AJEX presented with Jewish submariner hero’s framed medals
Thomas William Gould was one of three Jewish recipients of the Victoria Cross in the Second World War
The legacy of one of the Jewish community’s most distinguished wartime heroes has been passed on to the next generation more than eighty years after his extraordinary act of courage.
At the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Tuesday 10 February, a framed miniature replica medal collection honouring Thomas William Gould (1914-2001) was presented to AJEX honorary president, Mike Bluestone.
The set commemorate Petty Officer Gould’s outstanding gallantry during the Second World War. On 16 February 1942, he was serving aboard H.M. Submarine Thrasher. After the vessel had been subjected to depth charges and aerial attack, two unexploded bombs were discovered lodged in the gun casing.
In extremely confined and dangerous conditions, Gould and a fellow crew member painstakingly manoeuvred the live bombs to safety, preventing almost certain destruction of the vessel and loss of life.
For his bravery, Gould, whose father was from Spitalfields, was awarded the Victoria Cross from King George VI on 29 June 1943. After being invalided out of the Royal Navy in 1945, Gould maintained his connection to the Navy and remained deeply engaged with the Jewish community.
Eighty four years later, AJEX’s Mike Bluestone met with Mike Colton, founder of the Friends of the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove to pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a Jewish naval veteran.
While the framed collection presented at the Arboretum is a miniature replica, AJEX are the custodians for Gould’s original full-size Victoria Cross and accompanying medals, sold to them in 1987 at Sotheby’s auction for a hammer price of £44,000, preserving them for future generations.
Bluestone said: “Seeing the medals revealed, particularly so close to the anniversary of Tommy’s extraordinary bravery on 16th February 1942, was a deeply meaningful moment. They represent courage of the highest order and the proud contribution of the Jewish community to our nation’s history.
“This marks the beginning of what I am sure will be a flourishing relationship between AJEX and the Friends of the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove, as we work together to ensure that stories like Tommy’s continue to be remembered and shared for generations to come.”
The two other Jewish recipients of the Victoria Cross were Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, Royal Air Force: Posthumously awarded the VC for his actions on August 12, 1943. Despite suffering fatal injuries during a raid on Turin, Italy, he continued to instruct his crew and helped land his damaged Stirling bomber in North Africa, saving the lives of his crew; John Kenneally (born Jack Cohen), Irish Guards: Awarded the VC for his actions in Tunisia in April 1943, where he displayed immense courage under fire.
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