. John G. Berger (brother), 2200 Cantrell St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Born “Dombrovan”, Russia, 1/3/92
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/9/18

____________________

Friedman, Abe, Pvt., 2,314,061
28th Infantry Division, 110th Infantry Regiment, C Company
Wounded in Action (Seriously wounded previously, on 10/18/18)
Mrs. Maxine Friedman (wife), Frances and Morton (daughter and son), 4139 Delevan St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mrs. Rachel Friedman (mother), 2620 Center Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Born “Bashygolie” / “Bashygoin”, Russia, 4/5/92
Philadelphia Inquirer 10/31/18

____________________

Gershawitz, Abraham J., Pvt., 2,674,265
90th Infantry Division, 357th Infantry Regiment, H Company
Severely wounded in action
Mrs. Rosie Liss (sister), 20 High St., New London, Ct.
Also 67 Blackhall St., New London, Ct.
Born “Peresaska”, Russia, 1890

____________________

Gershowitz, Sam, Saddler, 2,672,037
78th Infantry Division, 308th Field Artillery Regiment, D Battery
Severely wounded in action
Mrs. Fannie / Jennie Braverman (sister), 12 Spring St., Montclair, N.J.
Also 71 Norfolk St., New York, N.Y.
Born “Navelduc”, Russia; 1895

____________________

Hershcovitz, Jacob, Pvt., 1,897,719
82nd Infantry Division, 326th Infantry Regiment, B Company
Severely wounded in action; Severely wounded in action previously; approximately 10/10/18
Mr. Samuel Hershcovitz (brother), 144 Forsyth St., New York, N.Y.
Mr. Leon Hershcovitz (brother), 63 Poplar St., Jersey City, N.J.
Born Romania, 8/23/88
Died 2/7/62

____________________

Kaplan, Barnet, Pvt., 547,873
3rd Infantry Division, 30th Infantry Regiment, K Company
Severely wounded in action; Severely wounded in action previously; approximately 7/15/18
Mr. Sam Kaplan (brother), 326 Washington Ave., New York, N.Y.
Also 307 Dumont Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Minsk, Belarus, 3/14/89

____________________

Nadler, Abraham, Pvt., 1,698,221
77th Infantry Division, 305th Infantry Regiment, I Company
Severely wounded in action; Severely wounded in action previously; approximately 8/15/18
Mr. David Nadler (cousin), 74 East 99th St., New York, N.Y.
Also 457 Powell St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Born Galicia, Austria-Hungary, 1888

____________________

Rabinowitz, Israel S., Pvt., 628,762
58th Coast Artillery Corps, D Battery
Severely wounded in action
Mr. Abe Salt (brother in law), 347 Bristol St., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Also 231 Henry St., New York, N.Y.
Born Russia, 1892

Imperial German Army – Deutsches Heer

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Blumenhein, Artur, Soldat (Pvt.)
Fussartillerie Bataillon 124, 3rd Kompagnie
Died of wounds Krankenhaus Moabit, Berlin
Born 12/28/93, in Berlin
Mrs. Anna (Kohn) Blumenhein (mother), Berlin
Mrs. Emma (Weiszenberg) Blumenhein (step-mother), Oldenburger Strasze 4, Berlin
Judischen Friedhof zu Weissensee, Berlzu, Germany
Bis der Krieg uns lehrt, was der Friede bedeutet – 58
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 133

____________________

Cohn, Gustav, Gefreiter (L/Cpl.)
Infanterie Regiment 352, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Missing
Born 11/9/96, in Beuthen
Resided Beuthen (O.S.)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 168

____________________

Eis, Philipp, Soldat (Pvt.)
Infanterie Regiment 116, 2nd Battalion, 5th Kompagnie
Born 1/9/98, in Frankfurt am Main
Resided Frankfurt am Main
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 210

____________________

Lewin, Richard Nathan, Sergeant
Wirtsch. Grp. 29 Mil. Kreisant Wilna.
Born 4/13/77, in Dolzig
Resided Dolzig, Provinz Posen
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 378

____________________

Schild, Ernst, Sergeant, Aviator [Flieger]
Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches, Schlachtstaffel 5
Born 9/8/87, in Duisberg
Resided Duisberg
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – Anhang (Appendix) – 403

____________________

Schwabe, Benno, Gebreiter (L/Cpl.)
Infanterie Regiment 171, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
Born 10/7/92, in Wolfenbuttel
Resided Gottingen
Kriegsgräberstätte in Vladslo (Belgien), Block 9, Grab 1884
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 229

____________________

Stern, Louis, Soldat (Pvt.)
Bayerisch Reserve Infanterie Regiment 15, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Born 6/7/85, in Schwanfeld
Resided Schwanfeld
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 333

____________________

Stettiner, Alfred Emil, Leutnant (2 Lt.)
Landwehr Infanterie Regiment 111, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 1/18/81 (!), in Stuttgart
Resided Stuttgart
Jüdischer Friedhof im Pragfriedhof Stuttgart – First World War Memorial
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 344

____________________

Tichauer, Hermann, Soldat (Pvt.)
Armee Korps XVII, Ersatz Pferdedepot
Born 7/20/73 (!), in Ptakowitz
Mrs. Ernestine Tichauer (wife)
Mr. and Mrs. Lobl and Ernestine Tichauer (parents), Jakob and Lina (brother and sister)
Resided Lublinitz
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 277

This image of Soldat Hermann Tichauer appears in his Geni.com biographical profile, maintained by Ronith Rimmel.

Here are Lots of References

News Articles (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Uncle Sparks Search for WWI Soldiers (March 14, 2001)

After Learning About His Uncle, Man Compiling List of WWI Soldiers (March 15, 2001)

Books (…Author Listed…)

Franks, Norman, Bailey, Frank, and Duiven, Rick, Casualties of the German Air Service – 1914-1920, Grub Street, London, 1999

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Jewish Heroes in the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1941

Gumpertz, Sydney G., Capt., The Jewish Legion of Valor – The Story of Americans of the Jewish Faith Who Distinguished Themselves in the Armed Forces in All the Wars of the Republic – And a General History of the Military Exploits of the Jews Through the Ages, Sydney G. Gumpertz, New York, N.Y., 1934, 1946

Hank, Sabine; Simon, Hermann; Gauding, Daniela, Bis der Krieg uns lehrt, was der Friede bedeutet: das Ehrenfeld für die jüdischen Gefallenen des Weltkrieges auf dem Friedhof der Berliner Jüdischen Gemeinde (“Neue Synagoge Berlin-Centrum Judaicum.”; Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt, Schriftenreihe des Centrum Judaicum, Bd. 2.), Hentrich & Hentirch, Teetz, Germany, 2004

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume I (Alabama through Maryland), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume II (Massachusetts through Ohio), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Haulsee, William Mitchell; Howe, Frank George; Doyle, Alfred Cyril, Soldiers of the Great War – Memorial Edition: Volume III (Oklahoma through Wyoming), Washington, D.C., Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920

Henshaw, Trevor, The Sky Their Battlefield – Air Fighting and The Complete List of Allied Air Casulties from Enemy Action in the First War, Grub Street, London, 1995

Sinclair, James J., Captain (Compiler), Final Report of the U.S. Military Mission on American Prisoners of War, U.S. Military Mission, Berlin, Germany, August 10th, 1919

Sterner, C. Douglas, U.S. Army Air Service Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross Awards – World War I, HomeofHeroes.com, P.O. Box 122, Pueblo, Co., 81005, 2006

Books (…No Specific Author…)

Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch, Reichsbund Jüdischer Frontsoldaten, Forward by Dr. Leo Löwenstein, Berlin, Germany, 1932

The War Record of American Jews – First Report of The Office of War Records, American Jewish Committee, January 1, 1919, The American Jewish Committee, New York, N.Y., 1919

Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Naval Service Who Died During the World War, From April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1920

The American Jewish Year Book, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, Pa.

5676 (9/9/15-9/27/16)
5677 (9/28/16-9/16/17)
5678 (9/17/17-9/6/18)
5679 (9/7/18-9/20/19)
5680 (9/21/19-9/12/20)

State Compilations of Military Casualties 

Connecticut: Connecticut Service Records – Men and Women in the Armed Forces of the United States During the World War 1917-1920 (In Three Volumes), Office of the Adjutant General, Hartford, Ct.
Volume I: pp. 1-1152 (Andover – Hartford)
Volume II: pp. 1153-2336 (Hartford – Plainfield)
Volume III: pp. 2337-3017 (Plainfield – Woodstock)

Indiana: Indiana Gold Star Honor Roll 1914-1918, Indiana Historical Commission, Indianapolis, In., 1921

Maryland: Maryland in the World War 1917-1919 – Military and Naval Service Records (In Two Volumes), Maryland War Records Commission, Baltimore, Md., 1933

North Dakota: Roster of the Men and Women Who Served in the Army or Naval Service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States of its Allies from the State of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918, Vol. I-IV. Bismarck, ND, USA: Bismarck Tribune Co., 1931

New York: Roll of Honor – Citizens of the State of New York who died while in the service of the United States during the World War (Albany, N.Y., 1922)

New York – Rochester and Monroe Counties: World War Service Record Rochester and Monroe County, N.Y. (In Two Volumes), The City of Rochester, N.Y., 1924
Volume I: Those Who Died for Us
Volume II: Those Who Went Forth to Serve

Ohio: The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-18., Columbus, OH, USA: The F.J. Heer Printing Co., 1926 (Digitized data at Ancestry; Digital Access at HathiTrust)

National Archives and Records Administration

Records Group 407 “Casualties of the AEF By State – World War One” – “WW I Organization Records Office File”, Stack 370, Row 25, Compartment 7, Shelf 5 – Entry 10 (UD)

Newspapers

The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Exponent
The New York Times
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Through These Pale Cold Days – “Operation Michael” – The German Spring Offensive of March 21, 1918

Some time during the last week of March in the year 1918 – the specific date will remain unknown – Isaac Rosenberg, a Private in the British Army serving in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment – penned the following poem:

Through These Pale Cold Days

Through these pale cold days
What dark faces burn
Out of three thousand years,
And their wild eyes yearn,

While underneath their brows
Like waifs their spirits grope
For the pools of Hebron again –
For Lebanon’s summer slope.

They leave these blond still days
In dust behind their tread
They see with living eyes
How long they have been dead.

(From The Collected Works of Isaac Rosenberg, page 91)

__________

Photographic portrait of Private Isaac Rosenberg, Regimental Number 22311, probably taken in September, 1917, from Joseph Cohen’s Journey to The Trenches.

__________

Born in Bristol on November 25, 1890, Rosenberg was a painter and poet in civilian life.  Despite his pacifistic nature – attributable to his familial upbringing as much as his independent personality – both of which dispositions gave him a disinclination to military life, Rosenberg enlisted in the British Army in October of 1915.  His primary motivations were simple: Enervating uncertainty about making a livelihood, whether through the arts or most any other vocation, and more fundamentally, a matter-of-fact sense of resignation in terms of the tenor of the times.  Perhaps he felt that military service, even if he was largely unamendable to it physically, psychologically, or intellectually, would provide his life with structure and direction unavailable to him otherwise.  Even if this was in a time of war.

Rosenberg was killed in action on the first day of April in 1918, not long after he composed “Through These Pale Cold Days”, a poem which expressed his frustrated yearning to return to Eretz Israel, and, serve in a Jewish military unit, this last desire reflected by his persistent and unsuccessful application to transfer to the Judeans, the Jewish volunteer battalions organized by Vladimir Jabotinsky and then serving in Egypt and the Yishuv. 

His death came eleven days after the commencement of the great German offensive otherwise known as Operation Michael, which was (Wikipedia speaking here), “…launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France.  Its goal was to break through the Allied (Entente) lines and advance in a north-westerly direction to seize the Channel Ports, which supplied the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and to drive the BEF into the sea. …  The offensive ended at Villers-Bretonneux, to the east of the Allied communications centre at Amiens, where the Allies managed to halt the German advance; the German Army had suffered many casualties and was unable to maintain supplies to the advancing troops.” 

Rosenberg’s final battle was described by Tulane University faculty member Joseph Cohen, in his 1975 book Journey to the Trenches, as follows:

“The First King’s Own Regiment, still in the reverse trenches, moved quickly to the forward area, at one point suffering heavy casualties in terrain exposed to the enemy’s cross-fire.  Twenty-four hours later the Germans had overrun the front line, and the First King’s Own Regiment along with other adjacent units found themselves back in the reserve trenches, which became the new front lines.  Throughout that Saturday and Sunday, March 30-31, they stubbornly resisted the German advance.  When the attack eased on Sunday, the few survivors in Rosenberg’s company were ordered to the rear.  In the early morning hours of Monday, April 1, All Fools’ Day, the Company made its way back under cover of darkness.  The men had not gone more than two hundred yards when a runner caught up with them.  The attack had been renewed and every man was needed.  Since they had earned their brief respite from the fighting they were not ordered to return, but asked to volunteer.  No one had to go back.  Among the few who did was Rosenberg. 

“Certainly he knew what the odds were against his surviving that fateful hour.  He did not have to volunteer, but made the decision to go back as in 1915 he had made the decision to enlist.  He returned, and within an hour of reaching the battle area, somewhere close to the French Village of Fampoux, Isaac Rosenberg was killed in close combat.  He was twenty-seven.”

This account parallels the Wikipedia entry for Rosenberg, which states, “Having just finished a night patrol, he was killed on the night of 1 April 1918 with another ten KORL soldiers; there is a dispute as to whether his death occurred at the hands of a sniper or in close combat.  In either case, he died in a town called Fampoux, north-east of Arras.  He was first buried in a mass grave, but in 1926 the unidentified remains of the six KORL soldiers were individually re-interred at Bailleul Road East Cemetery, Plot V, Saint-Laurent-Blangy, Pas de Calais, France.  Rosenberg’s gravestone is marked with his name and the words, “Buried near this spot”, as well as – “Artist and Poet”.”

But, what of March 21, 1918, the opening date of the final German offensive in the west?

When I embarked on researching British Commonwealth Jewish military casualties of the Great War, based on information in The Jewish Chronicle and records accessible via the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, I soon noticed a relatively high number of records for soldiers killed in action on July 1, 1916, the opening of the Somme Offensive, of which I’d previously known only anecdotally.  In the same way, the CWGC database revealed a cluster of records for the fallen on March 21, 1918, of which – prior to that time being focused on the Second World War – I’d previously known, well, also-nothing-at-all.  That date, I soon learned, was the opening day of Operation Michael, which, “…had been costly for the Germans, who had suffered c. 40,000 casualties, slightly more than they inflicted on the BEF,” something paralleling, in terms of overall magnitude (though the specifics were different) the terrible events on the opening day of the Somme Offensive.

And so, akin to the post about the Somme battle, here are presented biographical records and photographs (where available) of Jewish military casualties on this March day, a little over a century and four years ago.

The names of 37 men are listed. 

Of the 37, thirty-three lost their lives in battle, one of whom, Pte. Max Rapaport, born in Rumania, was serving in the South African Infantry.  A 34th (L/Cpl. Moss Emanuel – died possibly? probably? – not in battle, similar to the 35th (Pte. Barnett Schwartz) who served in the Yishuv.  Schwartz seems to have no actual grave, being commemorated at the Jerusalem Memorial. 

Notably, the 36th man was an American: Air Mechanic Samuel Walter Arnheim, serial 152812.  From West End Avenue in New York City, he was a flying instructor in the Royal Flying Corps, and was killed in a aviation accident at the School of Aerial Gunnery at Camp Hicks, in Texas, though the specifics of that incident are unknown.  His death received extensive coverage in the both the general and Jewish press, having been reported on in at least six newspapers.

As for the “37th”, Pte. Samuel Waxman?  Wounded, he survived the day and the war.  A member of the 24th Battalion in the Australian Imperial Forces, he was born in Warsaw, and his Attestation Papers (accessed via the National Archives of Australia) reveal that as a Russian subject (however the word “subject” was then defined!) he was obligated to serve in the AIF, due to his obvious inability to return to Russia and serve in that country’s army.   

