A Jewish Honor for Admiral Max Horton

 By Jerry Klinger

BOYNTON BEACH, Florida — Memory, history and, understanding are frequently the victims of time.  The importance of knowing what was, affects the present and the future.

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, an interpretive supplemental footstone was added to the Admiral Max Horton memorial at the Rhosneigr seaside community in Anglesey, Wales. The successful placement grew from the unique friendship between Martin Sugarman, a Brit, and myself.  Together we are pushing back, at least a little, the dark clouds of forgetfulness and antisemitism.

Yet, if it is not for good people who believe in British values of commonality and diversity, like the Rhosneigr community, nothing could be accomplished.

The Admiral Horton Memorial was created by noted sculptor Terry MacDonald in 2019. It was placed in Rhosneigr because of the Community effort led by Gwyneth Parry,  Chair of the LLanfaelog Community Council.

Martin contacted me last year about an extraordinary story of Admiral Max Horton, one of the most important British military personages of WWII of Jewish heritage. Until Horton took over the defense of Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic, Britain was facing total defeat. The German U-Boat War was within days of absolute victory. The Germans were sinking far far more shipping than could be replaced. Food, supplies, and military support were near exhaustion. Britain was desperate.

Admiral Horton was placed in charge at the darkest time for Britain. He aggressively reorganized the British battle responses in the Atlantic. His effort eventually defeated the U-Boat war and helped to save Britain.

Martin asked if JASHP would be willing to fund an interpretive footstone at the Horton Memorial.  Gwyneth was contacted and responded with equal alacrity and positivity, Rhosneigr would welcome with respect the proposed honor for the Admiral.

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, the footstone was cemented into place. The stone reads:

Admiral Sir Max Horton RN
Honoring British Commonality and Diversity
Commander-in-chief responsible for British participation in the Battle of the Atlantic, WWII.
Admiral Max Horton RN was of Jewish heritage born in Anglesey.
“Be strong and of good courage.” (Joshua 1:9)  
Donated by: Hackney Branch of The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, and the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
It is with special appreciation, we thank Ms. Parry and the Rhosneigr community for the opportunity to work with them to further the Kavod, the respect, due Admiral Horton.

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Martin Sugarman is the Archivist for the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women.  He kindly permitted me to include his article about Admiral Horton.  It follows:

By Martin Sugarman

Admiral Max Horton was born in 1883 in Rhosneigr, Anglesey, Wales, son of Robert Angel Horton and Esther Maude Goldsmid of the famous D’Avigdor-Goldsmid Anglo-Jewish family.  In 1898 he joined the Royal Navy as an officer cadet and soon won a bravery award for rescue operations at sea.

At the beginning of WW1, he commanded a submarine and by war’s end commanded the British overseas Submarine flotilla serving in the North Sea and Baltic and winning three DSO’s for sinking several enemy ships. He also initiated the tradition of submarines flying the ‘Jolly Roger’ flag on returning after successful patrols. A Captain of various battle ships by war’s end, he was soon promoted to Vice Admiral in 1937, commanding the Reserve Fleet, and then moved to commanding all British submarines.

As WW2 began, he created Atlantic Convoy rescue ships to pick up survivors from U boat sinkings, with fully equipped hospital facilities and naval surgeons, and then in 1942 became a full Admiral in what was to be his most important war time role – Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches.

He not only introduced new tactics to increase the defense of convoys but also created the fleet of hunter ships to destroy the U boats, and so in the opinion of many historians and Winston Churchill himself, saved Britain from certain defeat in the Battle of the Atlantic, by keeping open the food, munitions and troop supplies coming from North America.

He asked to be retired in August 1945 and received not only the GCB but a dozen other high level foreign awards from grateful allied nations. He died in 1951 and there is a memorial to him in Liverpool Cathedral.

Not until 2019 was a statue erected to Admiral Max Horton in his hometown on Anglesey, initiated by local Councillor Gwyneth Parry – there was only a plaque to him in the local library. But in 2020 it was pointed out by the Archivist of The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women of the UK (AJEX), Martin Sugarman in London, that the inscription failed to say anything about Horton’s Jewish heritage.

An American historian and philanthropist, Jerry Klinger, of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, was contacted by Sugarman and a further plaque has been financed by Jerry to point out Admiral Horton’s other ethnic heritage, and added at the foot of the statue, to the delight of local people. The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women of the UK (AJEX, also known as the Jewish Military Association), are very proud of our war hero Admiral Max Horton.”

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Jerry Klinger is the President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.