Ex-servicemen's leader sees a future in education

The new national chairman of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women says its educational programme can shape its future.

Arnold Phelops, a former dental surgeon who served in the Royal Army Dental Corps in the 1950s, was elected at the Ajex AGM.

An Ajex member for 12 years, he has chaired its Hendon and Golders Green branch and leads its national education committee.

"We go out to various organisations and schools and they come to our museum and we tell them our stories and experiences," he said.

"The future of the association is dependent on continuing and expanding our education programme, so that current and future generations have a true understanding of the significance of remembrance."

Dr Phelops also cited the long-term importance of the Jewish Military Museum in Hendon, a showcase for the Jewish contribution to the British armed forces, dating back as far as the Battle of Quebec in the mid-18th century.

"Myself and my contemporaries will die out shortly but Ajex does have a future in the continuation of the museum.

"It's a major part of the Jewish heritage of this county."