It’s notable that the names of nearly half of the 37 – fourteen – never appeared in The Jewish Chronicle, while the names of 12 of those 14 soldiers are likewise absent from the British Jewry Book of Honour.

And, awfully reflective of the awful and overwhelming nature of the Offensive’s opening day, only four of the aforementioned 33 have places of burial. 

But alas, there was more, and is more: The Wikipedia entry for the Offensive alludes to German losses for the opening day exceeding those of the British.  This is sadly reflected in the number of German Jewish soldiers lost in battle this day: 52.  Their names, military units, dates and places of birth and residence, and places of burial (where known) are listed below, though only Leutnant Erich Heilbrunn’s entry includes a photo.

As per the post about the Somme Offensive, to place the events of this day in a clearer context, I’ve included links to a variety of websites, and, some videos.

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“Self Portrait in Steel Helmet”, by Isaac Rosenberg (From Ben Uri Gallery & Museum Collection, at ArtsUK)

____________________

Kaiserschlacht: The German Spring Offensive, at Anglo Historian (March 21, 2018)

______________________________

Thursday, March 21, 1918 – 8 Nisan, 5678

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds

Barnett, Samuel, Pvt., 204305
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 1st Battalion (Attached to 2nd/4th Battalion)
Mr. and Mrs. Elias and Polly Barnett (parents), 240 Mile End Road, London
Also 9 Gordon Road, Stoke Newington, London, N
Born 1898
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panel 85
(CWGC lists mother’s name as Polly; did father remarry?  If not, mother was actually Miriam (Belasco) Barnett.)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 79, 462

____________________

Bensusan, Harry, Rifleman, O/461
Rifle Brigade, 9th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Henry and Adelaide Bensusan (parents), David, Isaac, Joseph, Reuben, Rosetta, Solomon (brothers and sister)
8 Hutchinson Ave., Aldgate
Born Spitalfields, Middlesex, 1899
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 81 to 84
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Bernstein, Jacob, Pvt., 29444
West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Own), 10th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Hyman and Leah Bernstein (parents), 53 Roseville Road, Leeds, 8
Born Leeds, 1897
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 4
British Jewry Book of Honour – photo section 128 (not listed elsewhere in book)

____________________

Inscription on matzeva: In loving memory of Jack – Mourned by his mother – Brothers and sisters

Cohen, Jacob, Pvt., 262663
Manchester Regiment, 2nd/6th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf and Esther Cohen (parents), Israel, Reuben, Lilly, Minnie, and Victor (brothers and sisters)
31 Exchange St., Cheetham, Manchester
Born Manchester, 1894
Assevillers New British Cemetery, Somme, France – VI,D,10
The Jewish Chronicle 4/26/18 (incorrectly lists serial as 252263)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 84, 364; photo section 238

____________________

Cohen, Oscar, Pvt., G22470
The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), 7th Battalion
Mr. Philip Cohen (father), 47 West Green Road, London, N15
Born Whitechapel, London, 7/2/98
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panel 16
The Jewish Chronicle 7/26/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 85, 238; photo section 229

____________________

Fiddler, Michael, Rifleman, S/35069
Rifle Brigade, 16th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Davis and Rachael Fiddler (parents), Benjamin, Blumah, Jacob, Lazarus, Samuel, and Sophy (brothers and sisters)
103 Slater St., Brick Lane, London, E
Born St. Thomas, Bethnal Green, 1899
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 81 to 84
The Jewish Chronicle 3/21/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 88, 383 (incorrectly lists surname as “Fidler”)

____________________

Fraser, Hyman, Sgt., 202360
The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, 11th Battalion, C Company
Mrs. Minnie (Shock) Fraser (wife), 17 Bannerman St., Edgehill, Liverpool
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 21 to 23
The Jewish Chronicle 5/10/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 89, 288

____________________

Freedman, Mark, Pvt., 203869
Northumberland Fusiliers, 22nd (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion
Mrs. Betty Freedman (wife), 25 Grove St., Commercial Road, London
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Annie Freedman (parents), 40 Merchant St., London, E
Born 1891
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bays 2-3
The Jewish Chronicle 5/24/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 90, 242 (Lists name as “Freedman, D.M.” (p. 90) and “Freedman, W.” (p. 242)); photo section 225

____________________

Goldberg, Edward (“Eddie”), Pvt., 85316
The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 1st Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham and Hannah Goldberg (parents), Joseph and Rachel (brother and sister)
185 Brunswick Buildings, Goulston St., Aldgate, London, E
Born Whitechapel, London, 1896
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 3
The Jewish Chronicle 5/17/18
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 4/26/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 91, 288

____________________

Goldstone, Leonard, L/Cpl., 44748 (Formerly 3320, London Regiment)
Royal Irish Rifles, 12th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred A. and Millie Goldstone (parents), 130 King St., Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Born Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 74 to 76
British Jewry Book of Honour – 378

____________________

Harris, Henry, Pvt., 18268
Royal Irish Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. John and Sarah Harris (parents), 18 (38?) Wilkes St., Spitalfields, London, E
Born 1889
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 30 and 31
The Jewish Chronicle 3/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 95, 305

____________________

Inscription on matzeva: Deeply mourned by brother – Sisters and relatives

Himmelstein, Harry, Pvt., 203842
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 2nd/2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Liba Himmelstein (parents), Fanny, Rosa, and Solomon (sisters and brother)
94 Grove St., Commercial Road, Stepney, London, SE (E1?)
Born Whitechapel, London, 1899 (Or…born in Poland…)
Chauny Communal Cemetery, British Extension, Aisne, France – 3,F,11
The Jewish Chronicle 5/3/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 96, 472, 473

____________________

Jacobson, Samuel, Pvt., 51685
The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 19th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac and Yetta Jacobson (parents), Bertrice, Harry, Kate, Marks, Milly, Myer, Reuben, and Soloman (sisters and brothers)
39 Great Orford St., Liverpool
Born Liverpool, Lancashire, 1897
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 21 to 23
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Kutchinsky, Alec, Rifleman, R/32227
King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 9th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Rosie Kutchinsky (parents)
Dawn, Esther, Isaac, Judah, and Rachel (sisters and brothers), 48 Anthony St., London, E
Born St. George in the East, Whitechapel, London, 1894
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 61 to 64
The Jewish Chronicle 3/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 101, 360; photo section 132

____________________

Levi, Frederick Joseph, 2nd Lieutenant
Lincolnshire Regiment, 1st Battalion (Attached to 2nd/5th Battalion)
Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Bloom Levi (parents), Ada, Cissie, Lillie, and Manuel (sisters and brother)
116 Pershore Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Born Edgbaston, Birmingham, 1895
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bays 3 and 4
The Jewish Chronicle 4/19/18, 1/3/19 (Issue of 4/19/18 lists name as “Levi, F.I.”)
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 12/20/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 72, 293; photo section 45

An image of the matzeva of Frederick Joseph’s father Mark, by FindAGrave Contributor Hockley Lass, is shown below.  Note that their son, who is commemorated at the Arras Memorial, is memorialized by engraved text.    

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
MAURICE ALBERT LEVI,
SON OF
MARK AND BLOOM LEVI,
DIED MARCH 6TH 1919, AGED 26.
ALSO OF THEIR SON
FREDERIC JOSEPH LEVI,
WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN FRANCE
MARCH 21ST 1918, AGED 23.
MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE

____________________

Levi, Reuben, Pvt., 40139
Royal Scots Fusiliers, 6th/7th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Marks (6/3/67-8/13) and Leah (Lazarus) (died 10/7/34) Levi (parents), Sarah (“Sadie”) (1900-1973) (sister)
75 Green Road, Leeds
Born Leeds, Yorkshire, 1895
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 5
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

Marks Levi’s naturalization form of September 2, 1912, from the Sargent Family Tree (by Jacqueline Sargent), at Ancestry.com, appears below.  Note that Reuben’s name (he was then 17) is recorded on the Certificate of Naturalization to an Alien sheet.

The following three images of Reuben (he’s the center figure in the group picture) are also displayed at the Sargent Family Tree page.  

Also among Sargent Family Tree documents is this Official notification of Reuben’s death, dated January 25, 1919.  Though he has no known grave, the document reveals that his body must have been recovered and identified by the German military.  

____________________

Levy, Henry, Pvt., 31092
York and Lancaster Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. William and Sarah Levy (parents), Florence, Jacob, Joseph, Julius, and Samuel (sister and brothers)
67 Frederick St., South Shields
Born South Shields, Durham, 1889
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 8
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Marks, David, Cpl., 41016
Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1st Battalion (Formerly Royal Field Artillery)
Mr. and Mrs. Labovitch (“Jacob”) and Rachel Marks (parents), Fanny, Harris, Israel, and Lazarus (sister and brothers)
9 Herdford Place, Meadwood Road, Leeds
Born Yorkshire, England, 1883
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 79 and 80
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Meltzer, Solomon, Pvt., 64462 (Transferred to Labour Corps, 108th Labour Company; serial changed to 11484)
The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, 3rd/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. D. and L. Metlzer (parents), 15 Hewitt St., Hightown, Manchester
Born St. Peters, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery, Arras, Pas de Calais, France – VII,B,32
The Jewish Chronicle 4/12/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 108, 442; photo section 58

Solomon’s matzeva appears in this image by FindAGrave Contributor PearLady

____________________

Mosely, Arthur, Pvt., 275217
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 3rd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Ann Moseley (parents)
Frances, John, Joseph, and Louis (sister and brothers), 68 Lincoln St., E3, Bow, London
Born Mile End, London, 1897
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panel 85
The Jewish Chronicle 3/28/19
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 3/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 109, 480, 481 (British Jewry Book of Honour – lists surname as “Moseley”, and “Mosely”, but CWGC lists surname as “Mosely”.  1901 Census lists surname as “Moseley”)

____________________

Nyman, Maurice, Rifleman, R35759
King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 1st Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Leah Nyman (parents), Harry, Hyman, Philip, and Sidney (brothers), 3 Cable St., Whitechapel East, London
Born Whitechapel, London, 1898
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 7
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Rapaport, Max, Pvt., 13190
South African Infantry, 2nd Regiment
Mr. and Mrs. Sulim and Hinda Rapaport (parents), Str Hagi, Vasluiu, Rumania
Born Rumania, 1889
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 95-98
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Rosenberg, Abraham, Pvt., 34958
Machine Gun Corps, 51st Battalion
Mrs. Dora Rosenberg (mother), 92 Grafton St. / 3 Stamford St., Leeds
Born London
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France
The Jewish Chronicle 5/10/18 (TJC lists name as “Rosenberg, H.”)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 114, 395

____________________

Rosenberg, Lewis, L/Cpl., 233855
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Israel and Edith Rosenberg (parents)
Harry, Hetty, Hyman, Leah, and Sammy (brothers and sisters)
220 St. George’s St., E (or) 21 The Highway, London
Born Wapping, London, 1898
Chauny Communal Cemetery, British Extension, Aisne, France – Sp. Mem. C; 2,F,1
The Jewish Chronicle 5/3/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 114, 483, 484

____________________

Rottstein, Harry, Cpl., 203390
Durham Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Reuben and Ada Rottstein (parents)
Abraham, Anne, Clara, Isaac, Joseph, Rebecca, and Rose (brothers and sisters)
8 Rich St., Limehouse, St. Georges, North Somerset
Born Mile End, London, 1892
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 8
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Rubenstein, Hyman, Pvt., 235283
East Lancashire Regiment, 2nd/4th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Leon and Rose Rubenstein (parents)
Blanche, Fanny, Hyman, Jack, Pearl, Ray, and Sarah (sisters and brothers), 153B Kensington, Liverpool
Born Leeds, Yorkshire, 1898
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panel 42 and 43
The Jewish Chronicle 4/26/18 (Incorrectly lists surname as “Rubinstein”)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 115, 321

____________________

Schratsky, Phillip, Rifleman, R/22366
King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 7th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Jack (John) and Mary (Minnie) Schratsky (parents), Benjamin, Dinah, Freeman, Isaac, Kate, Leah, Sarah, and Solomon (brothers and sisters)
6 Duval St., Spitalfields, London
Born Whitechapel, London, 5/30/94
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 61 to 64
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Segelman, Powell, Cpl., 44518
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), 16th Battalion
Mrs. Mary Segelman (mother), Annie Cohen, Dora Levinson, Ellis, Hetty Baker, and Max (sisters and brothers)
113 Victor St., Lincolnshire, Grimsby
Born Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania, 1892
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 52 to 54
The Jewish Chronicle 5/3/18 (Mentions that he served as “Grimsby”)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 117, 340

____________________

Smullen, Abraham, Pvt., 33847
Manchester Regiment, 16th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis and Ethel Smullen (parents), Hyman, Rachel, and Sarah (brother and sisters), 89 Stock St., Manchester
Born Belfast, Ireland, 1896
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 64 to 67
British Jewry Book of Honour – 119, 368

____________________

Solomons, Frank, L/Cpl., R/23189
King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 9th Battalion
Mr. Simon Solomons (father), 7 Frostie Place (12 Frostie Mansions), Whitechapel, E, London, England
Born Stepney, Middlesex
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 61 to 64
The Jewish Chronicle 5/3/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 119, 362

 

____________________

Williams, Nathan, Pvt., 141430
Machine Gun Corps, 58th Company
Wounded (gassed)
Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Rachel Williams (parents), Annie, Florry, Isaac, Ivy, Jacob, Leah, Morris, and Sarah (sisters and brothers)
172 Green St., Bethnal Green, London, E
Born Bethnal Green, London, 1898
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 90 to 93
The Jewish Chronicle 5/3/18, 3/28/19 (Chronicle lists name as “N.A. Williams”, and serial as 225727)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 123, 396

____________________

Yarmovsky, Jacob, Pvt., 31879
West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Own), 1st Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Eli (“Hillel”) (1868-10/2/34) and Sophia (“Zifaie”) (1870-3/8/38) Yarmovsky (parents)
Elizbaeth Julia (“Lizzie”), Jacob Philip, Leah, Louis, Max, and Sarah Rebecca (sisters and brothers)
20 Henbury St., Benson St., Leeds
Born Leeds, Yorkshire, 1897
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 4
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Zimmerman, Naheim, Pvt., 267774
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), 2nd/7th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Flora Zimmerman (parents), Aaron, Annie, Barnett, Beatrice, Ephraim, Harriet, Israel, Leah, and Leon (brothers and sisters)
184 High St., Shadwell, London, E
Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France – Bay 7
The Jewish Chronicle 5/31/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 123, 341

Died Non Battle

Emanuel, Moss, L/Cpl., 41460
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion
Died non-battle
Mrs. Lilly (Weinrabe) Emanuel (wife)
Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel (5/1/54-7/31) and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Lazarus) (1854-1/21) Emanuel (parents)
48 Brighton Road, Stoke Newington, London
Also 126 Maybury Road, Woking, Surrey
Born Whitechapel, London, 1886
Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France – Panels 38 to 40
The Jewish Chronicle 6/14/18, 9/27/18, 10/4/18
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 9/27/18, 10/4/18, 3/21/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 88, 317
The Sun – 3/26/18

____________________

In Egypt or The Yishuv

Schwartz, Barnett, Pvt., 51283
Imperial Camel Corps
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Kate Schwartz (parents), Abraham, Esther, Leah, Nathan, Samuel, and Sarah (brothers and sisters)
289 Oxford St., Stepney, London, E
Born Mile End, London, 1894
Jerusalem Memorial, Jerusalem, Israel – Panel 7
The Jewish Chronicle 3/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 117; photo section 26

An American Jew in the Royal Flying Corps

Arnheim, Samuel Walter, Cadet, 152812
Royal Flying Corps
Killed in flying accident at School of Aerial Gunnery, Camp Hicks, Texas, United States
Enlisted in Royal Flying Corps in July of 1917; sent to Texas as flying instructor.
Graduate of Yale University
Mr. and Mrs. Marks and Fannie (Frances?) (Lewald) Arnheim (parents), 246 West End Ave., New York, N.Y., United States
Mrs. Milton F. Untermeyer (sister)
Born New York, N.Y., 4/21/89
Jesherun New Burial Ground (Beth Shalom Fields?), Brooklyn, N.Y. – Plot 670, B; Buried 3/26/18 (Services led by Reverend Dr. Stephen S. Wise)
Occupation: Manufacturer of Clothing, US Army & Navy Officers’ Uniforms
The Jewish Chronicle 6/7/18
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 5/3/18, 3/21/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed
The Daily Standard Union (Brooklyn) – 3/22/18
The Independent Republican – 4/5/18
New York Herald – 3/22/18, 3/26/18
New York Tribune – 7/9/17, 3/26/18

Wounded in Action

Waxman, Samuel, Pvt., 5905
Australian Imperial Forces, 24th Battalion
Mr. Lazar Waxman (father), Warsaw, Poland
Also Rothdown St., Carlton, Victoria, Australia
Born Warsaw, Poland, 1896
Attestation Papers list civilian trade as “Salesman”
British Jewry Book of Honour – 565

This statement of August 7, 1916, by the Consulate of Imperial Russia, in Melbourne, communicates Samuel Waxman’s obligation to serve in the Australian Expeditionary Forces in lieu of his inability to serve in the Russian army.  

