WO 422/79106

            Joseph Jacob Behar was born October 21, 1908 in Bournemouth, in the County of Hants, England, to Samuel Behar and his wife (name unknown), both “Turkish” citizens. At the time of his enlistment in the British Army in 1940 he was single and a carpet planner. His medical papers indicate that a sister of his was in a mental hospital. He was insured under the Order Achei Brith a Jewish fraternal society that had been founded in England in 1888.[1] Another enlistment form describes him as a driver-salesman. In the army, he took courses in woodwork, gardening, and leatherwork, and served as a driver mechanic.

            Joseph Jacob served as a Private in the Devonshire Regiment from 1940 to 1946 and completed his service in 1954 with a reputation as a “most reliable soldier, quiet, honest & trustworthy.” Even though Behar was a British citizen, his record of service papers are marked with the phrase, handwritten in red, “alien connection,” perhaps owing to the nationality of his parents. He fractured his tibia in 1942 while escaping the enemy with his platoon. Behar was 5 feet 5 inches and had green eyes, “dark” hair, and a “pale” complexion. On October 18, 1948, the British government awarded Behar a Defense medal. When he died on August 17, 1988, he left an estate worth £96,752.

[1] United Kingdom University of Southampton, Papers of Jewish friendly societies and cultural organization, MS 214, collection description (accessed January 10, 2026). After it merged with Order Shield of Abraham in 1911, it was known as Achei Berith Shield of Abraham.