Child survivors; a hero and a surprise return
Saving the children
Only about 150,000 out of a total of 1,350,000 Jewish children who lived in Central and Eastern Europe before the war have survived the Nazi terror, declared Senator Justin Godard, of the World Union OSE. Senator Godard, who has served in several French cabinets, estimated that about 8,000 Jewish children had survived the horrors of Buchenwald and Belsen. He reported that there were about 10,000 Jewish children under the care of the Ose in France (OEuvre de Secours aux Enfants, (OSE) saved hundreds of Jewish refugee children in Vichy France.)
Submarine hero’s VC
Petty Officer T. W. Gould is the first man of Jewish birth to win the VC, the highest British award for valour, in this war. In June 1942, HM submarine Thrasher torpedoed a strongly escorted supply ship north-east of Suda Bay. Two unexploded bombs from an enemy aircraft were found in the forward casing. It was the middle of the night, and the Thrasher had surfaced: but she was still close to an enemy coast and at any moment she might be forced to dive immediately. Lieut. Roberts and Petty Officer Gould volunteered to remove the bombs…the two men had to move the second bomb for a distance of some 20 feet, past various projections, both lying on their stomachs, one pushing and the other pulling until it could be hoisted out clear. Every time the bomb was moved it gave off a loud twanging noise, which added nothing to the peace of mind of the disposal squad. The whole operation took 30 minutes.
New name for ‘dead’ airman
A Jewish airman for whom his family sat shiva last December, was returned to the living at a ceremony held in Forest Hills, New York. The flyer, Sergeant Stanley Phillips, was shot down over Yugoslavia last October, and his family were informed that he was dead. A mezuza, which he had worn around his neck, was found near the scene of the crash. In March of this year the family was notified that the sergeant might be alive A few days ago he arrived home on long leave. To signify his return from the dead, he received a new name at the ceremony, and is now Stanley Alan Abraham Phillips.