________________________________________

________________________________________

Germany

Imperial German Army – Deutsches Heer

German Tactics For 1918 Spring Offensive – THE GREAT WAR Special, at The Great War (March 12, 2018)

Kaiserschlacht – German Spring Offensive 1918 – THE GREAT WAR Week 191, at The Great War (March 22, 2018)

Operation Michael Runs Out Of Breath – THE GREAT WAR Week 193, at The Great War (April 5, 2018)

______________________________

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Bachrach, Leopold, Soldat / Kanonier
Fussartillerie Bataillon 90, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 11/15/99, in Muhlhausen
Resided in Muhlhausen (Thur.)
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Block 3, Grab 704
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 289

____________________

Bauer, Julius, Leutnant
Infanterie Regiment 185, 1st Battalion, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 1/7/83, in Frankenthal
Resided in Mannheim
Kriegsgräberstätte in Rancourt (Frankreich), Block 3, Grab 697
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 281

____________________

Benger, Samuel, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 184, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Born 1/20/96, in Tworog
Resided in Breslau
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 177

____________________

Berdass, Artur, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 242, 1st Battalion, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 4/23/92, in Trebnitz
Resided in Chemnitz
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 188

____________________

Bernstein, Harry, Vizefeldwebel
Infanterie Regiment 92, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 2/22/96, in Altenburg
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 16, Grab 1264
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 132

____________________

Blumenthal, Walter, Unteroffizier
Fusilier Regiment 39, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Bor 8/8/91, in Hamm
Resided in Hamm
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Block 6, Grab 212
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 236

____________________

Bud, Rudolf, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 77, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 3/24/93, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 134

____________________

Cahn, Michael, Soldat / Grenadier
Garde Reserve Regiment 1, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 8/30/87, in Mainz
Resided in Hamburg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 17, Grab 1110
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 370

____________________

Fabisch, Georg, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 25, 2nd Battalion, 8th Kompagnie
Born 2/11/90, in Tangermunde
Resided in Tangermunde
Kriegsgräberstätte in Maissemy (Frankreich), Block 5, Grab 1656
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 345

____________________

Feibel, Sally, Soldat / Jäger
Reserve Jäger Bataillon 2, 1st Kompagnie
Born 6/20/94, in Gr. Lichtenau
Resided in Danzig
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 8, Grab 481
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 191

____________________

Forsch, Richard, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 60, 2nd Battalion, 5th Kompagnie
Born 11/24/97, in Teschenmoschel
Resided in Teschenmoschel
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 346

____________________

Frankel, Hugo, Soldat
Infanterie Division XXXIV, Sturm Kompagnie
Missing
Born 5/10/95, in Barnsdorf
Resided in Barnsdorf
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 127

____________________

Frankenthal, Sally, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 453, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 7/8/91, in Altenlotheim
Resided in Altenlotheim
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 122

____________________

Glaser, Ernst, Soldat / Reservist
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 233, 3rd Battalion, 12th Kompagnie
Born 4/17/90, in Lubzin / Pom.
Resided in Stettin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 21, Grab 695
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 340

____________________

Guggenheim, Erwin, Vize-Wachtmeister
Feldartillerie Regiment 14, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 12/9/94, in Gailingen
Resided in Gailingen
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 221

____________________

Haarburger, Hans, Soldat / Jäger
Jäger Bataillon 9, 4th Kompagnie
Born 9/22/97, in Hamburg
Resided in Hamburg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Viry-Noureuil (Frankreich), Block 5, Grab 135
GVDK says 3/26/18
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 371

____________________

Hammerstein, Wilhelm, Soldat
Fusilier Regiment 73, 3rd Battalion, 10th Kompagnie
Born 3/15/88, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 141

____________________

Heilbrunn, Erich, Leutnant, Eiserne Kreuz 2 Klasse, Entschliessung des Konigs Ludwig von Bayern (Iron Cross 2nd Class, Resolution of King Ludwig of Bavaria)
Bayerisch Infanterie Regiment 10, 2nd Battalion, 8th Kompagnie
Born 7/22/90, in Nordhausen
Resided in Nurnberg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St. Vaast (Frankreich), Block 11, Grab 707
Freudenthal, p. 83-84
Ingolstädter Gesichter: 750 Jahre Juden in Ingolstadt – 257
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 305

Though the photographer’s full identity is not listed, this image of Leutnant Erich Heilbrunn’s matzeva in Neuville-St. Vaast appears in this image by “Simon“, from “Webmatters – Visiting Battlefields of the First World War”.  

____________________

Itzig, Franz, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 132, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 1/2/96, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 144

____________________

Koppel, Franz, Leutnant
Landwehr Infanterie Regiment 150, 3rd Battalion, 10th Kompagnie

Born 6/4/87, in Hamburg
Resided in Hamburg
“Koppel, Franz has not yet been transferred to a military cemetery set up by the Volksbund or could not be recovered as part of our reburial work. According to the information available to us, his grave is currently still in the following location: not recorded”
[Koppel, Franz wurde noch nicht auf einen vom Volksbund errichteten Soldatenfriedhof überführt oder konnte im Rahmen unserer Umbettungsarbeiten nicht geborgen werden.  Nach den uns vorliegenden Informationen befindet sich sein Grab derzeit noch an folgendem Ort: nicht verzeichnet.]

Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 372

____________________

Korbchen, Hans, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 262, , Maschinen-Gewehr Kompagnie 3
Born 4/20/93, in Geldern
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 147

____________________

Lachmann, David, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 232, 2nd Battalion, 8th Kompagnie
Born 2/20/84, in Grabow
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 147

____________________

Laumann, David, Gefreiter
Infanterie Regiment 150, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnier
Born 3/1/88, in Dollstaedt
Resided in Pr. Eylau
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 317

____________________

Levy, Joseph Isaac, Sanitats Gefreiter
Fussartillerie Regiment 90, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 2/6/98, in Hamburg
Resided in Altona
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 18, Grab 1154
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 123

____________________

Lewin, Michaelis, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 79, 3rd Battalion, 12th Kompagnie
Born 6/25/91, in Posen, Thuringia
Resided in Posen
“No burial report could be found for the dead man in the available documents.  However, since the French graves service carried out reburials from the surrounding places to collective cemeteries in the 1920s, he could have been buried as an “unknown” in the comrade’s grave at the war cemetery in Neuville-St.Vaast (France) prepared by the Volksbund.”
[Für den Toten konnte in den vorliegenden Unterlagen keine Grabmeldung ermittelt werden. Da der französische Gräberdienst jedoch in den 20er Jahren Umbettungen aus den umliegenden Orten jeweils auf Sammelfriedhöfe durchführte, könnte er auf der vom Volksbund hergerichteten Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich) als “Unbekannter” im Kameradengrab bestattet worden sein.]
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen
– 382

____________________

Lewysohn, Jakob Jaques, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 60, 1st Battalion, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 6/30/76, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 150

____________________

Lichtenstein, Leo, Offizier Stellvertreter
Infanterie Regiment 426, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
Born 1/17/83, in Danzig
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Block 8, Grab 365
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 151

____________________

Liffmann, Hugo, Unteroffizier
Infanterie Regiment 49, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 2/27/90, in Odenkirchen
Resided in Munchen-Gladbach
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 294

____________________

Lindenheim, Bruno, Unteroffizier
Feldartillerie Regiment 76, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 8/22/97, in Mannheim
Resided in Mannheim
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 15, Grab 378
GVDK says 3/22/18
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 282

____________________

Maier, Ernst, Gefreiter
Reserve Fussartillerie Regiment 3, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 10/1/95, in Frankfurt am Main
Resided in Frankfurt am Main
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – Nachtrag (Addendum) 2 – 427

____________________

Michels, Josef Georg, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 230, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 4/3/84, in Korlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 154

____________________

Moritz, Edwin, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 459, 2nd Battalion, 8th Kompagnie
Born 11/4/97, in Langenselbold
Resided in Langenselbold
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 270

____________________

Moses, Hugo, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 184, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
Born 10/2/98, in Gr. Strehlitz
Resided in Munster (Westf.)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 294

____________________

Nassauer, Salli, Soldat
Feldartillerie Regiment 10, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 7/31/89, in Wehen
Resided in Hamm.-Munden
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 238

____________________

Nathan, Simon, Soldat / Landsturmmann
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 219, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
Born 10/16/77, in Czarnikau
Resided in Castrop
Kriegsgräberstätte in Viry-Noureuil (Frankreich), Block 5, Grab 81
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 188

____________________

Neumann, Max, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 233, , Maschinen-Gewehr Kompagnie 3
Born 11/24/98, in Leipzig-Reudnitz
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 156

____________________

Oppenheimer, Hermann, Soldat
Bayerisch Infanterie Regiment 10, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
At St. Leger
Born 7/3/93, in Treuchtlingen
Resided in Treuchtlingen
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Laurent-Blangy (Frankreich), Kameradengrab
Ingolstädter Gesichter: 750 Jahre Juden in Ingolstadt – 257 (lists date as 8/21/18)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 349

____________________

Ottenheimer, Max, Soldat
Garde Reserve Regiment 1, 3rd Battalion, 10th Kompagnie
Born 4/17/97, in Gemmingen
Resided in Gemmingen
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 224

____________________

Parieser, Hermann, Soldat / Musketier
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 38, 3rd Battalion, 12th Kompagnie
Born 10/4/97, in Russ (Krs. Heydekrug)
Resided in Konigsberg (Pr.)
Kriegsgräberstätte in Billy-Berclau (Frankreich), Block 4, Grab 46
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 264

____________________

Phillippsohn, Oscar, Gefreiter
Infanterie Regiment 162, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 7/31/96, in Hamburg
Resided in Hamburg
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 374

____________________

Reiss, Norbert, Unteroffizier
Bayerisch Infanterie Regiment 24, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 1/26/78, in Oberwaldbehrungen
Resided in Neustadt (Saale)
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Kameradengrab
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 299

____________________

Rosenbusch, Berthold, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 453, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Born 5/29/97, in Grunsfeld
Resided in Grunsfeld (i. Baden)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 232

____________________

Rothenberg, Max, Soldat
Fussartillerie Bataillon 158, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 2/19/90, in Schlochau
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 159

____________________

Salinger, Siegfried Fritz, Vizefeldwebel
Lehr Infanterie Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 10th Kompagnie
Born 12/16/94, in Marienburg
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 19, Grab 836
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 160

____________________

Schonfeld, Hans, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 453, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
Born 11/24/92, in Sangerhausen
Resided in Koblenz
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 259

____________________

Seligmann, Jakob, Soldat, Musketier
Infanterie Regiment 147, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 6/2/98, in Emden
Resided in Emden (Ostfr.)
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Block 13, Grab 149
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 203

____________________

Simon, Siegfried, Soldat, Pionier
Pionier Kompagnie 100
Born 7/5/95, in Hamburg
Resided in Hamburg
Kriegsgräberstätte in St.Quentin (Frankreich), Block 6, Grab 77
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 375

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Sprinz, Otto, Assistant Arzt
Bayerische Ersatz Infanterie Regiment 3, 2 Bataillon, Stab Kompagnie
Born 12/21/91, in Burghaslach
Resided in Wurzburg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Maissemy (Frankreich), Kameradengrab; bei Nauroy
Ingolstädter Gesichter: 750 Jahre Juden in Ingolstadt – 258
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 364

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Weigert, Hans, Soldat, Kanonier
Fussartillerie Bataillon 50, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 5/11/99, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Maissemy (Frankreich), Block 1, Grab 871
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 165

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Wertheim, Eugen, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 117, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Born 5/2/86, in Offenbach
Resided in Offenbach (Main)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 310

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Wittstock, Erich, Gefreiter
Born 2/8/97, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 13, Grab 394
JGD lists rank as “Soldat”; Rank here from Volksbund.de.
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – Anhang (Appendix) – 400

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Wolf, Julius, Gefreiter
Garde Regiment 123, 2nd Battalion, 5th Kompagnie
Born 5/5/82, in Sennfeld
Resided in Heilbronn
Kriegsgräberstätte in Maissemy (Frankreich), Block 1, Grab 2159
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 241

References

Books (…Author Listed…)

Adler, Michael, and Freeman, Max R.G., British Jewry Book of Honour, Caxton Publishing Company, London, England, 1922 (Republished in 2006 by Naval & Military Press, Uckfield, East Sussex)

Cohen, Joseph, Journey to the Trenches – The Life of Isaac Rosenberg, 1890-1918, Basic Books, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1975

A Book (…No Specific Author…) …

Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch, Reichsbund Jüdischer Frontsoldaten, Forward by Dr. Leo Löwenstein, Berlin, Germany, 1932

Some Websites…

Operation Michael

Operation Michael, at Wikipedia

German Spring Offensive, at Wikipedia

The Importance of the Operational Level: The Ludendorff Offensives of 1918,(Lorris Beverelli), October 28, 2019, at The Strategy Bridge 

Why did the German Spring Offensive of 1918 Fail?, at Daily History

WWI’s Massive German Spring Offensive of 1918 (Mike Phifer), at Warfare History Network

Major John George Brew – 1918: Retreat from St. Quentin, via Web Archive  (http://brew.clients.ch/stquentin.htm)

German Infantry Divisions of the Great War (H.G.W. Davie), July 13, 2018, at HGW Davie

Jäger (Infantry), at Wikipedia

List of German Jäger Battalions before 1918, at Wikipedia

Isaac Rosenberg

…at Wikipedia

…at Poetry Foundation

… at Poets.org

…at Writers Inspire

…at FindAGrave

…at ArtsUK.org (12 Paintings)

…at Representative Poetry OnLine, at University of Toronto, via Internet Archive Wayback Machine (5 Poems)

 

Shabbat Morning on the Somme: July 1, 1916

Does the past want the future back?

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To begin this post, here’s a kind of story:

Some years ago, in very much “another life”, I worked for a firm specializing in the indexing and abstracting of the contents of academic journals.  Time passed.  Then, I received a promotion to a newly created position, where I was tasked with editing a product providing bibliometric information for academic journals in the sciences and humanities.  

I initially (- initially -) assumed that I’d be charged with responsibilities as novel as they were complex, and, be involved with interactions with customers and co-workers that – even if sometimes naturally challenging – would be a source of accomplishment.  Well, that was true, but it turned out to be only partially the case.  “Things” were different – far, far (did I say “far”?!) different – than what I’d assumed prior to accepting the position. 

