Photo : British Jewry Book of Honour Page 118
Medal Index Card
Mentioned in Dispatches Record Card L G 7th March
Naturalization Certificate
Shields Gazette Thursday 05/01/1893
Jacob was born in Sunderland 21st July 1883, at 19 North Durham Street, Bishopwearmouth, one of eleven children to Joseph Pearlman, [born Crottingen, Kovus, 1855, Russia, died 24th October 1943], son of Lazarus Joseph and Dora Pearlman, and his wife Rosa, [nee Bernstein], born 1854, Russia, died 8th December 1908, buried in Harton Cemetery.
Joseph and Rose [no longer Rosa], had become Naturalized British Subjects 23rd August 1897. This was presented to Sir Matthew Ridley Bart. It was registered with the Home Office 8th September 1897. They were married in October 1874 at Sunderland, and had eleven children, nine still living in 1911.
From the 1880s through the early part of the 20th century, massive pogroms and the May Laws in Russia caused many Jews to flee the Pale of Settlement. Of the East European Jewish emigrants, 1.9 million (80 per cent) headed to the United States, and 140,000 (7 percent) to Britain. The chief mechanism was chain migration in which the first successful member(s) of the chain send information, local currency (and sometimes tickets or money for tickets) to later arrivals.
Leslie Joseph senior was a coal merchant in 1911, working from his home at 257 Stanhope Road, Tyne Dock. [Jacob also a coal agent, was helping his father at home]. He previously had premises at Commercial Road where his Coal depot was located. Leslie Joseph senior originally in 1881 was a Drapers Assistant residing at 19 North Durham Street, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland.
The family moved to South Shields after 1888 from Sunderland and were residing initially at 6 Saville Street, Westoe, South Shields. By November, 1896, the family were residing at 18 Thomas Street, South Shields.
Emily, born, 1875, 19 North Durham Street, Sunderland, died 17th December 1911, twins Dora B. born, 1878, and Flora, [Florrie], born 1878, died 9th February 1952, Sarah, born 28th May 1879, [she married a David Jacob, born 28th February 1878, a Master Cabinet Maker, residing at 1 Queen's Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne C.B., Northumberland, England], Annie, born April 1885, Leslie Joseph*, born on the 6th May 1886 at 19 North Durham Street, Sunderland, in 1901, he was a pawnbrokers assistant, he died on the 25th February 1959 at Newcastle General Hospital and is buried at Heaton Cemetery, in 1911 he was a coal agent, he married a Doris Louise, born 17th November 1896, Leslie was a financer operating at 3 Bigg Market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, prior to 47 then later 47a Blackett Street. When he passed away on the 25th February 1959, his will left effects to Doris of £39210 3s 2d. dated 8th June.
[Leslie and Doris took frequent visits aboard travelling. On the 1st April 1950 they departed Southampton for Madeira in Portugal on the ship M.V. "Venus", with his wife Doris in a First Class cabin for Tenerife, stating 36 Moor Court as their residence address. On another trip, Leslie Joseph Pearlman and his wife Doris arrived at Southampton on the 20th June 1952, returning from Durban in South Africa on the "Capetown Castle", 166402, a Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company vessel. Also on the 14th August 1933, they travelled on the "Almanzora", 136353, from Southampton to Lisbon in Portugal.
Leslie resided at Southland, Elgy Road, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1939, [as the Medals awarded to his brother Jacob were missing the MiD award], Samuel Myer, born 27th January 1892, at 6 Saville Street, Westoe, South Shields, in 1939 he was residing at 50 Avenue Hill, Leeds C.B., Yorkshire (West Riding), England, [Sarah R. Pearlman, born 2nd July 1903 was also residing here], and was a Furniture Salesman, in 1911 he was residing at his sister's house, Sara Jacob who married a David Jacob [a Cabinet Maker], in 1907, with their child Rosa aged 20 months, at 29 Harrison Place Newcastle-upon-Tyne, [also David's widowed father then aged 71, Morris Jacob, was also residing at this address], and Lionel, born at 19 North Durham Street, Sunderland, 30th October 1881, died 1970, married a Miriam, born 6th December 1884 and residing at 13 Raleigh Close, Hendon, they had at least one child born 9th May 1908 named Sidney a solicitor.
Jacob in 1911 was a coal agent working with his father, at 2 Salisbury Place, South Shields, and had enlisted at South Shields.
About 50,000 Jews served in the British Armed Forces during World War I, and around 10,000 died on the battlefield, while Britain's first all-Jewish regiment, the Jewish Legion fought in Palestine. An important consequence of the war was the British conquest of the Palestinian Mandate, and the Balfour Declaration, making an agreement between the British Government and the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland to strive to set up a homeland for Jews in Palestine.
