GRAVE SITUATION

I am sure that at this time of Remembrance of the two World Wars your readers would like to know that your superb article about AJEX veterans ( JC, Nov 14) omits to point out that SAS Sgt Rudolf Friedlaender, DCM, sadly has no Star of David on his grave at Moussy war cemetery because his family requested no religious symbol.

As a result, his legacy is lost to the Jewish community when visitors and local French people respectfully but incorrectly place wooden memorial crosses on his headstone, not knowing anything about his ethnic origins (you can actually see this on the photographic section of the CWGC web site).

In my long, ongoing work with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) on behalf of the Jewish Military Museum and AJEX, I hit this problem quite often, from both World Wars.

Equally, there are many Jewish war graves with crosses engraved on them because Jews attested as CofE (fearing possible captivity by the Nazis) or had a spouse who was not Jewish.

Once the next of kin decide on a religious emblem, the headstone will not be changed by the CWGC, no matter how much proof is provided of Jewish religion/background - so dozens and probably hundreds, in my estimation, of Jewish war graves from both World Wars show incorrect religious emblems so far as we are concerned.

This reduction of the visual sacrifice we made is deeply painful.

In the same edition, you mention Capt Joseph Trumpledor and his part in founding the Jewish Legion (38th to 42nd Battalions Royal Fusiliers) in 1917; in fact he played a major role also in founding the Zion Mule Corps two full years before and distinguished himself— one arm and all — at Gallipoli where they fought, being wounded at least twice in action. Martin Sugarman (AJEX Jewish Military Museum Archivist) martin.sugarman@yahoo.co.uk