Suffice to say (but it really doesn’t suffice!) that, consistent with the nature of cubicle land, what I imagined would’ve been a steppingstone to greater levels of accomplishment turned out to be the ironic and complete opposite:  Rather than being plunged into the stereotypical challenge of contending with an overwhelming, near-impossible-to-complete workload, for many months I encountered the complete opposite:  I had very little to do.  Sometimes, I had nothing to do. 

In retrospect, my sojourn in bibliometric-world could’ve (could still?) provided raw material for cartoons in The New Yorker, episodes of The Office, or, the Amazon Prime animated series Laugh Along With Franz!  (As in Kafka.)    

So, I was showered with a myriad of lemons.  (Paraphrasing the overused expression.)

And what do you do when you have little or nothing to do?  I made lemonade.  Allegorical lemonade, that is.  (As goes the overused expression.)

It was starting at roughly the same time – the early 2000s – that historical information in government repositories, heretofore previously accessible only through “on site” visits or direct correspondence with archivists, was becoming freely available in digitized form through the Internet.  

And so, one quiet morning, I discovered the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission.  And so, one sluggish afternoon, I discovered the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).  And so, one empty day, I came upon an idea:  I’d use these and other websites to identify and obtain biographical information and historical records about Jewish servicemen who served in the Second World War, and, access information about other topics, most (but not all) in the realm of military history.  The result years later has been the many posts – more to come! – “here”, at TheyWereSoldiers.

Though at that time I wasn’t focused on Jewish military service in World War One, I thought – in a perfunctory sort of way, simply because the information was “there” and immediately accessible – it’d be worthwhile to obtain records about Jewish soldiers who served in that war, as well.  I had the vague idea that some day, somehow, I’d do something with this information, far beyond simply acquiring it. 

Time passed.  I decided to assemble these records and create a record of Jewish servicemen in the Allied forces in Great War, focusing on men who were casualties (killed, wounded, and missing), prisoners of war, or those who – whether casualties or not – were involved in incidents or actions that could be tied to a specific calendar date, in terms of awards and honors for military service.  Having already done this for French Jewish Soldiers, German Jewish soldiers, and Italian Jewish soldiers, this entailed a focus on Jews in the armed forces of the British Commonwealth and the United States, the subject of blog posts here and here

The primary source of information I used in this research was The Jewish Chronicle, which was accessed as 35mm microfilm (remember microfilm?) at the New York Public Library, where it was reviewed at the Library’s Dorot Jewish Division, and, in the Library’s Milstein Microform Reading Room, using mechanical (remember mechanical?) microfilm viewing machines (remember machines?!), by which I made a myriad of paper (remember paper!?) photocopies of casualty lists, news articles, editorials, letters, and some items completely unrelated to the war.  In this, I reviewed all issues of the Chronicle published from early August, 1914 through mid-1919, by which late date very brief casualty lists … actually, nominal confirmation of soldiers’ killed in action status … on rare occasion appeared in that newspaper. 

As to the total number of research visits I made to the Library for this and other research projects?  I’ve utterly no idea; I never bothered to count.  Well, it was nice walking to the Library along the streets of lower Manhattan, even if that “Manhattan” ceased to exist after 2020, and probably will not return.  

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The Former World: The New York Public Library, 12:30 P.M., Friday, August 26, in the year 2011.

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Then, I correlated the names of soldiers listed as killed or missing, in the casualty lists carried in the Chronicle, to records in the CWGC database.  These names were in turn matched to names in the British Jewry Book of Honour, the Australian Jewry Book of Honour (also accessed at the Dorot Jewish Section – their copy’s holding up pretty well, considering that in 2023 it’s a century years old!), The Sky Their Battlefield, Serving Their Country – Wartime Memories of Scottish Jews, and, other references, the ultimate goal being to tie together this information as much as possible. 

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Here’s the title page of Dorot’s copy of the Australian Jewry Book of Honour.  Fraying around the edges, bull still intact.

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If this resulting assemblage of information can be viewed as comprising as database, then the “primary key” consists of multiple data fields: a serviceman’s surname, his given name, his serial number, and (where relevant) the calendar date on which an incident occurred. 

The result?  Many names; many calendar dates; many serial numbers; numerous military honours; a plethora of bravery; an incalculable degree of sadness and tragedy; a continuous sense of irony.

This process wasn’t straightforward; quite the contrary.  

It’s my understanding that Chronicle’s Casualty Lists, which present an adventure in ambiguity (albeit ambiguity that can be solved with effort) are based on information provided to the newspaper by Reverend Michael Adler, about whom you can read more at the Jewish Museum of London, and (naturally) Wikipedia

Simply put, the content of the Chronicle’s lists is simple:  Whether a soldier was killed, wounded, missing, a POW, or only temporarily missing, they merely comprise a soldier’s surname, the first initial (and only that letter!) of his given name, his rank, and, the name of his Regiment.  Absolutely no other information appears, though commencing with the issue of July 27, 1917, the Chronicle did include a soldier’s serial number.  (Did British officers have serial numbers?  I don’t know.  It doesn’t seem that way.)

The time lag between the appearance of a soldier’s name in the Chronicle, versus the calendar date on which he became actually became casualty, shows enormous variation.  The names of some soldiers appeared in the newspaper as little as two weeks after they became casualties, while for others, months, a year, or more would transpire until the appearance of their names. 

This limited amount of information sometimes made correlating a soldier’s name to CWGC records challenging, obviously a moot point for soldiers who were wounded and survived the war, for whom by definition there are no CWGC records.

In any event, the presentation of names in the Chronicle provides an interesting contrast with casualty information as available in the American news media, an example of which – published in The New York Times on November 18, 1918 – is shown below. 

Note that a soldier’s full name, rank, degree of casualty status, next of kin, and residential address are fully given, or, made nominally available.  However, unlike British Commonwealth soldiers, the serviceman’s serial number and military organization are not listed.  Also, note that the casualty list as published in the Times encompasses the entire United States, probably because of the newspaper’s scope, prominence, and (not just physical) “size”.  Though during the Second World War editors and publishers of newspapers were instructed by the War Department to limit publication of casualty information to include only casualties who resided in the immediate geographic area of a newspaper’s coverage, this seems not to have been so – for the American media – during the Great War. 

(Not that I actively or actually read the Times.  I haven’t done so in years.  I just use it as a source historical information.)

And so, my “list” of WW I Commonwealth Jewish soldiers is largely done.    

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Well.  There are days in the history of men and nations that have particular historical significance, whether in terms of war and conflict, demographic and economic impact, cultural and social impact and legacy, the mood of a nation and people – whether of optimism or pessimism; ultimately, expressing the spirit and mood of an age.  Such a day was the 1st of July in the year 1916, which marked the opening day of the Battle of the Somme (or, the “Somme Offensive”) during which the British Army suffered, “57,470 casualties … including 19,240 killed … the worst in the history of the British Army.”  (From Wikipedia; see sources in list of references.)

As a symbol and example of the military service of British Jewish soldiers in the Great War, and, the significance of the Somme Offensive in general, the names and biographical information for the British Jewish soldiers fallen on July 1, 1916 (forty that I know of) are listed below.  Also shown are scans of photocopies of relevant casualty lists. 

One of the forty men, Rifleman Aubrey Fraser, wounded and captured on the first day of the offensive, died eight days later in the Cologne Military Hospital, Germany.  Another soldier, Sergeant Leonard Nathan, severely wounded and captured, is listed as well.  Born in 1888, he died at the age of 73 in 1961.  He received the Military Medal.   

Of the forty men, six were officers, reflective of the extremely high toll of British officers during the offensive. 

Twenty-one of the forty men have no known graves, and are commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial.    

Three of the forty were wounded prior to the opening day of the Somme Offensive.  They were:

Rifleman Harry Goldstein – Wounded in February, 2015
Private Morris Althansen – Wounded in April, 2015
Corporal Ernest Isaac Ramus – Wounded in December of 1914, and, February of 1915

Five of the forty appear not to have been listed in the British Jewry Book of Honour.  They are:

Rifleman Harry Goldstein (same man as above)
Rifleman Harold W. Marsh
Private Charles Rittenberg
Private David Rosenbloom
Rifleman Moses Schwartzburg

Among the many families that lost multiple sons during the Great War was that of Samuel and Sarah Gerber of Manchester, whose son L/Cpl. Eli Gerber was lost during the first day on the Somme.  Only a little over a month earlier, on May 26 or 27, Eli’s brother “Solomon” (actually, Joe Solomon), serial 3266, a Private in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (1st/8th Battalion, D Company), was killed in action.  He rests at the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, in Pas de Calais, France.  The Gerbers were survived by seven other children: Ada, Dora, Esther, Hyman, Gertie, Jacob, and Jane.

Where available in the British Jewry Book of Honour, my list is accompanied by photographic portraits of soldiers. 

But, there’s more… 

The list is followed by the names of thirty-two other Jewish soldiers fallen on the same day, two in the French Army – the Armée de Terre – and thirty in the Imperial German Army – the Deutsches Heer.  I have no idea if any of the German soldiers men fell in combat with British forces during the Somme Offensive.  Well, given this number of men, I would suppose some did.

To better describe the historical context of this day, I’ve included links to numerous videos, while my bibliography lists a variety of websites.

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Well, in the lives of nations as much as individual men, irony abounds. 

On a major note, the first day of the Somme Offensive, the first day of July in the year 1916, was the 30th day of the month Sivan in the year 5676.  That day was Saturday. 

That day was Shabbat. 

On a minor note, I commenced work on this post, and several other similarly-themed other posts about Jewish military casualties during the Great War (on the opening day of the German Offensive of March 21, 1918; among soldiers in the United States Army on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918; illustrating photographs of WW I soldiers from the state of Pennsylvania, and more) on the morning of February 24, 2022.  I hope this doesn’t turn out to have been a case of synchronicity

Whether in July of 1914, or the year 2023, knowledge of the future is unavailable to men.  In this, there is ironic comfort.  In this, there will always be the unexpected.  

So, in the spirit of the old proverb (supposedly Turkish in origin, but probably universal in concept), “Measure a thousand times, and cut once.”

Is the past calling the future back?

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From the Routledge Atlas of the First World War, this general diagram of the Somme battlefield shows the successive locations of the German front line from the commencement of the offensive in July, through late November.

This accompanying map from the Routledge Atlas provides an example of the layout and relative location of British and German trenches on the Somme.  Interestingly, the Atlas’ editors have depicted trench systems located in the far northwest corner of the battlefield – which appears in the very upper left-hand corner of the above map – rather than the “center” (as it were) of the battlefield, near Montauban, Maurepas, or Longueval. 

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Videos

What Most People Get Wrong About the Battle of the Somme (Alan Wakefield), at Imperial War Museum (June 23, 2021)

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How Many Died During The First Day Of The Somme?, at Timeline – World history Documentaries (July 10, 2021)

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England

There are many striking photographs of British soldiers during the Battle of the Somme, whether in preparation for the offensive, advancing towards German trenches, or after combat, with the latter category particularly including images that are evocative and haunting.  However, the picture below, taken by Lieutenant Ernest Brooks and entitled “British sentry going up to his post near Beaumont Hamel.  July 1916,” is especially notable – in photographic terms, that is! – in clarity, composition, and contrast.  The picture really shines on levels symbolic and emotional, because of the soldier’s anonymity (his position, posture, and, backlighting by the sun, combine to make him unrecognizable), and, on a visual level at least (certainly other soldiers would have been nearby, but they don’t appear in the image), his solitude. 

Though the photo in its original form is Imperial War Museum Photo Q 729, the colorized version of the image shown here, from WarHistoryOnLine, is by Marina Amaral.

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Casualty List published in The Jewish Chronicle on July 14, 1916

Killed: William Berson (see more below), Jack Cohen, Michael I. Freeman

Missing: Eli Gerber, Joseph Josephs, Wilfrid A. Kohn

News item about Raymond Litten; see more below…

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Casualty List published in The Jewish Chronicle on July 21, 1916

Killed: Michael G. Klean

 Missing: Barnet Griew, Harold W. Marsh, Joseph D. Wiener, Aubrey Fraser (about whom see news item below…)

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Casualty List published in The Jewish Chronicle on July 28, 1916

Killed: Percival (“Percy”) Braham, Abraham Hansell, Harry Zodickson, and Aubrey Fraser (about whom see news item below…)

Missing: Joseph Tobias

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Casuyalty List published in The Jewish Chronicle on August 11, 1916

Killed: John Cohen, Lewis Levy

News item about Leonard Nathan; see more below…

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The Fallen

Saturday, July 1, 1916 – Shabbat, 30 Sivan, 5676

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

May his soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds

Abrahams, Stanley, Rifleman, 2278 (British Jewry Book of Honour lists serial as 2268)
London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), 1st/6th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Caroline Abrahams (parents), Donald (brother), 1 Riffel House, Riffel Road, Cricklewood, London, NW
Born Willesden, London, 1889
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 13C
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/14/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 77, 461

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Althansen, Morris, Pvt., 3629
King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), 1st Battalion, D Company
(Wounded previously; gassed ~ 4/21/15)
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Millie (“Milly”) (Tropp) Althansen (parents), 47 Tower St., Mare St., Hackney, London
Also 28 Darnley Road, Hackney, London, NE
Born St. Georges in the East, Middlesex, London, 1896
Occupation: Laborer
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 5D and 12B
The Jewish Chronicle 5/21/15, 7/28/16, 3/2/17 (TJC 5/21/15 lists name as “Althausen, M.”, and status as wounded (“gas poisoning”), TJC 7/28/16 lists name as “Althusen, M.” and status as wounded, TJC 3/2/17 lists name as “Althusen, M.” and status as missing)
British Jewry Book of Honour – 77, 239; photo section 116, 151

The below correspondence, concerning an inquiry about Pvt. Althansen’s well-being by B.N. Michelson of the United Synagogue, on behalf of the soldier’s mother Millie, was found at Ancestry.com, within “UK, British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920”.

United Synagogue
SAILROR’S AND SOLDIER’S DEPENDENTS COMMITTEE
Beth Hamedrash and Jewish Institute

Dear Sir

          Re Pte M. Althansen 3629
                           M.G.S. 1st King’s Own

May I enquire on behalf of Mrs Althansen, 52 Devonshire Rd. whether anything is known of her son above.  She has not heard from some considerable time.

Yours faithfully
B.N. Michelson

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52 Devonshire Rd.
Hackney, N.E.
2/8/16

R.L. 3629

          Sir

The Rev B.N. Michelson kindly wrote for the enquirant as to my son’s state of health on the 27th ult.  You sent A.F.B. 104-85 numbered to above in answer.  I have since received letters which I addressed to my son.  The envelopes of which I am sending you herewith.  I should be glad if you can give me any further information & where I may now address him. 

Yours faithfully,
          Milly Althansen

This portrait of Pvt. Althansen appears in the photographic section of the British Jewry Book of Honour.  Though the image as published in the book is diminutive in size (quite typical of other portraits in the monograph) it’s nonetheless of excellent quality.

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Berson, William, Pvt., 18156
Essex Regiment, 13th Battalion, D Company
Mr. and Mrs. Myer and Rachel Berson (parents), Albert, Annie, Bernard, Eva, Lizzie, and Mathew (brothers and sisters)
77 North Street, Leeds
Born Yorkshire, Leeds, 1885
Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, Pas de Calais, France – II,C,15
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16, 7/21/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 80, 337; photo section 308

This image of Pvt. Berson’s matzeva is by FindAGrave contributor M.H. Barksdale.  

