Herbert ABRAHAMS

1919 - 2002  (83 years)

• Name	Herbert ABRAHAMS
  Nickname	Bert Wells or Herbert Wells
  Birth	9 Jan 1919	Whitechapel, Middlesex, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Census	19 Jun 1921	Whitechapel, Middlesex, England
  		UK Census 1921 31 Tarbun Street, Whitechapel, London. Mark Abrahams, Head, 40y, M, Married, b. London, Occ: Confectioner & tobacconist, Emp: Own account, Workplace: 451 Fashion Street, London E1 Sarah Abrahams, Wife, 37y 3m, F, Married, b: Bethnal Green, London, Occ: Home duties Jack Abrahams, Son, 18y 7m, M, Single, b: London, Occ: News vendor, Emp: Own account. Leah Abrahams, Daughter, 17y 2m, F, Single, b: London, Occ: Cap Machinist, Emp: Mr. Pragers, Workplace: Lemon St. E. Annie Abrahams, Daughter, 15y 3 m, F, Single, Out of work. Alfred Abrahams, Son, 10y 3m, M, both parents alive, b: London, sch: whole time Bessie Abrahams, Daughter, 10y 3m, F, both parents alive, b: London, sch: whole time Herbert Abrahams, Son, 2y 5m, M, both parents alive, b: London
  Census	29 Sep 1939	Stepney, Middlesex, England
  		UK National Register 1939 20 Winthrop Street, Stepney, London (building since demolished). Marks Abrahams, Male, b. 27 Aug 1883, Married, Bartender (refreshments) Henrietta S Abrahams, Female, b. 13 Mar 1884, Married, Unpaid domestic duties Herbert Abrahams, Male, b. 9 Jan 1919, Single, Dispatch Clerk.
  Occupation	29 Sep 1939  [2]
  	Dispatch Clerk
  Military Service	From 16 Oct 1939
  	Army: 12th Division, 5th Battalion. Enlisted 16 Oct 1939. The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). Service number: 6288773. Rank: Private.
  	Bertie: served using his mother's maiden name "Wells" to hide his Judaism from Nazis whilst serving in the British Army; had the top of his finger removed by the Nazi SS. [3]
  		Herbert ABRAHAMS POW post-release questionnaire Captured by German forces in France on 21 May 1940, likely during the Battle of France. Detained as a prisoner of war at: Stalag XXA in Thorn (Toruń), Poland, from 12 June 1940 to 17 August 1940. Stalag XXB in West Prussia near Marienburg (Malbork), from 17 August 1940 to 26 April 1945. Treated for appendicitis 26 November - 23 December 1940 (family oral history is that developing appendicitis and the the subsequent hospitalisation saved his life). During captivity, he was subjected to forced labour, including working in a brick factory at Deutsch Eylau (now Iława, Poland) between May 1943 and January 1945. Other forced labour camps were not listed on the form due to limited space.
  Alias	Aft 1939
  	Herbert adopted his mother's maiden name - and became Herbert Wells - during his British military service and throughout his post-war life to reduce the risk of antisemitic persecution.
  Residence	2 May 1946	3 Avenue Mansions, Willesden, Middlesex, England
  Death	1 Aug 2002  [4]
  Person ID	I384	UK Thrale family
  Last Modified	29 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	Marks ABRAHAMS,   b. 17 Aug 1883, 39 Fashion Street, Spitalfields, Middlesex, England d. 6 Mar 1949, Willesden, Middlesex, England (Age 65 years)
  Mother	Henrietta Sarah WELLS,   b. 13 Mar 1884, Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England d. 21 Dec 1979, Poplar and Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England (Age 95 years)
  Marriage	23 Dec 1902	Holborn, Middlesex, England   [6]
  	Agency: Holborn Registry Office
  	A Jane Wells was a witness to the marriage of Henrietta on 23 Dec 1902. If verbal family accounts that Sarah was disowned by her family for marrying a Jew, are true, then witness Jane is more likely to have been a sister than a mother. [5]
  		Marriage certificate
  Alt. Marriage	9 Feb 1904
  	Jewish marriage
  		Marriage Authorisation of Chief Rabbi UK Binyamin Yacob ben Yuhuda Hersch Lieb
  Residence	23 Dec 1902-1904	20 Cyprus Street, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England   [7]
  Family ID	F184	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	JOAN   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	1. Barbara ABRAHAMS   2. Clive ABRAHAMS
  Photos		Herbert and Joan Abrahams in Blackpool
  Family ID	F190	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Oct 2017

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 9 Jan 1919 - Whitechapel, Middlesex, England Census - 19 Jun 1921 - Whitechapel, Middlesex, England Census - 29 Sep 1939 - Stepney, Middlesex, England  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S18] GRO index (UK), 217; Line Number: 6; Volume: 1C. [S106] National Register - UK. 1939. [S47] Lindsay Block. [S100] Franck 2014 family tree. [S11] David H Thrale, 2004. [S28] Marriage certificate. [S28] Marriage certificate, 23 Dec 1902.