Walter Bingham

Walter Bingham, MM, born Wolfgang Billig, is a former soldier of the British Army who served during the Second World War. In civilian life, Bingham became an actor, journalist, and entreprenaur.
He was born on 5 January 1924, at Karlsruhe, Germany, the son of Polish-born parents Zalman and Sophie Billig. His father, a printer, was deported back to Poland by the Nazis in the 1930s,Stromgberg, David (2015), Jerusalem Post:"Walter Bingham at 91". 22 January 2015, jpost.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015. and Wolfgang was evacuated to Britain via the Kindertransport. He intended to travel onward to Mandate Palestine as part of the youth aliyah, but the outbreak of war precluded that.Deutch, Gloria (2011), Jerusalem Post: "Arrivals: A True Professional". 3 June 2011, jpost.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
Owing to having a Polish passport, he was drafted by the Polish forces in exile, but was able to secure enlistment in the British Army. He joined the Royal Army Service Corps and was attached to 130 Field Ambulance. In the prelude to the Normandy landings, he was advised to change his name. This he did by perusing a telephone directory, and adopted the name Walter Bingham.Frantzman, Seth J (2011), Jerusalem Post: "A Glimpse into Walter's World". 5 May 2011, jpost.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015. 
Bingham landed in Normandy as a driver, and in July 1944 earned the Military Medal while operating in a forward area. When his ambulance was hit by mortar fire, he subsequently '...crawled away while mortar bombs were falling and procured another car…with which he succeeded in evacuating the wounded.' After the war ended, he was employed in the evaluation of documents in Hamburg and helped interrogate Joachim von Ribbentrop.Esra Magazine:"Walter Bingham", esra-magazine.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
He remained in Britain after demobilisation, and was reunited with his mother. His father, however, had died in the Warsaw Ghetto. In England, Bingham opened a factory specialising in babywear, and graduated with a degree in philosophy. He also became a journalist and occasional actor, appearing in adverts, documentaries, and films. After emigrating to Israel in 2004, he joined the Arutz Sheva radio station and became the presenter of his own show, 'Walter's World'. 
== Notes ==
==External links==
*The Secret Life of Walter Bingham (radio interview), tlv1.fm. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
Category:1924 births
Category:German military personnel
Category:Polish military personnel
Category:British military personnel
Category:British people of Jewish descent
Category:British people of German descent
Category:British people of Polish descent
Category:Israeli military personnel
Category:British Army