On July 21, twenty days after Pvt. Berson’s death, the following tribute and news item about the soldier appeared in The Jewish Chronicle:

With reference to the death of Private A. Berson, who, as reported in our issue of the 14th inst., has been killed in action, Mr. T. Gerald Morton, the manager, at the performance on Friday at the Stratford Empire, read to the audience the following letter, which had been received from the Captain of a Company of the Essex Regiment: –

I should like to stand on the stage of the Stratford Empire and tell the people of it.  Pte. Berson joined up at Stratford as anyone else, just one of the crowd.  In civilian life I believe he was assistant manager at the Empire.  As an infantryman in our ‘D’ Company he was a nuisance; he could not soldier somehow.  He was far too sensible, too much of a gentleman to commit crime, but it was just that ‘something’ which prevented him becoming a smart soldier.  When he was attached to a Trench Mortar Battery we felt somewhat relieved.  He took a fancy to his new work and an interest in it – the change suited him.  The night of our little ‘show’ his Battery Commander called for a volunteer.  Berson was the first, arguing that as his regiment was going over the top he wished to be in it, and thought it only right that he should!  He was ordered to work his gun for a certain time at ‘A,’ then move to position ‘B’.  He did work his gun; he moved – but when they found him it was as a corpse, the gun in his arms, and his body covering it.  His was the last body I visited to identity, and as I looked at his poor dear face and reviewed his association with ‘D’ Company, I thanked God for the example of courage and devotion to duty of the Jew.

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Braham, Percival (“Percy”), Pvt., 21941
The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 20th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Sampson (1868-6/17/37) and Annie / Hannah (Neiman) (1868-4/5/20) Braham (parents)
Ida, May, and Sydney (1905-3/58) (sisters and brother)
31 Madeline St., Liverpool, England
Born Toxteth Park, Lancashire, 10/98
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 1D, 8B, and 8C
The Jewish Chronicle 7/28/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 82, 286

Private Braham’s mother Annie’s matzeva, as seen in this Ancestry.com image from David Wilson, includes a tribute to her son, who – like so many men killed in this battle; so very many men killed during the Great War – has no grave.

Also In Affectionate Remembrance
OF HER SON PERCY,
WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION 1ST JULY 1916
AGED 17 YEARS.

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Cohen, Benjamin, Pvt., 26196
Manchester Regiment, 21st Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Reuben and Yetta Cohen (parents), Bella, Jacob, and Miriam (sisters and brother)
146 Broughton St., Cheetham, Manchester
Born Manchester, Lancashire, 1898
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 13A and 14C
British Jewry Book of Honour – 83, 364

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Cohen, Jack, Pvt., 17176
The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 18th Battalion, D Company
Mr. Simon Cohen (father), 109 Paddington, Liverpool
Born Middlesex, London, 1894
Danzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France – VIII,U,7
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Memorial notices) 9/1/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 84, 287

The image of Pvt. Cohen’s tombstone is by FindAGrave contributor Richard Andrew Roberts.

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Cohen, John, Rifleman, 5467
Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion
Mrs. Annie Cohen (mother)
Isaac, Rebecca, Reuben, and Solomon (brothers and sister), 86 Boundary St., Shoreditch, NE, London
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 16B and 16C
The Jewish Chronicle 8/11/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 84,382

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Davis, Harry, Company Sergeant Major, 4827
East Yorkshire Regiment, 1st Battalion
Mrs. Kate Davis (wife) (died 5/6/08), Lilian Madeline Davis (daughter) (born 7/20/07)
Esther Elizabeth Benjamin (guardian), 6 St. Gabriel’s Place, Cricklewood, London
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Kate Davis (parents), S.M. Benjamin and Lillie Davis (sisters), 12 Soho St., Soho Square, London, NW
Also 6 St. Gabriel Road, London, NW
Born 1877
Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers-la-Boisselle, Somme, France – X,B,5
The Jewish Chronicle 8/25/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 8/11/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 83, 302

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Inscription on matzeva: Far from home he is laid to rest – What God ordains is for the best

Freeman, Michael Isaac, Pvt., 15579
Highland Light Infantry, 17th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Simon (1847-1907) and Rhoda Yetta (Summ) (1854-1937) Freeman (parents)
Alexander, Eli (Ellis), Harry, Joseph, and Louis C. (brothers)
51 (or # 7 ?) Avoca St., Belfast, Ireland
Born Latvia, 1881
Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France – II,B,7
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 6/27/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 90, 375; photo section 164

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Gerber, Eli, L/Cpl., 18620
Lancashire Fusiliers, 19th Battalion, D Company
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel (1861-1919) and Sarah (3/16/68-1/43) Gerber (parents)
Pvt. Joe Solomon Gerber (brother), Ada, Dora, Esther, Hyman, Gertie, Jacob, and Jane Gerber (sisters and brothers)
16 Whitfield St., Cheetham, Manchester
Born Prestwich, 4/91
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 3C and 3D
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16, 2/15/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 91, 308; photo section 244

FindAGrave contributor Bob the Greenacre Cat took this photo of the matzeva of Samuel Gerber, L/Cpl. Gerber’s father.  The English-language text engraved on the lower part of the matzeva appears below the photo…

In Loving Memory of
SAMUEL GERBER
WHO DIED NOV 16TH 1919
AGED 60 YEARS
DEEPLY MOURNED BY HIS SORROWING
WIFE & CHILDREN
ALSO L CPL ELI GERBER
KILLED IN ACTION IN FRANCE JULY 1ST 1916
AGED 25 YEARS
ALSO PTE SOLOMON GERBER
DIED OF WOUNDS IN FRANCE MAY 26TH 1916
AGED 24 YEARS

A member of D Company, 1st/18th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Pvt. Joe Solomon Gerber (3266), born in 1894, is buried at the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France (I,C,39).  His name appeared in a casualty list published in The Jewish Chronicle on June 23, 1916, and can be found on pages 91 and 379 of the British Jewry Book of Honour.  Though his father’s matzeva lists his date of death as May 26, 1916, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists the date as May 27.  

As can be seen above, Samuel died just over one year after the war’s end.

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Gilbert, Sidney, L/Cpl., 4421
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 2nd Battalion
Mrs. Annie Gilbert (mother), Pvt. Louis Gilbert (serial 3596) (brother), 7 High St., Stepney, E, London / 46 Crispin St., Spitalfields, London
Also 21 Hawking St., London, E
Gommecourt British Cemetery No. 2, Hebuterne, Pas de Calais, France – III,G,3
The Jewish Chronicle 8/4/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 91, 469; photo section 262

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Goldstein, Harry, Pvt., 5107
Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion
(Wounded in Action previously; approximately 2/19/15)
Mr. and Mrs. John B. and Helen Poke (uncle and aunt)
Born Spitalfields, Middlesex
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 16B and 16C
The Jewish Chronicle 3/19/15
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

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Gordon, Myer, Rifleman, 301364 (serial also 2520)
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 1st/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lazarus and Judith Gordon (parents), 16 Marine Ave., Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
Albert, Cecil, Francis, Minnie, and Moss (brothers and sisters), 186 Dalston Lane, London, NE
Born Shoreditch, London, 1897
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9D
The Jewish Chronicle 2/22/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 93, 469

Myer Gordon’s name appears in “UK, Naturalisation Certificates and Declarations, 1870-1916” at Ancestry.com, where (at the age of four months, on June 22, 1898), it was recorded by his father, Abraham Lazarus, along with the names of his brothers Albert and Moses (“Moss”?), and sister Minnie (“Minna”).  

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Griew, Barnet, Rifleman, 300863 (serial also listed as #1398)
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 1st/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Solomon and Rebecca Griew (parents) (surname was originally “Grenvitsky” or “Grewvitsky”)
Alice, David, Fanny, Harry, Joseph, and Maurice (sisters and brothers)
171 Amherst Road, London, N
Born St. John at Hackney, London, 1897
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9D
The Jewish Chronicle 7/21/16, 2/22/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 94, 469

An excellent portrait of Rifleman Griew, by FindAGrave Contributor Nancy Wright.

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Hansell, Abraham, Pvt., 9444
Manchester Regiment, 17th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Mark (1864-6/29) and Paulina (born 1866) Hansell (parents)
Esther and Joseph (sister and brother), Fanny, Jacob, and Rachel (half-sisters and half-brother)
27 Brunswick St., Cheetham, Manchester
Born Manchester, Lancashire, 1895
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 13A and 14C
The Jewish Chronicle 7/28/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 94,365

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Hart, Cecil Lyon, Captain
Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment), 3rd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Moss Alexander and Marguerite Hart (parents), Reni Victoria and Netta Adelaide Hart (sisters)
12 Alexandra Mansions, London, NW
Born Kimberly, South Africa, 1889
Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamp, Somme, France – I,H,10
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/7/16, 7/5/18, 7/4/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 71, 176; photo section 362

Like the above portrait of Pvt. Althansen, this image of Capt. Hart is also from the British Jewry Book of Honour

This image of Capt. Hart’s matzeva, which also appears in the British Jewry Book of Honour (albeit there of lesser photographic quality than “this” web image) is from Capt. Hart’s biographical profile at British Jews in the First World War.  

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Hart, Samuel, Rifleman, 300116 (serial previously #9521)
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 1st/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel and Matilda Hart (parents), Elizabeth Marion, Joseph, Myer, and Rebecca (sisters and brothers)
19 Anson Road, Cricklewood, London, NW2
Born Hackney, London, 1895
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9D
British Jewry Book of Honour – 95, 471; photo section 293

Also in the British Jewry Book of Honour is this portrait of Rifleman Hart.

 

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Isaacs, Alexander, Pvt., 5835
London Regiment (London Scottish), 1st/14th Battalion
Mr. Lewis Isaacs (father), 34 Tottenham Court, London, W
Born London
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9C and 13C
The Jewish Chronicle 2/22/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 94, 473

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Josephs, Joseph (Avraham Yosef ben David), 2nd Lieutenant
London Regiment (The Rangers), 1st/12th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. David and Sabina Josephs (parents), 206 Willesden Lane, NW, London
Address also 72 Highbury New Park, London, N
Born 1897
Gommecourt British Cemetery No. 2, Hebuterne, Pas de Calais, France – I,C,4
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16, 6/29/17
British Jewry Book of Honour – 72, 459

Lt. Josephs’ portrait at FindAGrave, uploaded by Contributor Nancy Wright, is Imperial War Museum photo IWM HU 116509…  

While at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Lt. Josephs’ name appears as entry 44, with the notation, “For particulars of layout inscription etcetera see schedule PC.”…

…and at the bottom of the form appear the instructions:

NOTE TO CONTRACTOR: – An inscription in Hebrew characters is to be engraved on this Stone (No. 54.) execution of this Stone should therefore not be proceeded with until an Inspector of the Commission visits your works when he will provide you with the necessary Layout and Inscription and the manner in which the Inscription is to be set out.

Moving over a century forward, two images of Lt. Josephs’ matzeva, taken by his great niece Lola Fraser, appear at British Jews in the First World War.  Notice the phrase, “BELIEVED TO BE” engraved at the top of the stone.     

This first image is an overall view of the stone… 

…while a close-up of the above-mentioned Hebrew inscription appears below. 

The first line is Josephs’ Hebrew name, Avraham Yosef ben David, while the lower line is ה’ נתן וה’ לקח, יהי שם ה’ מבורך, the English-language translation being, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord”, taken from Job 1:21, another translation being, “The Lord gave and the Lord took; may the name of the Lord be blessed.”  (Special thanks to Ari Dale for the translation! – Thanks, Ari!)  

Though tombstones provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission conform to strict requirements of size, design, composition and color, and, the amount (total number of characters) of text engraved on the stone, it is notable that the CWGC does provide allowance for textual characters other than English, an example paralleling that of Lt. Josephs’ being the matzeva of WW II Canadian Sergeant Samuel Moses Hurwitz.  

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Inscription on matzeva: In loving memory – Of our dear Michael

Klean, Michael Graham, 2nd Lieutenant
Northumberland Fusiliers, 16th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Simeon and Lenora (“Leonora”?) Klean (parents), 26 Hatton Garden, London, EC
Elsie and Bluebell (sisters), 8 Golder’s Green Crescent, Golder’s Green, London, NW
Born Middlesex, London, 1878
Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuile, Somme, France – IV,T,1
The Jewish Chronicle 7/21/16, 7/28/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/21/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 72, 241; photo section 42

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Kohn, Wilfrid Arthur, 2nd Lieutenant
East Lancashire Regiment, 11th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and Rose C. Kohn (parents), Madelene D. Cohn (sister), 79 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London, SW
Born Kensington, London, 1892
Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps, Somme, France – I,D,13
The Jewish Chronicle 7/14/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 72, 320

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Lapinski, Albert, Pvt., 16400 (served as “Lappin”)
Royal Fusiliers, 20th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. David (1863-5/22/33) and Rebecca (Grossmith) (1866-4/16) Lapinski (parents)
18 Osbaldeston Road, Stoke Newington / 44 Colvestone Crescent, Dalston, London, NE
Esther, Jacob, Leah, and Pearl (sisters and brother)
Born Middlesex, London, 1897
Danzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France – VIII,T,1 (Crucifix on matzeva)
The Jewish Chronicle 8/4/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 8/11/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 101, 237; photo section 122

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Lazarus, Raphael (Ralph), Pvt., 5851
Lincolnshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Mrs. Maggie May (Clifford) “Margaret” Lazarus (wife) (9/87-1947), Miriam and Mildred “Millie” Marie (daughters)
Mr. and Mrs. Lasser (1944-11/27/12) and Rose (Trauslitier) (1859-10/18/32) Lazarus (parents), Hannah, Harry, Joseph, Joshua, Moses, and Rebecca (sisters and brothers)
Born Whitechapel, Middlesex, 3/83
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 1C
British Jewry Book of Honour – 293 (Not specifically listed in British Jewry Book of Honour – Roll of Honour)

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Levy, Harold, L/Cpl., 12086
Devonshire Regiment, 9th Battalion
Mrs. Elsie Levy (mother), 1 Gwy Cliffe Cottages, Oakleigh Road, Whetstone, London
Born London
Devonshire Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France – B,1
The Jewish Chronicle 11/17/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 104, 294; photo section 270

L/Cpl. Levy is buried immediately alongside six comrades, as seen in the below FindAGrave image by chris(tine) eaton.  Of this group of seven soldiers, six – all killed during the first day of the Somme Offensive – are from the Devonshire Regiment.  

Wright, D., Serjeant, 20496 (November 10, 1916) “B” Battery, 92nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Brown, Harry, Pvt., 3/7239, 9th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
Down, John Thomas, Pvt., 20876, 9th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
Gough, W.H., Pvt., 10501, 8th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
Harwood, A.E.J., Pvt., 12185, 9th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
Dunn, W.J., Pvt., 16497, 8th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment

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Inscription on matzeva: Nobly he answered – His duty’s call

Levy, Lewis, Pvt., 18418
Hampshire Regiment, 1st Battalion
Mrs. Sarah (Springer) Levy (wife), Henry and Evie (children), 104 Eric St., Mile End Road, London
Mr. and Mrs. Henry (11/28/44-11/5/21) and Mary Ann Eva / Eve (Griffin) (1850-3/11) Levy (parents)
Rebecca (sister), 132 Bridge St., Bow, London, E3
Born Bethnal Green, London, 1892
Bertrancourt Military Cemetery, Somme, France – Plot I, Row G, Grave 13
The Jewish Chronicle 8/11/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/14/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 104, 329

Akin to other soldiers listed in this post, Pvt. Levy has no grave.  His name and memory are commemorated on the matzeva of his father Henry, as seen in this Ancestry.com photo at the “Marquis French Family Tree”, by RCTreeby

Also LEWIS,
DEARLY BELOVED SON OF
HENRY AND THE LATE EVE LEVY,
WHO WAS KILLED IN THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME
1ST JULY 1916
AGED 23.
שָׁלוֹם
____________________

Inscription on matzeva: All you had hoped for – All you had you gave – To save mankind

Litten, Raymond, Captain
Royal Berkshire Regiment, 6th Battalion, B Company
“He was killed in action … at the head of his Company (‘B’) within the first hour, in the first wave of the attack.”
Mr. and Mrs. Tobias Raphael and Frances Litten (parents), Adelaide D., Edith Miranda, Hilda, Maude, and Violet (sisters)

21 Pembridge Villas, Notting Hill, London, W
Born Kensington, London, 8/83
Carnoy Military Cemetery, Somme, France – Q,19
The Jewish Chronicle (biography) 7/14/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/7/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 73, 343

From FindAGrave:

He was Killed In Action on the 1st.July 1916, (First Day of The Battle of The Somme) Aged 32, at the head of his Company (‘B’) within the first hour, in the first wave of the attack.  Seven brother officers of the 6th.Btn. died this day with six buried in a row together in Carnoy cemetery, the seventh is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing.

