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Jacob Kaitiff "Jack"
Born:
1899
Died:
1984
Basic Information
Unique reference:
KAI3242
Gender:
Male
Birth
Date of birth:
1899
Place of birth:
Southport
Death
Date of death:
1984
Died in combat?:
No
1911 Census
Places
Addresses
18 Virginia Street Southport (1911)
Whilst serving as a Medical Orderly in France, one of the German prisoners made Jacob a model tank out of shell casings, which he kept and took home with him after he was discharged.
Grandfather's Watch Really Did Stop.. Never to Go Again!
It was 100 years ago to the day that the Great War began, and there we were my husband and I sitting in the comfort of the Lowry Theatre in Salford, waiting to see Michael Morpurgo's incredibly powerful WW1 play 'War Horse'.
As we waited my husband Leon looked fondly at his late father's watch which he had been wearing non stop since his father died in 1984.
As he looked at the watch he once again told me how his father Jack had been a soldier in WW1, serving as a medic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, stationed in Ypres, Belgium.
All the family knew that Jack never spoke about his terrible experiences and time in the war, except for once on his 80th birthday when a small family party was held.
Jack who was always fond of his whisky, imbibed quite a few measures this time resulting in him suddenly becoming tearful as he looked back at his life and to those horrific times in WW1 trenches.
He began by saying "those boys, those poor boys, they were so badly injured that they were calling for their mothers, they were also calling for water for their cracked dry lips, but I had nothing to give them not a sip."
Jack continued, "I left my unit and ran along the road until I saw some farm houses. I knocked on the doors begging for water for the sick and dying... but each time the door was slammed in my face. I couldn't help them," Jack cried. After telling us that story he closed the window on his memories forever.
Fast forward to August 2014 and the opening scene of 'War Horse' began. To our utter shock and disbelief the first scene totally re-enacted Jack's words and story with British soldiers begging for water for troops and horses at farm houses, but each time the door was slammed in their faces.
The shock of seeing this first scenario re-enacted really affected my husband, as after the performance we noticed his father's watch, which had worked perfectly for thirty years, suddenly went slow and stopped never to go again!
We often wonder.. was Jack in the theatre with us that night?
-Ruth Kaitiff, Jacob's daughter-in-law
As we waited my husband Leon looked fondly at his late father's watch which he had been wearing non stop since his father died in 1984.
As he looked at the watch he once again told me how his father Jack had been a soldier in WW1, serving as a medic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, stationed in Ypres, Belgium.
All the family knew that Jack never spoke about his terrible experiences and time in the war, except for once on his 80th birthday when a small family party was held.
Jack who was always fond of his whisky, imbibed quite a few measures this time resulting in him suddenly becoming tearful as he looked back at his life and to those horrific times in WW1 trenches.
He began by saying "those boys, those poor boys, they were so badly injured that they were calling for their mothers, they were also calling for water for their cracked dry lips, but I had nothing to give them not a sip."
Jack continued, "I left my unit and ran along the road until I saw some farm houses. I knocked on the doors begging for water for the sick and dying... but each time the door was slammed in my face. I couldn't help them," Jack cried. After telling us that story he closed the window on his memories forever.
Fast forward to August 2014 and the opening scene of 'War Horse' began. To our utter shock and disbelief the first scene totally re-enacted Jack's words and story with British soldiers begging for water for troops and horses at farm houses, but each time the door was slammed in their faces.
The shock of seeing this first scenario re-enacted really affected my husband, as after the performance we noticed his father's watch, which had worked perfectly for thirty years, suddenly went slow and stopped never to go again!
We often wonder.. was Jack in the theatre with us that night?
-Ruth Kaitiff, Jacob's daughter-in-law
Family
Spouse
Rachel Friedman (female)
Children
Leon Kaitiff (male)
Adele Feldmann (female)
Siblings
Zelda Kaitiff (male)
Samuel Kaitiff (male)
Kate Kaitiff (female)
Simeon Kaitiff (male)
Rachel Kaitiff (female)
Parents
Father: Benjamin Kaitiff (male)
Mother: Annie Kaitiff (female)
Military Record
Military service:
Army
Military record no.:
113531
Date enlisted/conscripted:
18 April 1917
Date discharged/death:
22 May 1919
Rank at discharge/death:
Private
Invalided out of service:
22 May 1919
Assignments
Regiment:
Royal Army Medical Corps
Other Occupations
Type of employment:
Fabric Merchant
Gallery
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Documenting & commemorating the contribution British Jews made during the First World War.
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