RAF hero dies just before turning 100

A Royal Air Force bomber hero who flew a death-defying 38 missions over Nazi Germany has died four months short of his 100th birthday, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Born in 1923 in West Ham, Alfred (Alf) Huberman enlisted with the RAF in 1941 and joined 576 and 83 Squadron flying Lancasters out of Scunthorpe. As rear gunner, he flew 38 missions when the average number at the time was just five. He told his family he was on training missions so as not to worry them – some 55,573 Bomber Command men died during the war.

Proud daughter Michelle told Jewish News: “Most of my father’s colleagues died after one or two sorties. It was a miracle. His passing hasn’t come as a surprise, although we were hoping that he’d make his 100 birthday as he had always wanted to.”

Some 20,000 Jewish men and women joined the RAF during the war to fight the Nazis. Alf was advised to change the religion stamp on his identity tags before flying over Germany but refused, saying: “I’ve lived my life as a Jew and I’ll die as a Jew.”

“My father was a very complex man,” says Michelle. “He was shaped by his war experiences. He was an artist. He was a fashion designer and businessman. He loved Israel although he never went. He always followed it very closely but after the RAF he didn’t want to fly. He rarely went abroad – being in an airplane brought back too many traumatic memories.”

Huberman lived with his family in Hampstead Garden Suburb and was vice chairman of the Bomber Command Association (BCA).

His daugher continued: “My dad was a real East End boy and fought in the battle of Cable Street, rolling marbles under the feet of the police horses. He was also involved in fundraising for the BCA monument at Green Park – he worked closely on that with Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees and was upset when Robin died.

“He was at the RAF o ces in Colindale every day. He’d open all the post, write the replies; old -fashioned, hand-written replies to little old ladies who had put £3 in an envelope because that was all they could a ord. He really made a point of thanking everyone and doing all it took. His main focus was to be a proud Jew.”

Alf leaves a widow, Thelma, 93, sons Paul and Peter, daughters Michelle and Corinne, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Daughter Sandy passed away in 2016.

D-DAY VET SUPPORTS £150K MILITARY FUNDRAISER

A JFS student has interviewed a 98-year-old D-Day veteran for a fundraising drive for the Jewish Military Association, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

Part of a 36-hour campaign for AJEX, 18-year-old cadet Edgar Santos and Mervyn Kersh met at the House of Life in Willesden Jewish Cemetery and discussed Kersh’s time as a soldier. Called up to serve at the same age

Santos is now, Kersh spoke of the importance of keeping remembrance through the annual AJEX parade and ceremony and education in schools, and how vital it is today’s youth continue the legacy of Jewish servicemen and women who fought for freedom. He added: “Connecting the older generation with the newer generation is very important. In ten years’ time there will be nobody left who was in the war [World War II]. It is important education is passed on to a younger generation, so it can be continued. It mustn’t be allowed to disappear.”

In another part of the campaign, AJEX last Sunday, 26 February, hosted an exclusive interview with the charity’s national chair, Dan Fox, discussing with Rachel Riley MBE her thoughts on combating antisemitism and what she has faced in the public eye.

The two interviews were part of a fundraising campaign to raise £150,000 to ensure AJEX can continue its work.

Chief executive Fiona Palmer said: “Our duty is to care. People rely on our help and we can’t do all of this without the care and help of people from across the community.”