Jacob enlisted in South Shields about September 1914, and was enlisted into the Royal Engineers as a sapper, then was re-mustered as a Pioneer, in the signal section. His service number was 152371. His residence stated address then, was his Father's office, 2 Salisbury Place, South Shields. After training at Chatham, he would have been sent to the No1 ( East Africa) Special Signal Company, at the base Signal Depot.
Unfortunately the service records of Sapper Pearlman do not survive. It is most probable that he died at Nurunyu, Lindi Province, German East Africa in "truly terrible thorn bush country." General van Deventer described the action in his Despatches in January 1918. "A naval bombardment on Tandamuti" …was successful in causing the enemy to abandon his ground and fall back to another strong position at Nurunyu. General O’Grady followed in pursuit keeping in close contact with the enemy and reconnoitring actively with patrols. Heavy rain hindered operations on 15th and 16th (August) but on the 18th the enemy was closely engaged and pressed back to his main line of defence at Nurunyu, opposite to which our troops entrenched. Active reconnaissance was carried out on the 19th in preparation for attack, but in view of reliable information that the enemy had received considerable reinforcements from the north. I did not consider it advisable to press the Lindi offensive further at this time and decided to confine action in that area to active patrolling and to organisation until the Kilwa force should be ready to move."
If Sapper Pearlman did die at Nurunyu he would have been buried locally. Jacob Pearlman’s first recorded place of burial was Mtama Cemetery where the grave marker was I J 6. Mtama was taken by Allied Forces in October 1917, and many of the graves there were brought in after the Armistice. In the 1970’s Mtama graves were brought into the new Dar es Salaam War Cemetery. Jacob Pearlman was reinterred. The Grave Reference is 6 H 4.
His father requested that the Star of David should be carved on the headstone, but did not want an inscription".
Jacob died on the 19th August 1917 in German East Africa. Royal Engineer engineering units were not employed in East Africa during the Great War. Higher Engineer Authority decreed that RE units that were fit to go to France or Mesopotamia went to those theatres. So the Indians and South Africans supplied all the engineering troops in theatre.
However, at that time the Royal Engineers had a large signalling commitment, and many RE signallers served in East Africa. Base Depot was one of these places. Over 130 Royal Engineers died in theatre or in hospitals in South Africa.
"On the Commonwealth War Grave Commission web site it is stated that Jacob Pearlman was mentioned in despatches (although this is not recorded in his entry in the register of minor cemeteries). He was not one of the Royal Engineers mentioned in General van Deventer’s despatch of January 1918".
Instead he is mentioned in the Despatch dated 11th October 1917 from Lieutenant-General J. L. Van Deventer K.C.B.,. London Gazette March 7th 1918. It only shows his date of death and his name.
"There is no record of a Mention on Jacob Pearlman’s Medal Index card. However on the card there is an entry citing 992 Kings Regulations 1923 8246/Adt which relates to the return of medals for “adjustment”, usually because the inscription was wrong. What is unusual is the date of the return –Leslie Joseph Pearlman, Jacob’s brother, sent them back on 14 March 1939. Individuals mentioned in Despatches received a certificate and an oak leaf emblem to be sewn or pinned to the medal ribbon. It can be speculated that Jacob’s family never received the oak leaf emblem, and may only have realised that he was entitled to this many years later".
Source : Jean Spence Ancestry July 2014.
The MiD Card is shown below Jacob's Medal Index card. This clearly shows the entry number. 7th March 1918. London Gazette.
In his will dated 21st December his brother Leslie Joseph Pearlman and Herman Louis General Dealer were left £6714 16s 1d. His brother also received his army effects of £24 12s 9d as his brother was the sole executor, then residing at South lands, Elgy Road, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
"There was a Hebrew Memorial Service to him plus five other members of the South Shields Hebrew community who had fallen in the War, at Victoria Hall Fowler Street, South Shields. [Sunday 1st September 1918], A memorial service in their honour was held, attended by a large congregation in the presence of the Mayor Councillor A. Anderson, and the Town Clerk Mr J Moore Hayton plus members of the Town Council. The deceased were Sapper Jacob Pearlman, R.E,. Private Gabriel Davis, York and Lancs,. Private Jacob Levy, [16th Battalion] N.F., Private Henry Levy, York and Lancs,. Rifleman Reuben Kossick, K.R.R.C., and Private Lawrence Kossick. N.F., The sermon was preached by the Rev, [Rabbi], Dr Salis Daiches, [sic] Darches of Sunderland, who with the Rev. D. Rabinovitch, [sic], Raburevitch, [South Shields] and the Rev. S. Muscatt [Sunderland] conducted the service".
Source : Newcastle Journal Tuesday 03/09/1918.
Jacob Pearlman is remembered at Gosforth on G9.38 and at South Shields on S86.018.