From The Jewish Chronicle:

Capt. Raymond Litten, of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, who was killed in action on July 1st, was the only son of the late Mr. Tobias Raphael Litten and of Mrs. Litten, of 21, Pembridge Villas.  Capt. Litten was born in August, 1883, and was educated at the City of London School.  He joined the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps on August 3rd, 1914, and received his commission six weeks later.  He went in the front in July, 1915, and was enrolled a Freeman of the City of London on December 15th last.  He was a member of the Stock Exchange.  A photograph of Capt. Litten is printed in the current issue of the Jewish World.  

Lt. that of like Josephs’, Captai Litten’s portrait at FindAGrave, uploaded by Contributor laurinlaurinespie, is an Imperial War Museum photo, in this case IWM HU 124199

…while this portrait of Capt. Litten is c/o FindAGrave Contributor Jofen

And so, here is an image of his matzeva, by FindAGrave Contributor Jofen

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Marcus, Dudley Harold, Rifleman, 470364 (British Jewry Book of Honour lists serial as 2216)
London Regiment (The Rangers), 12th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Julius (4/2/44-6/30/13) and Ida Selma (Koppel) (3/3/53-8/14/03) Marcus (parents)
Emily Walter, Evelyn J., Gladys F., and Rudolph B. Marcus (sisters and brother)
76 Melrose Ave., Cricklewood, London, NW
Born Hampstead, London, 4/95
Gommecourt British Cemetery No. 2, Hebuterne, Pas de Calais, France – I,A,21
The Jewish Chronicle 5/11/17
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 5/18/17
British Jewry Book of Honour – 107, 480

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Marsh, Harold William, Rifleman, 30162
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 1st/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Elijah (12/2/73-11/8/51) and Emily Harriett (Cusack) (born 4/9/73) Marsh (parents), Bertram G. and Thomas L. Marsh (brothers)
6 Woodland Road, Loughton, Essex
Born Dalston, London, 1898
Thiepval Memorial, France – Pier and Face 9D
The Jewish Chronicle 7/21/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 3/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed (Baptised 9/25/98 at Dalston, St. Mark, England)
The Jewish Chronicle lists name as “Marsh, H.W.”, and serial as 2505, while CWGC lists secondary serial as 3505

____________________

Polakoff, Jacob, Rifleman, S/15089
Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Leah Polakoff (parents), Esther, Gershon, Herman, Marks, and Samuel (sister and brothers)
41 Osbaldeston Road, Stoke Newington, London, N
Born 1894
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 16B and 16C
The Jewish Chronicle 10/19/17
British Jewry Book of Honour – 112, 361; photo section 63

The following documents, at from “UK, British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920” at Ancestry.com, pertain to his mother’s inquiry about the disposition of her son’s possessions (a silver cigarette case, a pipe with gold rim, a tobacco pouch, an illuminated wrist-watch, and a bone knife), which I would think were gifts from his family.  No information would ever be forthcoming about these items, but then again, perhaps no information could ever be forthcoming, for his body was never identified.  

The following articles were with Rfn. J. Polakoff when he was killed, but have not yet been received: –

Silver cigarette case.
Briar pipe with gold rim.
Tobacco pouch.
Illuminated wrist-watch,
And bone knife.

Yours Truly
L Polakoff

Replied no further effects
4-12-17

__________

J. Polakoff
S/15089 Rfn.
2nd Batt R B

1 pipe
1 5 photo’s
1 regulation Ca[p?]

____________________

Ramus, Ernest Isaac, Cpl., 1599
London Regiment (Queen Victoria’s Rifles), 1st/9th Battalion
(Seriously wounded previously; approximately 12/29/14)
(Wounded previously; approximately 2/19/15)
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Alfred (12/27/58-3/47) and Esther (Bloomfield) (3/62-6/36) Ramus (parents)
Arthur N., Elizabeth Leah, Norman J., Sidney A., and Stanley L. Ramus (brothers and sister)
23 Park Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Born Hendon, Middlesex, 7/91
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9C
The Jewish Chronicle 3/19/15, 7/21/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/28/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 113, 484

____________________

Rittenberg, Charles, Pvt., 5791
Machine Gun Corps, 107th Company
Mrs. Edith (Connor) Rittenberg (wife), Charles Jr. (son; born 1909)
19 Guthrie St., Upper Baker St., Liverpool
Jacob and Harriet Rittenberg (parents), Clara and Leah (sisters)
Born West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, 1886
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 5C and 12C
British Jewry Book of Honour – (Married 7/4/09 at Church of Saint Philip)

____________________

Rosenberg, Harry, Pvt., 10640
Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment), 2nd Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Barnett Louis and Jane Ross (parents), 18 Preston St., Roundhay Road, Leeds
Also 13 Lovell Road, Leeds
Born Yorkshire, 1897
Thiepval Memorial, France – Pier and Face 6A and 6B
The Jewish Chronicle 6/8/17
British Jewry Book of Honour – 114, 325
Served as “Ross, Harry”.  Listed in British Jewry Book of Honour – and The Jewish Chronicle as “Ross, H.”

____________________

Rosenbloom, David, Pvt., 19263
Welch Regiment, 9th Battalion
Mrs. Leah (Rosenbloom) Goldenberg (mother), 7 St. Jame’s Churchyard, Bristol
Born 1895
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 7A and 10A
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

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Inscription on matzeva: Sadly missed – By his dear mother – Brother, sisters – And all relatives

Rosenthal, Maurice, Pvt., 27547
Lancashire Fusiliers, 15th Battalion, C Company
Mr. and Mrs. Simon (1857-1899 or 1901) and Betsy (born 1860) Rosenthal (parents), Jacob, Jane, Kate, Mathilda, Sarah, and Yetta (brother and sisters)
41 Exchange St., Manchester
Born Manchester, Lancashire, 1889
Connaught Cemetery, Thiepval, Somme, France – II,G,9
The Jewish Chronicle 1/12/17
British Jewry Book of Honour – 115, 309

FindAGrave Contributor “geoffrey gillon” took this photo of Pvt. Rosenthal’s matzeva.

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Schwartzburg, Moses, Rifleman, 471204
London Regiment (The Rangers), 1st/12th Battalion
Mrs. Louisa (Holliday) Schwartzburg (wife; married 7/26/14), Maurice Leon (son) (born 1/14/15)
57 Rawstone St., St. John’s, Clerkenwell EC, London
Mrs. Charlotte Schwartzburg (mother), Joseph (brother)
Born Clerkenwell, London, 1890
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9C
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

____________________

Telfer, Henry Adam, Lieutenant
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 9th Battalion (attached to 64th Trench Mortar Battery)
Mr. and Mrs. William Telfer and Catherine (“Florrie”) Leviansky (parents), 90 & 91 Queen St., London
Lt. Claude William Telfer (brother), 16 Belsize Park, London, NW25
Born 1893
Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers-la-Boisselle, Somme, France – II,N,9
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/14/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 75, 346; photo section 44

____________________

Inscription on matzeva: The Lord gave the Lord hath taken – Blessed be – The name of the Lord

Tobias, Joseph, Rifleman, B/397
Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion
Father Isaac; Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Rebecca Cohen (step-parents), Benjamin (step-brother), Hyman (brother)
6 Elsie House, Philip St. (Backchurch Lane East), Commercial Road, London, E
Born Liverpool, Lancashire, 1896
Redan Ridge Cemetery No. 1, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France – A,18
The Jewish Chronicle 7/28/16, 2/15/18
British Jewry Book of Honour – 121, 387; photo section 164

____________________

Weiner, Joseph Davis, Rifleman, 301649 (or 2538)
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 1st/5th Battalion
Mr. and Mrs. Davis (1865-6/27) and Jane (1867-6/28) Weiner (parents)
Abraham, Barbara, Bertha, Sybil / Sarah (brother and sisters)
25 Spital Square, London, E
Born London, 1899
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France – Pier and Face 9D
The Jewish Chronicle 7/21/16, 2/28/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 123, 489

____________________

Zodickson, Harry, Pvt., 11057
The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, 18th Battalion
11 Southampton St., Firtzroy Square, London, W
Mrs. Hyman Zodickson (father), Abram, Charles, Louis, Max, Moses, Myer, Sammy, and Sarah (brothers and sisters)
Born Russia, 1896
Danzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France – IV,S,8
The Jewish Chronicle 7/28/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – 124, 291

Prisoner of War: Died of Wounds

Fraser, Aubrey, Rifleman, 2818
London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), 5th Battalion
Prisoner of War; Died of wounds 7/9/16 at Cologne Military Hospital, Germany
Mr. and Mrs. Israel (9/26/69-12/26/41) and Fanny (Featherman) (6/14/71-1/19/46) Fraser (parents)
1-4 Argyll Place, Regent St., London, W1
Beatrice, Edna, Joseph, and Joshua (sisters and brothers)
96 Maide Vale, London, W
Born Manchester, Lancashire, 1898
Deutz Jewish Cemetery, Cologne, Germany – Grave 1660
The Jewish Chronicle 7/21/16, 7/28/16
The Jewish Chronicle (Obituary section) 7/28/16, 7/4/19
British Jewry Book of Honour – 89, 468

The following news item, about Pvt. Fraser’s death in Germany as a wounded prisoner of war, appeared in The Jewish Chronicle on July 28, 1916.  Though I cannot cite specifics (as I type this blog post!), I believe that the Chronicle, at least in the early part of the Great War, did on occasion publish transcripts of communications from Jewish religious leaders in Germany, and, brief articles touching upon Jewish life in that country.  

THE LATE RIFLEMAN AUBREY FRASER
TOUCHING LETTER FROM A GERMAN RABBINER.

Rifleman Aubrey Fraser (the second son of Mr. I. Fraser, member of the Board of Management of the St. John’s Wood Synagogue, and Mrs. Fraser) who was reported wounded and missing in our last issue died from the effects of his wounds on July 9th.

Mr. Fraser has received the following letter, in German, from Rabbi Dr. Ludwig Rosenthal, of Cologne.

Dear Sir, – It is my sad duty to inform you that your son Aubrey, of the London Rifle Brigade, who was brought here severely wounded and taken to the hospital succumbed to his wounds on the 9th July.  I was with him at the time of his death, 2 a.m., and the last conscious words of your dying son were of his father and mother.  A religious service was held in the hospital, after which he was interned in the Jewish cemetery.  Full military honours were accorded him.  May God comfort you and endow you with strength to submit to the words recited by me at the burial: “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Prisoner of War: Severely Wounded; Survived

Information about Commonwealth and French Jewish prisoners of war of the First World War in German captivity (not Jewish POWs from the Central Powers in Allied captivity!) is scanty, but does exist.  One such soldier was Sergeant Leonard Nathan, who was awarded the Military Medal, probably and specifically for his actions during the Somme Battle.  Very badly wounded, missing, and later determined to have been captured, Sgt. Nathan survived, to return to his family.  

Nathan, Leonard, Sgt., 390263, Military Medal
Queen Victoria’s Rifles
Prisoner of War
Seriously wounded in action: “Gunshot wound face, cranium, ear, blind eye”. 
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick (4/29/58-9/33) and Sarah (Jacobs) Nathan (born 1964 (parents), 73 Fountain Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Reuben and Violet (brother and sister); Sergeant Major M. Nathan (uncle)
Born Warwickshire, Birmingham, 9/20/88; Died March, 1961, Warwickshire, Birmingham
The Jewish Chronicle 8/11/16
British Jewry Book of Honour – Not Listed

Though Sgt. Nathan’s name didn’t appear in any casualty list published in the Chronicle, that newspaper did publish this news item on August 11, 1916:

“Mr. and Mrs. F. Nathan, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, have just heard from their son, Sergt. Leonard Nathan, Q.V.R.s.  He has been missing since July 1st.  He was badly wounded and a prisoner of war in a German Hospital, where he is being well treated and doing well.  Sergt. Nathan has received a note from the Divisional General complimenting him in his work with his machine gun team and informing him that he was awarded the Military Medal for his distinguished conduct.  He went out with the attackers into the German lines and fought his gun until it was put out of action when he found a Lewis gun and worked that for three quarters of an hour until he was wounded and captured.  We are indebted to Sergt.-Major M. Nathan, the boy’s uncle, for the interesting information.”

The following Fold3.com documents, in Sgt. Nathan’s Pension Ledger, attest to the grievous nature of his wounds.  His injuries comprised a gunshot wound to the face, cranium, and ear, and blindness in one eye.  On December 7, 1922, at the age of 34, he was categorized as being 70% disabled, and awarded 24 1/3 (weekly?) for the rest of his life, commencing retroactive to January 29, 1919.   

While the Great War ended for Sgt. Nathan on July 1, 1916, his own war never really ended.   

____________________

From the British Jewry Book of Honour (page 116 in the Photographs Section, to be specific!), this image is entitled “On active Service: Rev. Michael Adler, S.C.F., and group, Rouen, May 19, 1915”.  Particularly relevant for this post is the fact that the image includes two soldiers mentioned above.

In the back row, Sergeant Leonard Nathan, MM, is fourth from left.

In the middle row, Pvt. Morris Althausen is eighth from left.

The men’s names are listed below the photo.

Back Row

Schweitzer, S., Driver, Army Service Corps
Levy, L., Pvt., Manchester Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Spero, J., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Nathan, L., Sgt., Military Medal, Queen Victoria’s Rifles
Hepstone, J., Pvt. – Killed in Action (Actually, Pvt. Julius Epstein, 11508, King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1st Battalion (Gassed ~ 4/21/15; died of effects of gas 6/7/15, Commemorated at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium – Panel 12 (The Jewish Chronicle 5/21/15, 5/28/15, 6/25/15))
Abrahams, J., Pvt., Indian Veterinary Corps
Goldman, A., Pvt., West Riding Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Cohen, D., Rifleman, London Regiment, 12th Battalion
Carlish, A., Pvt., Army Service Corps

Middle Row

Hershman, J., Driver, Army Service Corps
Lessman, S., Pvt., London Regiment, 3rd Battalion
Spicker, F., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Friedlander, R., Pvt., London Regiment, 7th Battalion
Needle, M., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Goodman, R., Pvt., Royal Army Medical Corps
Gavson, M., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Althausen (incorrectly listed as “Althusen”), M., King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1st Battalion, KIA
Levy, M., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Lyons, B., L/Cpl., West Yorks Regiment, 1st Battalion

Front Row

Blush, L., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Bernstock, J.H., Pvt., London Regiment, 4th Battalion
Harris, J., Sgt., Cyclist Corps
Polack, M.M., Sgt., Army Service Corps
Adler, Michael, Reverend, Senior Chaplain to the Forces
Joseph, M., Capt., Indian Pay Corps
Salmon, B., Pvt., Army Service Corps
Simmons, R., Pvt., Royal Army Medical Corps
Goldstuck, N., Pvt., Royal Army Medical Corps
Constad, H., Pvt., Army Service Corps

________________________________________

________________________________________

France

French Army – Armée de Terre

From the April 14, 1916 issue of l’Univers Israelite, this image shows a group of Jewish Zouaves at Verdun.  

____________________

Note that Caporal Heller served in the Foreign Legion, and Soldat Rigal, though not listed in Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française, was born in Warsaw.  

