War Memorial:Pinner Synagogue discovers Second World War memorial missing for 60 years

Pinner Synagogue discovers Second World War memorial missing for 60 years.

Synagogue discovers WWII memorial missing for 60 years (From Harrow Times)

 

LATUTIN, SIMMON
Rank:
Captain
Service No:
242974
Date of Death:
30/12/1944
Age:
28
Regiment/Service:
Somerset Light Infantry

seconded to Somalia Gendarmerie
Awards:
G C
Grave Reference
1. 3.
Cemetery
NAIROBI WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Morris and Freda Latutin; husband of Margaret Latutin, of Harrow, Middlesex.


Citation
The following details are given in the London Gazette of September 10th, 1946: "The King has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumus award of the George Cross, in recognition of most conspicuous gallantry in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner, to Captain Simmon Latutin." Captain Latutin was on duty at the Training School of the Somaliland Gendarmerie at Mogadishu. The rocket store caught fire and became a blazing inferno into which Captain Latutin rushed into and succeeded in rescuing an officer who was unconscious and badly burnt. Although alight himself, Captain Latutin re-entered the store and rescued the Company Serjeant Major. Captain Latutin died as a result of his wounds the next day.

 

Initials on Memorial differ I.B shown as D.B. on CWGC
Rabbi contacted to inform/confirm and CWGC contacted to confirm.


SCHNEIDER, DAVID BERNARD
Rank:
Lance Serjeant
Service No:
4619349
Date of Death:
31/08/1945
Age:
28
Regiment/Service:
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Grave Reference
6 D. 15.
Cemetery
TEHRAN WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Joseph and Minnie Schneider, of Harrow, London, England.

 

Initials on Memorial differ I.J shown as J.I. on CWGC
Rabbi contacted to inform/confirm and CWGC contacted to confirm.

SHAER, JOSEPH ISRAEL
Rank:
Flight Sergeant
Trade:
Nav.
Service No:
1294047
Date of Death:
13/04/1944
Age:
24
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

540 Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Sec. K.4. Grave 155.
Cemetery
OXFORD (WOLVERCOTE) CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Samuel Jacob and Clara Millie Shaer.

 

NEWTON, SIDNEY
Rank:
Flight Sergeant
Trade:
Pilot
Service No:
1802988
Date of Death:
27/07/1945
Age:
23
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Grave Reference
9. D. 17.
Cemetery
MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI
Additional Information:
Son of Barnett and Augusta Newton, of Harrow, Middlesex.

 

COHEN, DAVID ISADORE
Rank:
Flight Sergeant
Service No:
1391163
Date of Death:
21/02/1944
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

9 Sqdn.
Panel Reference
Panel 216.
Memorial
RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

 

SANDOW, ALFRED
Rank:
Sergeant
Trade:
Flt. Engr.
Service No:
1455048
Date of Death:
01/03/1943
Age:
21
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

50 Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Plot 1. Row A. Coll. grave 1.
Cemetery
WADENOIJEN PROTESTANT CHURCHYARD
Additional Information:
Son of Hyman and Kate Sandow.

 

FRANKAL, BERTRAM MAX
Rank:
Sergeant
Service No:
1605533
Date of Death:
08/04/1945
Age:
29
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

466 Sqdn.
Panel Reference
Panel 274.
Memorial
RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Son of Leon Frankal, and of Augusta Frankal, of Kenton, Middlesex. F.S.M.C.

 

FIELD, HILLIER
Rank:
Serjeant
Service No:
6896698
Date of Death:
03/11/1942
Age:
32
Regiment/Service:
King's Royal Rifle Corps

2nd Bn.
Panel Reference
Column 65.
Memorial
ALAMEIN MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Son of Lazare and Tina Field, of Golders Green, Middlesex.

