World War I Jewish officer who survived horrors of Western Front honoured by AJEX
Hackney resident Captain John Patrick Danny was founder of the "Old Contemptibles" veterans society
A Jewish First World War officer, who witnessed the brutality of the Western Front for the entire conflict and went on to found a historic veterans group, has been honoured by AJEX.
A plaque to Captain John Patrick Danny was officially unveiled at a short service in Hackney, to remember his service and legacy.
Born Reszo Engel into a Hungarian Jewish family, it was not widely known until recently that he had lived in Hackney prior to enlisting. He served with distinction from the very outbreak of war in 1914 and, following the Armistice, devoted himself to the welfare of his fellow veterans.
During the war, Captain Danny served with the British Army on the Western Front and took part in some of the earliest and fiercest fighting of 1914.
He was wounded in action and mentioned in dispatches for his leadership and bravery under fire. His first-hand experience of the brutal conditions endured by the men of the original British Expeditionary Force left a lasting impression, and it was this deep sense of duty and comradeship that inspired his post-war efforts to support former servicemen.
In 1925, from his home on Powerscroft Road, Hackney, Captain Danny founded the very first branch of the Old Contemptibles Association (OCA), a group dedicated to those who had served in the British Expeditionary Force in 1914, the name a not so tongue-in-cheek nod to how the German Kaiser reportedly referred to them.
The movement grew rapidly into a nationwide and international association that provided vital support, camaraderie, and remembrance for thousands of First World War veterans. The plaque has been placed on the very site where this historic association was established.
The commemoration service was organised by the UK Western Front Association with the plaque arranged by AJEX archivist Martin Sugarman and funded by Jerry Klinger of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Attending the event were Captain Danny’s grandsons, Paul and Robert Danny, who stood proudly beside the plaque alongside Martin Sugarman, who placed a Magen David peg at the site on behalf of AJEX.
- To read more on Captain Danny, click here.
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