Lives of the First World War

Myer Black Community: 11th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, 'The Tradesmen', 2nd Hull Pals. Private Myer Black 11/831. This is the story of the short life of my great uncle Myer Black. . Some records state he was born about 1894/1895 in Grodno Russia in what is now Belarus. He was the son of Abraham Chaim and Freda/Leah Black and the family were Jewish. He came to the UK in about 1898 with his mother and his other Russian born siblings, his father having come earlier and settled in Hull. Myer is listed in the 1901 census along with the rest of his family including 2 brothers born in England. These births have helped to pinpoint a little more accurately when Myer arrived in the UK. As a youngster it looks like he got into a bit of trouble as this article in the Hull Daily Mail of Tuesday April 9 1907 states: Schoolboys in the Dock Three schoolboys – Myer Black, Arthur Brown and George Smith – were charged with stealing a Poor Children’s Aid Society contribution box containing 1s 41/2d. P.C. Clark said that he saw the three prisoners in Railway-street acting in a suspicious manner. Seeing something under Black’s coat, he stopped him and found the box and the money. – Black said the others had given him it, but the other two denied all knowledge of it. Remanded for seven days. This was a year after his mother’s early death at the age of approximately 46 years and that may have had an effect on his behaviour. He was a tailor by trade. He enlisted to fight for his adopted country on 10th September 1914. His Battalion was mobilised for war on 15th December 1915 and embarked for Egypt from Devonport, Plymouth. They arrived in Port Said to defend the Suez Canal on 30th December 1915. In March 1916 they moved to France and the Division engaged in various actions on the Western Front. Myer died killed in action on 13th November 1916 during the Battle of the Somme as the Pals huddled in front line trenches waiting for the orders to join in the attack on German positions around the ruins of Serre. He was about 23 years old. The Battle of the Somme ended on 18th November 1916. He is buried in Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps, Picardie, France. He received the British War Medal and Victory Medal There is a commemoration to Myer Black on his brother Maurice's grave. Maurice Black died in 1947. “In memory of Myer Black killed in action October 1916 aged 23 years.” There is a mistake in the inscription

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