 

RUTTMAN, HYMAN
Rank:
Fusilier
Service No:
6478768
Date of Death:
26/09/1944
Age:
33
Regiment/Service:
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)

1st Bn.
Grave Reference
VII. A. 13.
Cemetery
FAENZA WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Woolf and Yetta Ruttman, of South Harrow, Middlesex.

 

HOOKER, The Rev. SOLLY
Rank:
Chaplain 4th Class
Service No:
231878
Date of Death:
12/02/1946
Age:
31
Regiment/Service:
Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Grave Reference
5. C. 10.
Cemetery
MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI
Additional Information:
Son of Joseph and Polly Hooker; husband of Freda Hooker, of Stamford Hill, London. B.A. (Lond.).

 

Clive,

It is nice to know that the finders carried out further research and traced the living relatives in order for them to attend the Memorial Service.

Nice post to read.

Regards
Tom

 

SIMMONDS, HAROLD

Rank:
Corporal
Trade:
W.Op.
Service No:
44244
Date of Death:
23/05/1943
Age:
45
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force
Grave Reference
Block U. Grave 3.
Cemetery
EAST HAM (MARLOW ROAD) JEWISH CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Hyman and Sarah Simmonds; husband of Lily Simmonds, of Kenton, Middlesex.

 

The rededication of a missing memorial on Sunday “went brilliantly”.

More than 300 people attended a Remembrance Day service at Pinner Synagogue during which a memorial to Jewish Pinner residents, who died in World War Two, was unveiled.

The congregation included 54 family members of the 11 servicemen named on the memorial board which had been missing for 60 years.

Brian Eisenberg, a member of the synagogue, said: “It really went brilliantly.

“The hall was full and the comments were all that it was a very moving and fitting tribute.

“We spoke about each soldier individually so everybody felt they got to know the people a little bit.

“It was very moving and the families were tremendously positive about it.”

The Cecil Park synagogue has been undergoing refurbishment and, as a result, the senior caretaker and project manager were tiding out a storeroom.

At the back of the room, underneath a pile of rubbish, the two men, John Castle and David Summers, uncovered the memorial which was created in the aftermath of the war.

Mr Eisenberg told the Harrow Times: “There’s no evidence that the board was ever mounted in the old synagogue.

Related links
Missing memorial unveiled during Remembrance Day service
“We were rooting around in the cupboard as part of the renovation and they found it buried in a dark corner and wondered what it was.

“It’s such an exciting thing because it’s got so much personal history and everyone is so fired up about it.”

The synagogue had the board restored and then dedicated its energies to tracing the families of those mentioned on it.

As a result of weeks of hard work by researcher Laurence Harris the family of each serviceman was traced and they attended the unveiling.

Mr Harris, who has worked to trace Jewish history for the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? programme, said it had been an “amazing pleasure” to find out the stories of the 11 soldiers.

He added: “I was told that one of the names on the board was the brother of one of the members of our community so that’s where I started really.

“One of the first things I found is that some of the information on it was not necessarily accurate. It took me about four or five weeks to find ten of the families – the 11th was a real challenge but we found them eventually.

“The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, it’s really been amazing.

“Some of them had information that we didn’t have, and for others I was able to provide information that they didn’t have which was personally a really nice thing to be able to give them.”
Unveiling of missing memorial 'went brilliantly' (From Harrow Times)

 

Great story but the question must be 'why was the memorial apparently not displayed?'

 

The Reverend Solly Hooker (Shabtai ben Yerachmiel Yonah Halevi)
Simmon Latutin (Shimon ben Moshe)
David Bernard Schneider (Dovid ben Yehuda)
Joseph Israel Shaer (Yosef ben Yehuda)
Sidney Newton (Nacovitch Shlomo ben Dov)
David Isadore Cohen (Dovid ben Jacob)
Alfred Sandow (Avraham ben Hyman)
Hillier Field ( Fielscovitch)
Harold Simmons
Hyman Ruttman (Chaim ben Ze'ev)
Bertram Max Frankal (Baruch ben Menachem Yehudah)