Jewish War Hero

 Jewish War Hero 

Photo of Barnett Lewis 1941

September 23, 1940, German bombs smashed into a residential pub in Manor Park, Newham, a few blocks from where Lewis was stationed.  Beneath the pub was a bomb shelter with 60 people trapped inside. The building burning, collapsing. A water main burst. The basement shelter was flooding, threatening to drown any survivors.

Lewis and a colleague ran to the site.

The London Gazette reported the story.

“A large HE bomb fell on three shops under which were two public shelters containing over 60 persons. The roof of the shelter collapsed. The bomb also caused a water main to burst which flood them to a depth of approximately two and a half feet before it could be turned off. Those who were not injured were quickly got out, but one man was trapped and in danger of being drowned, while four other men were pinned by the legs.

Lewis waded through the water to the first man and finding that he was wedged in with large pieces of brickwork and timber; (he) jacked up the dangerous roof and by sheer strength forced the brickwork away. he then found that the timber was still holding the man down. He crawled back and obtained a saw with which he cut this away, thus freeing the man just as the water reached his head. Lewis no doubt saved his life.”

Lewis, though at great and continuing risk to his own life, returned numerous times to the burning building as it was collapsing about him to save multiple people. 32 people had been killed.  28 would be saved.

Lewis was commended for the George Medal, the G.M. It is second only to the George Cross, equivalent to the American Congressional Medal of Honor.

To his surprise, for doing what he only felt was his duty, Lewis was presented to the King of England at Buckingham Palace. The King personally pinned the George Medal to him.

Lewis joined the regular army and was posted as an arms instructor attached to the Royal Fusiliers and Middlesex Regiments at the Machine Gun Training Centre. Ever modest, he would not wear his GM ribbon. He was ordered to do so by his Commanding Officer as an example to the younger men he was training.

Mr Lewis passed away in Bournemouth in 1998. His family described him as a kind man and someone who was practical and always willing to help others. They also said that he never spoke about his medal except when he wore it to the AJEX military parade every year.

The Plaque was unveiled on Saturday 9th July 2022 and reads:

At 9 Brooke Road, lived Air Raid Warden

Barnett Lewis

GM (George Medal)

Jewish War Hero

September 23, 1940, at extreme personal risk,

He saved many civilians during the Blitz.

(Hebrew)

Be strong and of good courage (Joshua 1:9)

Jewish American Society

For Historic Preservation and AJEX

The Lewis historical marker project is the tenth in a series of Jewish British historical markers that have been created. 

(Address now known as Cottage walk No.9 Brooke road was demolished)

#stokenewington

Tottenham Cake

Tottenham cake was first made in the late 1800's by a Baker called Henry J. Chalkley, who was a Quaker born in 1864. He baked it in long trays and cut it into cubes which were sold for 1 penny a slice and off cuts were sold for half a penny.

The distinctive pink colouring is said to have originated by using mulberries which grew in the grounds of the Meeting House of the Tottenham Friends (Quakers) on Tottenham High Road.

Tottenham friends meeting house 1905

When Tottenham Hotspur Football Club won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, the cake was given free to local children in celebration of this historic win for Spurs. Local Quakers still make Tottenham Cake today and it is also sold in high street bakers.

Tottenham Hotspur 1900-1901

Widows sixpence

So let me take you back to Good Friday in 1902 where a crowd are gathered around a table-top tomb in the tiny churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great.

Crowd gathering in the churchyard

This is London's oldest parish church, which stands on the fringe of the City of London. This is one of my favourite churches

The majority of those present consist of a group of twenty-one, old widows. The churchwarden then walks towards the grave. He bends down and places a silver sixpence upon the tombstone's surface.

Then one of the poor widows climbs onto the grave, kneels down, and begins to pick up the silver sixpence.

Another gentleman then hands her a hot cross bun, while a further member of the company extends a hand towards her to steady her balance which she holds on to as she continues to walk across the grave.

Once she has stepped down, the ritual is then repeated until each widow has collected her sixpence and hot cross bun. What a spectacle this must of have been to witness.

A widow in 1902 picking up her sixpence

The ceremony on Good Friday in 1902 is described by Desmond Young in George Sims's exhaustive study Living London.

This custom was an ancient one known to most as ‘Widows sixpence’, the widows belonged to the parish of St. Bartholomew’s.

According to Living London the ceremony "which for centuries has been carried out practically as it is at the present time, began through the terms of a bequest by a widow whose remains lie under the stone.”

But wait a moment you don’t have to imagine this ritual as the ceremony is still performed today and you can, if you wanted to attend and witness the whole thing first hand.

Widows in 1902

The ceremony in the 1920s

Outside St. Bartholomew’s the great in the nineteenth century

During the year 1887, Joshua Butterworth a legal publisher established a trust to ensure the ceremony's future by giving the trust a sum of £21 and 10 shillings.

Once established he instructed everyone from now on to call the event ‘The Butterworth Charity’.

As the years rolled on the value of the six penny piece declined in value. The amount then distributed was changed to 2 shillings and sixpence (half a crown). Later in the 20th century the amount increased to 4 shillings. d to 2 shillings and Sixpence (half a crown) and then, later in the century, it increased again to 4 shillings.

In present times the poor widows have declined in the parish, and so the rector is the one who now clambers up onto the stone and calls out to the crowd if there are any poor widows present who are in need of 20 shillings. After this a sermon is given followed by hymns. 

The church wardens then walk around the churchyard distributing hot cross buns for the congregation and clergy to enjoy.

Happy days!

Betsi Cadwaladr from Wales and across the world to Abney Park Cemetery

I am sure many of you have heard of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale. 

Well how about Betsi Cadwaladr born in 1789 she was a nurse in the Crimea war. Helping the troops on the front line and providing all levels of nursing care.

Betsi or Beti Davis as she was otherwise known travelled the world as a servant and companion to sea captains. She even witnessed the Battle of Waterloo when in France and saw the effects the war had on the men.

Whilst travelling the world and helping the crew onboard she became convinced that cleanliness was essential in treating the sick and wounded. 

On returning to Britain she trained as a nurse at Guys Hospital. Following her training, at the age of 65 she joined the military nursing service with the intention of working in the Crimea.

It is thought that she clashed with ‘Nightingale’ as they often saw different ways in doing things and came from different backgrounds entirely Florence was privileged and Betsi a working class lady. However towards the end of their service Nightingale warmed towards Betsi as she saw how many admired her level of care in which she provided.

Betsi returned to England after suffering with ill health herself. She then resided with her sister Bridget after 5 years from her return she wrote an autobiography. Autobiography of Elizabeth Davis, 1857. Republished as Betsy Cadwaladyr: A Balaclava Nurse

When she died in 1860 she was buried in Abney Park Cemetery in a paupers grave. It took more then a century for a memorial to be erected which was placed there in 2012.

In 2016, she was named as one of "the 50 greatest Welsh men and women of all time". In north Wales the Health board took her name to honour all her hard work and to keep her memory alive.