Solomon Benzecry

Lieutenant Solomon Benzecry was a Gibraltarian officer of the British Army who died during the First World War.
He was born in Gibraltar, the eldest son of Raphael and Esther Benzecry (née Mocatta), of Gibraltar and London, respectively. Benzecry studied in England, boarding at Jewish House, Clifton College, and passed an intermediate examination to be a chartered accountant.The Times (41723), Col B, p. 8: "Fallen Officers". 26 February 1918.
Benzecry obtained a commission in July 1915, in the 10th (County of London) Battalion (Hackney), The London Regiment,The London Regiment (29256), p. 7861. 6 August 1915. Retrieved 11 July 2013. being later attached to the regiment's 17th Battalion. Aged 24, Benzecry died on 30 November 1917 while forming part of a rearguard that impeded elements of a German counter-attack during the Battle of Cambrai. The rearguard's efforts were credited with averting the loss of the battalion by ensuring its withdrawal and subsequent reorganisation.
The Times included the official report from the 17th's commanding officer in a broader account of the struggle at Bourlon Wood, which read:Of the heroism of the rearguard it is difficult to speak. Captain Stone and Lieutenant Benzecry, although ordered to withdraw to the main line, elected to remain with the rearguard. The rearguard was seen fighting with bayonet, bullet, and bomb to the last. There was no survivor. Captain Stone by his invaluable information as to the movements of the enemy prior to the attack, and his subsequent sacrifice with the rearguard, saved the situation at the cost of his life. Lieutenant Benzecry was seen to be wounded in the head. He continued to fight until he was killed.The Times (41719), Col B, p. 5: "Bourlon Wood". 21 February 1918.Their conduct was lauded in the contemporary press and Captain Walter Stone received a posthumous Victoria Cross. Neither have a known grave and are commemorated by the Cambrai Memorial.
==Notes==
==References==
*Ancestry.co.uk.
*Benzecry, Solomon, cwgc.org. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
==External links==
*Gibraltar Jewish Community, jewishgibraltar.com. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
*Jewish Servicemen Remember the "Hero of Bourlon Wood", panorama.gi. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
Category:Birth Date Unknown
Category:1917 deaths
Category:British military personnel
Category:Gibraltarian military personnel
Category:British people of Jewish descent
Category:British Army
Category:Burial Unknown
Category:Cambrai Memorial
Category:Lieutenants