101-year-old Jewish British WWII vet honored by queen
Mordaunt Cohen ‘deeply humbled’ to join Order of the British Empire for his efforts to educate children about war
A 101-year-old Jewish British veteran of World War II received an honor from the Queen for his services to education.
Mordaunt Cohen received the MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, on June 1. Cohen told the Jewish Chronicle he was “deeply humbled” to have been recognized for the years he spent teaching young people about the war and his experiences.
Born in Sunderland, he joined the British Army after hearing about the plight of the Jews in Nazi Germany.
He served in the jungles of Burma, now Myanmar, with the 251 West African Heavy Anti-Aircraft Unit, commanding Nigerian volunteers.
101 year old Lieutenant Colonel Mordaunt Cohen receives his #MBE from The Queen for his services to Second World War Education.
Lt Col Cohen has spent his adult life teaching in schools across the country about the history & legacy of WW2. pic.twitter.com/iytt0OjZDM
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 1, 2018
After the war he became chairman of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen, through which he worked to ensure the memory of the thousands of Jewish soldiers who served in the British Army was not forgotten.
“As the years go by, there are less of us around to tell our story. I look forward to continuing to educate as many people as possible in the years ahead, health permitting,” he told the Jewish Chronicle.
The Times of Israel Community.