AN ANNUAL attendee at the AJEX Parade, Stanley Perry told us that this time there was an extra VIP flavour. His Loughton and Chigwell contingent were accompanied by Barbara Cohen, Mayor of Loughton, who marched alongside them in full, eye-catching regalia.
Stanley, who is now disabled and has to struggle with two sticks, says he intends to carry on marching for as long as he can.
He told us: “I have organised our group for a number of years out of respect for my father who served in Burma (now Myanmar) in the Royal West Kents Regiment from 1939 to 1945, and also my cousin Harold Newman, a past Chairman and very active member of AJEX.”
They called his father and his comrades the Forgotten Army, these brave men who played a vital role in victory over Japan, facing tropical diseases as well as the enemy. Stanley’s father’s name was actually Robert Plotsky which he later changed to George Plotsky.
Stanley, added: “He was the only one of seven siblings to stick with his Warsaw name but I changed mine to Perry when I was 17 as no-one would give me as job or even an interview!”
The following organisations and areas took part in the AJEX Parade and/or had a banner on display:
- Chigwell Jewish Youth Club
- Clore Tikva Primary School
- Cranbrook United Synagogue
- Ilford Federation Synagogue
- JLGB
- Loughton and Chigwell
- Old Comrades Association
- Romford (bottom right)
- Southend
- Wanstead and Woodford
- Woodford Forest United Synagogue
Ashley Kissin and wife Hilary of the Romford group were among the many Essex marchers wearing the medals of their late fathers. Ashely also wore his dad’s 8th Army tie along with his own badge as a former mayor of Redbridge.
