Uncle Abe was educated at Stepney Jewish School (which my father later attended) where, at the age
of 13 or 14, he was awarded a heavy, leather bound Chumash inscribed: “Good fellowship prize Stepney
Jewish School awarded to Abraham Pampel by the vote of his school fellows”. I wonder whether such
a prize exists in schools today, where a child is rewarded by the popular vote of his peers!

There is a letter that survives which was sent to Uncle Abe’s mother (my
Great-Grandmother), Judith, from a fellow soldier. Dated September 1917, he writes that the last letter he sent to Uncle Abe was returned to him marked, ‘Killed in Action’. The writer hoped it was not true but said that, if the worst had happened, he wanted to express his sympathy and sorrow at losing a good pal and one who was so liked by all the boys in his platoon. It seems he was as popular in his Regiment as he was in his school classroom.

Dear Mrs Pampel,
I have just had my last letter to Alfred returned marked “Killed in Action” and am hoping that some mistake has been made as in your letter you said he was still in hospital.
If however the worst has happened, allow me to express, as one of his chums, my sympathy and sorrow with you in your loss. We did nearly all our soldiering together, doing our training together and going out in the same draft and I have lost a good lad and one who was so well liked by all the boys in the platoon.
If you have no heard very much from the regiment, I will write to one of the men from his platoon and find out all I can for you.
I shall be in London very soon on sick leave and shall be very pleased to call on you.
Yours sincerely,
A Johnes