In La Targette British Cemetery, Neuville-St. Vaast, France, is the Commonwealth War Grave of 348943 Gunner Isadore Woolf (served as Bert Gordon) serving with the 2nd Brigade Canadian Field Artillery who died 09/05/1917.
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Russian born Gabriel Woolf arrived in Newcastle with his family in the 1870s and in 1881 he married Scottish born Annette Mendelson and went on to establish a picture framing business in the city, and in 1907 became the first Jewish member of the City Council. Their first child Arnold was born in 1883, followed by Isadore, Ellen, Montefiore and Maud.
Isadore was born on 12th February 1886 whilst the family were living in Derwent Place in the west end of Newcastle. In 1892 his mother Annette died and two years later Gabriel married Ellen Susman from Hull, and the family grew with the birth of Alexander, Miriam, Edith and Raymond. After his father became a UK citizen in 1897 the family moved to live in Osborne Road, and in 1900 Bertie as he was then known, started at Royal Grammar School having previously been educated at Townley Castle, a Jewish boarding school in Ramsgate, Kent.
After finishing school Bertie joined the family business as a travelling salesman, including a trip to New York in 1907. In 1913 he travelled to Canada on behalf of the family firm and remained living in Montreal until he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 15th March 1916.
Enlisting as Gunner Bertie Gordon with C Battery, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery at Kingston, Ontario, he gave his parents in Newcastle as his next of kin. Six weeks later Bertie arrived in Liverpool on board SS Empress of Britain as part of a reinforcing draft and was posted to 1st Reserve Battery, Artillery Reserve Brigade at Shorncliffe, Kent. After ten weeks artillery training he was attached to 1st Divisional Ammunition Column in order to travel to France on 25th October 1916, where on arrival he was posted to the 6th Battery, 2nd Artillery Brigade, joining them at Courcelette in the Somme valley.
Taken ill with influenza on 2nd January 1917, Gunner Woolf was treated in various hospitals and convalescent depots for three months until discharged to duty and rejoining his unit on 16th April at Bentata Tunnel, Neuville-St. Vaast.
On 9th May 1917 during fighting at Vimy Ridge when the enemy shelled the brigade positions heavily with both gas and high explosive shells, Gunner Bert Gordon was wounded. He was evacuated to 6th Canadian Field Ambulance where he died from his wounds later the same day.
Originally buried as Bert Gordon, in October 1923 his true identity was revealed and he was remembered under his real name.
Isadore Woolf is remembered in Gosforth on G9.38 as B. Woolf, in Jesmond on J1.04 and J1.19 (Royal Grammar School) as Bertie Gordon Woolf, also at Jesmond J1.24 as Bernie Woolf and on J1.25 as Bert Woolf, and in Newcastle upon Tyne on NUT159 as Woolfe, B.F. Gorden and NUT212 as Bert Woolf
In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in the Jewish Canadian War Casualties Veterans Field of Remembrance in Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, Montreal.
