A 101-year-old Jewish British veteran of WWII received an honour from the Queen on 1 June for his services to education. Mordaunt Cohen received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).

Cohen told the Jewish Chronicle he was “deeply humbled” to have been recognised for the years he spent teaching young people about the war and his experiences. Born in Sunderland, he joined the British Army after hearing about the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany. He served in the jungles of Burma, now Myanmar, with the 251 West African Heavy Anti-Aircraft Unit, commanding Nigerian volunteers. After the war he became chairman of the Association of Jewish ExServicemen, through which he worked to ensure the memory of the thousands of Jewish soldiers who served in the British Army was not forgotten.

(Issue Jul/Aug 2018)