Jewish Participation in the Fire Service in the Second World War Last Voices

Here, for the first time, is the account of the essential part played by Jewish personnel in Britain's Fire Service during World War II. Ever civic minded, British Jews from all social backgrounds were pre-war volunteers to be trained for dealing with the expected mass bombing of cities by the Germans. After war was declared, by 1940/41, many younger Jewish men and women volunteered or were called up to the armed services, while many who were too old or unfit for the military stayed on with the Fire Service. A considerable number of Jewish men and women played a major role in the civil defense of Britain. Some won bravery awards, including the only George Cross - the highest civilian award for courage - won by a London Fireman during the war. Many gave their lives; this is their story. Through the use of archival material, books, and personal 'Last Voice' interviews, the book has captured part of this extraordinary contribution of daring, effort, and suffering. Numerous, never-before-published photographs illustrate and illuminate the text. *** Librarians: ebook available [Subject: History, Military Studies, Jewish Studies, World War II]

Martin Sugarman is a graduate of Bristol University. He is the Archivist at the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX) Military Museum. He is also the author of Fighting Back: British Jewry’ s Military Contribution in the Second World War, with Henry Morris, We Will Remember Them: A Record of the Jews Who Died in the Armed Forces of the Crown from 1939, Under the Heel of the Bushido: Last Voices of the Jewish POWs of the Japanese in the Second World War, and Jews in the Merchant Navy in the Second World War: Last Voices all published by Vallentine Mitchell.