AJEX — full name AJEX – The Jewish Military Association — represents Jewish men and women who have served, or are still serving, in the British Armed Forces.
Its roots go back to the years after the First World War. Around 50,000 British Jews served in that conflict. In 1921 a group of Jewish veterans laid a wreath at the Cenotaph — a public statement that Jewish service was British service. In 1929, amid rising antisemitism, the Jewish Ex-Servicemen’s Legion was formed. It became the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women in 1936 and is now known as AJEX – The Jewish Military Association.
More than 70,000 British Jews served in the Second World War. AJEX has three core purposes that have remained consistent for nearly a century:
- Remembrance — ensuring the Jewish contribution to Britain’s armed forces is never forgotten. The annual AJEX Remembrance Parade and Ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall is one of the most important events in the communal calendar.
- Welfare — practical support for Jewish veterans and their families who fall on hard times.
- Education and the fight against antisemitism — using the stories of Jewish service to teach British values, counter the old lie that “Jews did not fight”, and push back against contemporary hatred.
AJEX also works closely with currently serving Jewish personnel through the Armed Forces Jewish Community and maintains the Jewish Military Museum and the Record of Honour.
Petty Officer Thomas William Gould VC
One of only three Jewish recipients of the Victoria Cross in the Second World War.
On 16 February 1942, north of Crete in the Mediterranean, HM Submarine Thrasher attacked and sank a heavily escorted Axis supply ship. The submarine was immediately depth-charged and bombed. When she surfaced after dark, two unexploded bombs were discovered lodged in the gun casing.
Petty Officer Thomas William “Tommy” Gould and Lieutenant Peter Roberts volunteered to remove them. The second bomb had penetrated the casing. In complete darkness, in a space so low they had to lie full length, they pushed and dragged the live bomb some twenty feet until it could be lowered over the side. Every movement produced a loud twanging noise. They knew that if the submarine were forced to crash-dive while they were outside the pressure hull, they would drown.
They got the bombs clear. The boat and her crew were saved.
Gould was awarded the Victoria Cross. He received it from King George VI. Born in Dover in 1914, the son of a soldier killed on the Somme, he had joined the Royal Navy in 1933 and the submarine service in 1937. After the war he remained closely connected to both the Navy and the Jewish community. His Victoria Cross is held by AJEX.
His story is a simple, stubborn answer to the old lie that British Jews did not fight.
Why this sits here
Veterans’ Story Hour is for every background and every branch. Jewish veterans belong in that room as a matter of course — not as special pleading. AJEX has kept that record for a hundred years. We point people to their work, and we tell the stories they have guarded.
The I Stand With British Jews campaign on roryhanrahan.co.uk sends 10 pence from every badge sold directly to AJEX, supporting Jewish veterans, serving personnel and their families.