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

Heller, Marcel, Caporal, 19595
Infanterie, 219eme Regiment d’Infanterie
Killed by the enemy (Tué a l’ennemi) at Foucaucourt, Somme
Born 8/7/84, 9eme Arrondissement, Paris, France
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 42

____________________

Rigal, Schoel, Soldat de 2eme Classe, 23787
Infanterie, Légion étrangère, Regiment de Marche de la Legion Etranger (“En subsistance au 22eme Regiment d’Infanterie”)
Killed by the enemy (Tué a l’ennemi) at l’Eclusier, Somme
Born 6/1/94, Varsovie (Warsaw), Pologne
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – Not Listed

________________________________________

________________________________________

Germany

Imperial German Army – Deutsches Heer

This image, originally from Media Drum Images.com, is via News24.blogspot, and is captioned as showing, “German trenches on the Somme front line”.  The image was colorized by Royston Leonard.  

A list of Jewish military casualties in the Imperial Germany Army on July 1, 1916, follows below. 

The names of 30 men, all of whom presumably were killed in action or died of wounds, are listed, while a 31st, Hauptmann (Captain) Alfred Rosenfelder, died in Germany under unexplained circumstances – it s e e m s (?) that he was murdered.  Though I don’t know the identity of the German military units assigned to or serving along the Somme front, I’m certain that – by virtue of the sheer number of men listed – at least some of the 30 must have fallen in combat with British forces on this opening day of the Somme Offensive. 

But first, a video at Mc C’s YouTube ChannelThe Germans on the Somme.  As captioned, “The Germans saw with interest the success of the British film “The Battle of the Somme” by Malins (the most watched film until Star Wars was released) and the value of propaganda, so decided to make their own version, it was never as successful and very unknown, but nonetheless very interesting.”

.ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.

Tehé Nafshó Tzrurá Bitzrór Haḥayím

Adler, Hermann, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 17, 2nd Battalion, 5th Kompagnie
Declared legally dead
Born 6/1/80, in Rhina
Resided in Kreuznach
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 267

____________________

Barth, Ludwig, Gefreiter
Infanterie Regiment 60, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 3/14/93, in Flehingen
Resided in Frankfurt am Main
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 209

____________________

Bernheim, Wilhelm, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 111, Maschinen-Gewehr Scharfschutzen Truppe
Missing
Born 3/9/88, in Wangen
Resided in Wangen (Baden)
Kriegsgräberstätte in Rancourt (Frankreich), Block 5, Grab 239
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 355

____________________

Bielschowsky, Adolf, Gefreiter, Schutze
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 202, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 1/12/94, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 132

____________________

Bock, Arthur, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 167, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 3/7/94, in Neubrandenburg
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 133

____________________

Courant, Ernst, Vizefeldwebel
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 91, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 11/30/91, in Glatz
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Neuville-St.Vaast (Frankreich), Block 12, Grab 1114
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 136

____________________

Ellenstein, Bernhard, Leutnant, Eiserne Kreuz 2 Klasse, Eiserne Kreuz 1 Klasse, Bayerisch Militarverdienstorden 4 Klasse mit Schwerten (Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class, Bavarian Military Order of Merit 4th Class with Swords)
Bayerisch Reserve Infanterie Regiment 6, 2nd Battalion, 7th Kompagnie
Mametz-Montauban, Somme, France
Mr. and Mrs. Siegfried and Rosa Ellenstein (parents), Nurnberg, Germany
Born 1/8/87, in Wixhausen
Resided in Nurnberg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Fricourt (Frankreich), Kameradengrab
Freudenthal, p. 49-50
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 304

____________________

Faber, Moritz, Soldat, Musketier
Infanterie Regiment 69, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 5/16/76, in Mertloch
Resided in Philippsburg
Kriegsgräberstätte in Achiet-le-Petit (Frankreich), Grab 313
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 315

____________________

Grunebaum, Isidor, Soldat
Bayerisch Reserve Infanterie Regiment 8, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 6/29/92, in Diedelsheim
Resided in Aschaffenburg
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 124

____________________

Jesse, Fritz, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 99, 1st Battalion, 2nd Kompagnie
Born 9/17/87, in Warburg
Resided in Warburg
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 355

____________________

Kahn, Moritz, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 110, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 12/26/84, in Kulsheim
Resided in Kulsheim
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 268

____________________

Kaufmann, Nathan, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 109, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 1/13/81, in Baiertal
Resided in Mannheim
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 282

____________________

Kochmann, Alwin, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 201, , Maschinen-Gewehr Kompagnie
Born 2/11/87, in Munster
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 146

____________________

Korbchen, Ludwig, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 90, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 4/24/91, in Bremen
Resided in Bremen
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 176

____________________

Kuhl, Alfred, Soldat
Bayerisch Reserve Infanterie Regiment 13, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
At Mylsk, Russia
Born 3/1/96, in Unsleben
Resided in Schopfloch
Ingolstädter Gesichter: 750 Jahre Juden in Ingolstadt – 257
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 332

____________________

Laband, Manfred, Soldat
Fuhrpark Kolonne 233
Born 10/28/90, in Myslowitz
Resided in Hindenburg
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 245

____________________

Levy, Eugen, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 111, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
Born 9/30/88, in Albersweiler
Resided in Albersweiler
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 120

____________________

Loebmann, Max, Gefreiter
Pionier Bataillon 6, 3rd Kompagnie
Maurepas, France
Born 9/24/84, in Hindenburg
Resided in Antonienhutte
Kriegsgräberstätte in Rancourt (Frankreich), Kameradengrab (?)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 124

____________________

Marx, Bernhard, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 109, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
Born 8/30/79, in Schriesheim
Resided in Karlsruhe (Baden)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 253

____________________

Moses, David, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 111, 1st Battalion, 4th Kompagnie
Born 8/16/76, in Kirchen
Resided in Kirchen (Baden)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 257

____________________

Nehab, Julian, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 52, 2nd Battalion, 5th Kompagnie
Declared legally dead
Born 1/31/86, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 155

____________________

Neuhaus, Martin, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 82, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 2/2/90, in Bremke / Gottingen
Resided in Gottingen
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 229

____________________

Picard, Wilhelm, Vizefeldwebel
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 111, 1st Battalion, 1st Kompagnie
Born 5/6/86, in Wangen
Resided in Konstanz
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 265

____________________

Simoni, Martin, Soldat, Reservist
Bayerisch Reserve Infanterie Regiment 6, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Mametz-Montauban, Somme, France
Declared legally dead
Born 8/19/99, in Stettin
Resided in Stettin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Fricourt (Frankreich), Kameradengrab
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 341

____________________

Stern, Benjamin, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 109, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
Born 3/27/81, in Gissigheim
Resided in Konigheim
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 262

____________________

Ullmann, Alfred, Vizefeldwebel
Fussartillerie Batterie 471
Born 10/31/91, in Strassburg
Resided in Strassburg, Elsass-Lothringen
Kriegsgräberstätte in Pontfaverger (Frankreich), Block 1, Grab 13 (?)
GVDK says 7/3/16; Gefreiter
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 393

____________________

Walter, Siegfried, Soldat
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 109, 3rd Battalion, 11th Kompagnie
Declared legally dead
Born 5/23/96, in Schwegenheim
Resided in Walldorf (Baden)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 354

____________________

Warschauer, Ernst, Sanitats Unteroffizier
Garde Infanterie Regiment 6, 3rd Bataillon, 9th Kompagnie
Born 11/17/93, in Berlin
Resided in Berlin
Kriegsgräberstätte in Romagne-sous-les-Cotes (Frankreich), Block 1, Grab 179
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 165

____________________

Weil, Friedrich, Soldat
Infanterie Regiment 169, 1st Battalion, 3rd Kompagnie
Born 6/27/95, in Steinsfurt (Baden)
Resided in Steinsfurt (Baden)
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 339

____________________

Weiss, Fritz, Unteroffizier
Reserve Infanterie Regiment 111, 2nd Battalion, 6th Kompagnie
Born 8/21/95, in Mannheim
Resided in Mannheim
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 283

____________________

Murdered? – No further information available

Rosenfelder, Albert, Hauptmann
Bayerische Infanterie Regiment 21, Ersatz Bataillon 1
Murdered: Shot in the head while en route home from military exercise at Hainburg (near Furth), Germany
Born 9/9/64 (!), in Furth
Resided in Furth (i. Bay.)
Gavish and Groschel, Over the Front, Summer, 2001
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen – 221

____________________

____________________

Finally, to conclude, here are two videos about the Somme battlefield, as it appeared in 2016 and 2018, respectively.  

Also at Mc C’s You Tube ChannelThe Somme then and now… 1916 – 2016, uploaded to YouTube on August 1, 2016, one hundred years and one month after the opening day of the offensive.  As captioned: “After watching the film many times, over many years, I wanted to find these locations and stand in their foot prints and re-film.  Some locations were easy to find, some took much research and some I haven’t yet been able to locate, but all the ones in this documentary are within yards to feet of where they filmed originally, none are guesses or just possibilities.  I hope you enjoy watching and it helps you to understand please leave comments this is worth more to me than earning money I ask for nothing but love remarks.”

____________________

And, at Living History, we have Walking the Battle of the Somme, by Mat McLachlan:

____________________

____________________

References

Books (…authored…)

Adler, Michael, and Freeman, Max R.G., British Jewry Book of Honour, Caxton Publishing Company, London, England, 1922 (Republished in 2006 by Naval & Military Press, Uckfield, East Sussex)

Boas, Harold (Hon Lt. – Compiler), Australian Jewry Book of Honour – The Great War 1914-1918, Perth, Western Australia, 1923 (Covers New Zealand)

Gilbert, Martin, The Routledge Atlas of the First World War (second edition), Routledge, London, England, 2002

Henshaw, Trevor, The Sky Their Battlefield – Air Fighting and The Complete List of Allied Air Casualties from Enemy Action in the First War, Grub Street, London, 1995

Macdonald, Lyn, Somme, Michael Joseph, London, England, 1983

Middlebrook, Martin, First Day on The Somme – 1 July 1916, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1972

Richards, Frank (DCM, MM), Old Soldiers Never Die, Berkley Publishing Corporation, New York, N.Y., 1966 (Berkley paperback edition book number S1191; specifically see pages 118-140, for chapters: “The Somme: Capture of High Wood”, and, “Trenches in High Wood”)

Books (…No Specific Author…)

Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch, Reichsbund Jüdischer Frontsoldaten, Forward by Dr. Leo Löwenstein, Berlin, Germany, 1932

Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française (Israelites [Jews] in the French Army), Angers, 1921 – Avant-Propos de la Deuxième Épreuve [Forward to the Second Edition], Albert Manuel, Paris, Juillet, 1921 – (Réédité par le Cercle de Généalogie juive [Reissued by the Circle for Jewish Genealogy], Paris, 2000)

Serving Their Country – Wartime Memories of Scottish Jews, Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, November, 2001
(c/o Harvey L. Kaplan, Glasgow, Scotland)

Other References

Lists of [South African] Jews Who Served in the Forces in the First World War 1914/18
List of [South African] Jews Who Lost Their Lives in the First World War 1914/18
(Both lists c/o Dr. R. Musiker, Johannesburg, South Africa)

NAJEX Detail, June, 2001

Australian War Memorial File “25 171/12”

Casualty Figures – as listed at Wikipedia – from:

Edmonds, J. E. (1993) [1932]. Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916: Sir Douglas Haig’s Command to the 1st July: Battle of the Somme.  History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. I (Imperial War Museum & Battery Press ed.). London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-89839-185-7.

Prior, R.; Wilson, T. (2005), The Somme, Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10694-7.

Here Are Some Websites

What Was the Battle of the Somme?, at Imperial War Museum

5 Things You Need to Know About The Battle of the Somme, at Imperial War Museum

Battle of the Somme, at National Army Museum

Battle of the Somme, at Wikipedia

Battle of the Somme, by Ben Johnson, at Historic UK

Battle of the Somme, at Spartacus Educational

Battle of the Somme centenary: What happened and why it is the defining British battle of the First World War?  (Matt Payton), at Independent (June 29, 2016)

Scars of the Somme: Breathtaking pictures show how – a century on – French fields still show signs of the battle which claimed 300,000 lives (Chris Summers), at Daily Mail (May 26, 2016)

Canada and the Battle of the Somme, at The Canadian Encyclopedia (December 21, 2006)

The Somme: The Battle that France Forgot (Hugh Schofield), at BBC News (June 29, 2016)

The Somme: The German Perspective, at HistoryGuild (March 7, 2021)

The German Experience at the Battle of the Somme, at Roads to the Great War (July 6, 2013)

17 Haunting Coloured Pictures From the WW1 Battle of the Somme (Damian Lucjan), at War History On Line (April 29, 2017)

Colourised World War I images show soldiers on the Western Front and in the trenches of the Somme, at News From World (August 31, 2018)

…and…

Marina Amaral

Soldiers of The Great War: Jewish Military Service in WW I, as Reported in l’Univers Israélite (The Jewish World) – Sur la mort d’un héros (On the Death of a Hero – Sous-Lieutenant André Fraenckel), April 16, 1915 [Updated post…]

[Dating back to 2016, “this” post – about French World War One Sous-Lieutenant André Fraenckel – is one of my earlier efforts pertaining to the military service of Jews in the “Great War”.  The initial version of the post pertaining solely to the French Army, it’s now been updated to include the names of German Jewish soldiers who were also killed in action on March 4, 1915 – the day … over a century and six years ago … when Fraenckel himself fell in battle.  The names of these nine men, all found in the 1932 book Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch, appear towards the “end” of the post.  Note that the oldest of these soldiers, Soldat (“Wehrmann”) Gottlieb Schwarz, was fourty-four years old.  

In the meantime, a variety of posts are in the “pipeline” for eventual (!) appearance here at TheyWereSoldiers, and at my two brother blogs, ThePastPresented and WordsEnvisioned.]

A week after l’Univers Israélite – in its issue of April 9, 1915 – presented a moving account of a Pesach Seder held among Sephardic soldiers, the periodical published an account covering the military career, death, and family background of a fallen officer: Sous-Lieutenant André Fraenckel.

Born in Elbeuf in June of 1893, Andre was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Fraenckel, his father having been President of the Chamber of Commerce of Elbeuf, and, vice president of the religious association of Elbeuf. 

The article presents an account of his nonchalant attitude after having been wounded in January, and, an extract from a letter Andre wrote to either his parents, or, the editor of l’Univers.  The article continues with a transcript of a letter written to Andre’s parents by a Captain Vital (first name not given), Company Commander of a Battalion of Chasseurs, which details about Andre’s death, and, information about Andre’s family. 

As with prior – and hopefully future – blog posts concerning Jewish World War One Casualties in the French army, I have included “Partie À Remplir Par Le Corps” cards from the Morts pour la France de la Première Guerre mondiale (Died for France in the First World War) database. 

__________________

Sur la mort d’un héros

On the Death of a Hero

l’Univers Israélite
April 16, 1915

The Jewish World
April 16, 1915

A la mémoire du sous-lieutenant André Fraenckel
tombé en Champagne, le 4 Mars 1915

In memory of Second Lieutenant Andre Fraenckel
fallen in Champagne, March 4, 1915

Il nous était revenu an début de janvier, la téte emmaillottée de linges blancs, blessé pour la deuxième fois.  “Ce n’est rien, disait-il, une balle morte”.  Une citation à l’ordre de l’armée disait ce qu’il passait sous silence: là blessure reçue en organisant, debout sous le feu, un saillant enlevé par ses chasseurs.

He had returned year early at the beginning of January, head swathed in white cloths, wounded for the second time.  “It is nothing, he said, a dead ball.”  A quote from an order of the Army and he was silent: The wound was received by organizing a defensive position under fire; a salient removed by his chasseurs.

