Louis Peskin, Military Cross

Captain, Royal Artillery
56 H.A.A. Regt.
Service number: 150343
Died 16 Jan 1943
Buried Willesden Jewish Cemetery, United Kingdom
Age 46


Louis was born on 25 October 1896 in Bethnal Green, London to Henry Woolf, a veneer merchant, and Rachel nee Gelman who were both born in Belarus and were naturalised British subjects. Henry and Rachel had three children Tobias, Deborah and Louis before she died in 1897 a few months after Louis’ birth. Henry remarried a year later to Betsy Bobroff and they had a further six children.

Louis attended St Mathias Infants school whilst the family were living at 151 Amhurst Road in Hackney in 1911. In 1914, Louis attested into the Army and was a 2nd Lieutenant when he was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in France. On 10 October 1918, during the advance from Malincourt he commanded a section in close support of the infantry. He showed complete disregard of danger and east of Clary he crossed a machine gun zone to reconnoitre a position for his guns and then bought his section into action. On three separate occasions he carried out valuable reconnaissances. Louis was later injured and on 18 October 1919 he retired through ill health caused by wounds with the rank of Captain.

Louis then became involved in his father’s veneer business and was involved in importing veneer from Buenos Aires and is listed as travelling there in 1921. In 1929, he married Louise Hanreck in Marylebone, London and their daughter Beatrice was born the following year. In 1939, the family moved to Worthing, West Sussex where Louis continued with the veneer business and then returned to London living in St Marylebone.

Louis died at the Middlesex Hospital on 16 January 1943 and his death certificate states that his cause of death was: I(a) Secondary sarcoma in chest, (b) Sarcoma of thigh.

Jewish Chronicle