Il décrivait la vie là-bas, dans une forêt de l’Argonne: au flanc d’un ravin, la tranchée; sur le versant opposé, la tranchée allemande; entre les deux une vallée fauchée par les balles.  Il parlait avec enthousiasme de ses chefs et de ses homes; ces belles amitiés d’officiers en campagne, auxquelles la présence de la mort et l’éloignement de tous les intérêts du monde imposent tant de confiance et de profondeur, devaient plaire à cette âme loyale et absolue.

He described life there, in a forest of the Argonne: the side of a ravine, the trench; on the opposite slope, the German trench; a valley between the two swathed by bullets.  He spoke with enthusiasm of his leaders and their homes; these beautiful friendships of officers on campaign, which the presence of death and the removal of all worldly interests require so much confidence and depth, should please this loyal and absolute soul.

Il avait presque la nostalgie du front, tant les préoccupations de ceux qui ne se battaient pas lui paraissaient mesquines.

He was almost nostalgic at the front, so that the concerns of those who did not fight to him seemed petty.

“Il ne faut pas croire, disait-il, que notre vie soit triste ou effrayante.  Je me rappelle un soir où l’on nous a prévenus que nous aurions à attaquer le lendemain matin.  C’etait la pente du ràvin a descendre, en tête de nos hommes, sous le feu des mitrailleuses allemandes.  Nous avons passé la nuit à fumer des cigarettes.  L’air était très calme, le ciel tout plein d’étoiles.  Nous n’avions aucune tristesse, aucune arrière-pensée.  Nous savions que nous allions mourir de la plus belle des morts, et la certitude de mourir est un sentiment très doux qùi ne laisse de place pour aucune crainte.  Avant le matin, l’attaque fut décommandée: nous l’avons tous regrette.”

“Do not believe,” he said, “that our life is sad or frightening.  I remember one evening when we were warned that we would have to attack the next morning.  It was the slope of the lower ravine, our forward men, under the fire of German machine guns.  We spent the night smoking cigarettes.  The air was calm, the whole sky full of stars.  We had no sadness, no ulterior motive.  We knew we were going to die the most beautiful of deaths, and the certainty of death is a very sweet feeling that leaves no room for fear.  Before the morning, the attack was called off: we all regretted it.”

Il devait retrouver, hélas! l’occasion attendue de ce sacrifice.  Quelques semaines après son départ ses lettres cessèrent d’arriver.  Un jour son capitaine écrivit qu’il était blessé, puis grièvement blessé, et le lendemain vint celle belle lettre d’un admirable chef:

He should find, alas, the expected time of this sacrifice.  A few weeks after leaving his letters stopped coming.  One day his captain wrote that he was hurt, and hurt badly, and next came the beautiful letter of an admirable leader.

Le 19 mars 1915

On March 19, 1915

Monsieur,

Sir

Je ne veux laisser à aucun autre la douloureuse mission de vous révéler la triste vérité.  La peine que j’ai éprouvée moi-méme m’a fait différer de vous écrire, pensant bien que l’absence de lettres quotidiennes vous préparerait un peu a l’idée d’un malheur.  Vous excuse-rez aussi les mensonges de mes dernières lettres destinées uniquement à amortir le choc un peu brutal de la cruelle vérité.  Voire fils Andre est tombé en héros, à la tête de sa troupe, le 4 mars dernier, frappé d’une balle au cœur, sans une plainte, sans avoir souffert aussi, comme le témoignait le calme de ses traits.  C’est la belle mort du soldat qui l’a fauché dans un élan superbe, dont une citation à l’ordre de l’armée consacrera le souvenir.

I will leave no other painful passion to reveal the sad truth.  The trouble I have proven my same made me defer to write to you, thinking that the absence of daily letters to you prepares little to you the idea of a misfortune.  You also excuse the lies of my last letters, intended only to soften the somewhat brutal shock of the cruel truth.  Your son Andre became a hero at the head of his troops, last March 4, struck by a bullet in the heart, without a complaint, without suffering too, as evidenced by the calm of his features.  This is the beautiful death of the soldier who broke into a superb momentum, including a citation in army dispatches consecrating his memory.

Permetez-moi, Monsieur, de m’associer à votre douleur paternelle, en tant que chef et en tant qu’ami.  La vie de campagne créé des liens indissolubles, et je m’étais très sincèrement attaché a ce jeune homme si vivant et si vibrant qu’était votre enfant.  L’ardeur qu’il mettait en tout, il l’a manifestée dans cette attaque de tranchée pour la prise de laquelle il a donné sa vie.  Avec vous je pleure la nature généreuse et la belle âme d’officier qui en était en lui.

Allow me, Sir, to associate myself with your father’s pain, as leader and as a friend.  Country living created indissoluble bonds, and I was sincerely attached to this young man, so alive and vibrant was your child.  The passion he put into everything he manifested in this trench attack the decision for which he gave his life.  With you I cry generously for the beautiful soul of the officer that was within him. 

Que la beauté de cette mort soit pour vous une atténuation à votre peine.  C’est du sang jeune, abondamment répandu, que sortira notre régénération.  J’aurais voulu pouvoir donner le mien pour épargner sa vie: la balle est folle et ne choisit pas.

May the beauty of this death be for you an attenuation to your sentence.  It is the young blood, fully given, that will release our regeneration.  I wish I could give mine to save his life: the bullet is crazy and does not choose. 

Je me hâte de répondre à une question que je devine.” Le corps de votre fils, mis en bière, repose dans le petit cimetière de….., côte à côte avec ceux de ses compagnons d’armes.  Lorsque le bataillon a défilé devant lui, pour la dernière fois, beaucoup ont fait serment de le venger.

I hasten to answer a question I guess.  “The body of your son, placed in a coffin, is buried in the small cemetery of …, side by side with those of his fellow soldiers.  When the battalion parades before him, for the last time, many have sworn to avenge him. 

Pardonnez-moi encore, Monsieur, de vous porter un coup si cruel.  J’ai préféré vous annoncer moi-même la pénible nouvelle, sans recourir à la voie administrative.  Je m’incline respectueusement devant votre douleur paternelle et je vous prie d’accepter l’expression de mes plus sincères et mes plus profondes condoléances.

Forgive me again, sir, for dealing you a blow so cruel.  I preferred to tell you the painful news myself, without resort to administrative means.  I respectfully bow to your father’s pain and I beg you to accept the expression of my profound and deepest condolences. 

Signé:
Capitaine Vital,
commandant la… compagnie du… bataillon

de chasseurs à pied

Signed
Captain Vital
Commandant of the … Company of the … battalion
of chasseurs à pied

On a su depuis, par une lettre d’un de ses camarades, que tout, autre que lui eût pu être sauvé.  Dès le début de l’attaque, il avait été blessé à la tête par un éclat d’obus.  Il aurait dû aller se faire panser.  Mais c’était une conscience qui ne marchandait pas avec elle-même.  En toute chose il ne comprenait que le don total de soi.  Souvent, silencieux, il nous écoutait discuter autour de lui; puis brusquement, de sa voix jeune et un peu bourrue, il donnait son avis : c’était ton-jours le plus généreux.  Pour tôus ceux qu’il aimait, pour toutes les causes qui lui paraissaient justes, etait toujours prêt à s’offrir tout entire.

We have since learned, by a letter from one of his comrades, of everything else that could have been done to save him.  From the beginning of the attack, he had been wounded in the head by shrapnel.  He should have gotten [the wound] dressed.  But he had a consciousness that had not bargained with itself.  In everything, he did not understand the total gift of self.   Often silent, he listened to us talk about him; then suddenly, in his little young and gruff voice, he gave his opinion: it was the most in the most generous tone.  For all those he loved, for all cases which he considered fair, was always ready to offer himself whole.

C’est un privilège de ceux qui meurent à vingt ans d’avoir conservé jusqu’au bout cette belle foi joyeuse dans la vie: c’est un de leurs privilèges aussi de demeurer éternellement jeunes dans la mémoire de ceux qui les ont aimés.  Ce beau jeune home, ardent et vibrant, bien pris dans son uniforme bleu foncé, restera, pour tous ceux qui l’ont connu, un souvenir lumineux et sans tache, et, à la tristesse de l’avoir perdu se mêlera toujours pour les siens la douceur de conserver de lui une image si fraîche et si pure.

It is a privilege of those who die at twenty to have been preserved through this beautiful joyful faith in life: it’s one of their privileges as to remain young forever in the memory of those who loved them.  This beautiful young man, ardent and vibrant, well caught in his dark blue uniform, will remain, for all those who knew him, a bright and spotless memory, and the sadness of losing him will always mingle with his gentleness to keep him pictured so fresh and pure. 

Pour moi, je le verrai toujours vivant et fort, courant à la tête de ses chasseurs, dans un élan superbe, sur ce coin de la terre de Champagne pour lequel il a donné son sang, avec sur le visage l’expression que donnent une volonté héroique et cette certitude de mourir que ne laisse de place pour aucune crainte.

For me, I see him still alive and strong, running at the head of his fighters with a superb momentum, on this corner of the land of Champagne for which he gave his blood, with his face in an expression that gives heroic determination in the certainty of death that leaves no room for fear. 

E.
(Dépéche de Rouen)

E.
(Disptach from Rouen)

André Fraenckel était le fils unique de M. Paul Fraenckel, président de la Chambre de Commerce d’Elbeuf et vice-président de l’Association cultuelle d’Elbeuf, et de Mme Paul Fraenckel.  Il avait fait sa premierè année de service à Rouen au 74e d’infanterie.  Il achevait la seconde année comme élève officier dans un bataillon de chasseurs à pied lorsque la guerre éclata.

André Fraenckel was the only son of Paul Fraenckel and Mrs. Paul Fraenckel, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Elbeuf and vice president of the religious association of Elbeuf.  He had his first year of service at Rouen in the 74th Infantry.  He finished the second year as a student officer in a battalion of Chasseurs when war broke out. 

Il ne tarda pas à se distinguer par sa conduite au feu, qui lui valut une citation à l’ordre du jour de l’armée; il revint deux fois blessé.  Il était parti il y a quelques semaines pour reprendre son poste sur un point du front où la lutte était particulièrement active.

He will soon be distinguished by his conduct against fire, which earned him a citation in the orders of the army.  He returned twice wounded.  He had been there a few weeks to resume his position on the point of the front where the fight was particularly active. 

Toute la ville d’Elbeuf, où le jeune André Fraenckel comptait autant de sympathies que parmi ses camarades de bataillon, s’est associée à la douleur d’une famille justement considérée et qui, venue d’Alsace après 1870, paie de la vie d’un fils unique la reprise du pays natal toujours regretted.

The whole town of Elbeuf, where the young André Fraenckel had many sympathies among his battalion comrades, is associated with the pain of a family and it is rightly considered that, from Alsace after 1870, it is regretted that the homeland is always paid with the life of an only son. 

M. Marc Bernheim, président de l’Association cultuelle du canton d’Elbeuf nous a écrit pour nous dire, en son nom et au nom de tous ses coreligionnaires d’Elbeuf et de la région, la part sincère qu’ils prennent au cruel deuil qui vient de frapper la famille Fraenckel.  Nous nous associons de tout coeur à ces condoléances.

Mr. Marc Bernheim, president of the religious association of the canton of Elbeuf wrote to us saying, in his name and on behalf of all his coreligionists of Elbeuf and the region, they take cruel mourning that has struck the Fraenckel family with a sincere hand.  We join wholeheartedly in these condolences. 

__________________

Andre was not the only Jewish soldier to lose his life on Thursday, March 4, 1915 (18 Adar, 5675).  

Some other names include:

French Army

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –

תהא
נפשו
צרורה
בצרור
החיים

Sous-Lieutenant Leon Eugene Bauer; 41ème Bataillon de Chasseurs a Pied
At La Chapelotte, in Cher
Born at Le Havre, on June 19, 1893
Mentioned in l’Univers Israélite on September 10, 1915
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 8

Sergent Major Armand Levy; 170ème Regiment d’Infanterie
At Hurlus, in Marne
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 53
(“Partie À Remplir Par Le Corps” card could not be found or identified at the Morts pour la France de la Première Guerre mondiale (Died for France in the First World War) database, at Mémoire des Hommes (Memories of the Men) website.)

Soldier (Soldat) Max Levy; 149ème Regiment d’Infanterie
Died of wounds at a Temporary Hospital, at Hay-les-Mines, in Pas-de-Calais
Born at Alsace-Lorraine, on August 10, 1876
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 56

Sous-Lieutenant Henri Leon Rothschild; 370ème Regiment d’Infanterie
At Neuville-Saint-Vaast, in Pas-de-Calais; Missing in action [“Porté disparu”]
Born at 9ème Arrondissement of Paris, on September 15, 1887
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 72

Sergent Robert See; 313ème Regiment d’Infanterie
At Vauquois, in Meuse
Born at Colmar, in Alsace-Lorraine, on January 19, 1878
Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 77

Lieutenant André Wahl; 18ème Bataillon de Chasseurs (André’s own Battalion)
Died of wounds, at Fortin de Mesnil les Hurlus, in Marne
Born at Doaui, in Nord, on February 23, 1884
Mentioned in l’Univers Israélite on March 17, 1916
(Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française – 85

German Army

– .ת. נ. צ. ב. ה –

תהא
נפשו
צרורה
בצרור
החיים

Bergmann, Ismar Isaak, Soldat
5 Kompanie, 2 Bataillon, 17 Infanterie Regiment
Born 8/5/90, Karlsruhe (Bad.)
Resided in Zalesie bei Schildberg
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 274
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 252

Cohen, Felix, Soldat
2 Kompanie, 1 Bataillon, 23 Feldartillerie Regiment
Born 12/1/94, Koln
Resided in Koln
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 239
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 260

Heim, Joseph, Soldat
7 Kompanie, 2 Bataillon, 142 Infanterie Regiment
Born 3/14/87, Mullheim (Bad.)
Resided in Mullheim
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 222
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 290
Missing

Jacob, Salo, Soldat
5 Kompanie, 2 Bataillon, 49 Reserve Infanterie Regiment
Born 11/21/81, Breslau
Resided in Breslau
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 228
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 179

Levy, Sally Samuel, Soldat
11 Kompanie, 3 Bataillon, 29 Reserve Infanterie Regiment
Born 8/28/81, Julich
Resided in Gr. Boslar
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 474
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 251

Meyer, Hermann, Gefreiter
4 Kompanie, 1 Bataillon, 5 Landwehr Ersatz Regiment
Born 4/15/78, Berlin
Resided in Fordon
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 1861
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 153
Declared legally dead

Orgler, Loeble, Soldat
5 Kompanie, 2 Bataillon, 59 Reserve Infanterie Regiment
Born 6/13/93, Kattowitz
Resided in Myslowitz
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 217
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 255

Schwarz, Gottlieb, Soldat (Wehrmann)
1 Kompanie, 1 Bataillon, 60 Landwehr Infanterie Regiment
Born 12/20/76 (? – !), Illingen (Saar)
Resided in Illingen
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 177
Place of burial: Kriegsgräberstätte in Lagarde (Frankreich), Grab 19
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 250

Wollheim, Georg, Soldat
8 Kompanie, 2 Bataillon, 63 Infanterie Regiment
Born 1/6/93, Koschmin, Provinz Posen
Resided in Sehmiegel
Casualty Message (Verlustmeldung) 178
Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen – 380

References

Les Israelites dans l’Armée Française (Israelites [Jews] in the French Army), Angers, 1921 – Avant-Propos de la Deuxième Épreuve [Forward to the Second Edition], Albert Manuel, Paris, Juillet, 1921 – (Réédité par le Cercle de Généalogie juive [Reissued by the Circle for Jewish Genealogy], Paris, 2006

Die Jüdischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres, Deutschen Marine Und Der Deutschen Schutztruppen 1914-1918 – Ein Gedenkbuch, Reichsbund Jüdischer Frontsoldaten, Forward by Dr. Leo Löwenstein, Berlin, Germany, 1932

Created 2016; Updated April 23, 2017 & March 25, 2021