Jacob Levene

Jacob Levene was a Freemason and member of Lodge Temperance 2557 who served in the 2nd World War. A letter to the Provincial Grand Secretary of Northumberland from WBro John Sowerby, Secretary, and dated 7th November 1947 attached a list of the names and service of forty three Brethren and Bro Jacob is shown as volunteering for the Civil Defence Service.

At the Lodge Temperance 2557 meeting held at the Royal Assembly Rooms, Westgate Road, on 21st February 1944, Jacob was proposed by Wbro Nathan Bergman and seconded by Bro G. Nemouth as a fit and proper person to be made a Freemason.

He was a 44 year old managing director of Levene’s Wallpaper House residing at 78, Manor House Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. A successful ballot was held the following month on 20th March and he was initiated into the mysteries and privileges of Ancient Freemasonry on the same evening. He was passed to the second or Fellowcraft degree on 17th July 1944 and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason the following year on 18th June 1945.

Jacob’s older brother, Harry Levene, was also a Freemason and member of Lodge Temperance 2557. He was one of our “forgotten war heroes” as he is not listed in the Lodge Temperance WW1 Roll of Honour although the Lodge registers clearly show he was on war service. You can read his story here.

The Civil Defence Service was a civilian volunteer organisation established by the Home Office in 1935 as Air Raid Precautions (ARP), its name was officially changed to the Civil Defence Service (CD) in 1941. The Civil Defence included the ARP Wardens as well as firemen (initially the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and latterly the National Fire Service (NFS)), fire watchers (later the Fire Guard), rescue, first aid post and stretcher parties. Over 1.9 million people served within the CD and nearly 2,400 lost their lives to enemy action. It’s not known which part of Civil Defence Bro Jacob participated.

Jacob was born on 30th December 1899 in Gateshead, Co. Durham to Joel and Sarah Levene. Joel was a Russian Jewish immigrant born in Swalk, Poland to Israel and Rebecca Levene, both Russian subjects. It’s likely that Joel married Sarah Bernstone (or Bernstein), also a Russian subject, in Sweden around 1881 or 1882 as their first three children; Anne, Rachel and Harry were all born there. They moved to Gateshead, Co. Durham with Joel’s mother Rebeca and Sarah’s mother Mindell Bernstein around 1888 and by 1901 were living in the Bensham area of Gateshead. Bensham is now the home to a large orthodox Jewish community and Joel and Sarah would have been one of its earliest residents. Joel and his family became naturalised British citizens in 1904. Joel and Sarah had thirteen children:

• Anne (Fanny) (b 1883)
• Rachel (b 1884)
• Oram (Harry) (b 1887)
• Max (b 1889)
• Lewis (b 1890)
• Julia (b 1891)
• Eva (b 1893)
• Israel (b 1894)
• Frederica (Florence) (b 1897)
• Deborah (Dora) (b 1898)
• Jacob (Jack) (b 1899)
• Abraham (b 1902)
• David (b 1904)

Joel was a painter and decorator by trade and by 1914 had a paper hanging (wallpaper) dealers on Gateshead High Street. Harry, Max, Lewis, Jacob and Abraham all worked in the business and became successful painters and decorators in their own right. Joel died in 1930 leaving around £12,000 in his will. He is buried in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Bro Jacob married Dora Saville in South Shields, Co. Durham in 1925. Their engagement was announced in the Jewish Chronicle of 25th January 1925:
Saville : Levene Dora, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Samuel Saville, 54, Wharton Street, South Shields to Jacob son of Mr and the late Mrs Joel Levene, 14, Regency Terrace, Gateshead.

They had one son, Leslie Joseph Levine born on 20th August 1926.

Bro Jacob had at least three branches of Levene’s Wallpaper House –
139, Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne
339/341, High Street, Gateshead, Co. Durham
107, King Street, South Shields, Co. Durham

Dora died on 18th September 1957 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne leaving £4000 4s 10d to her husband Jacob, a wallpaper dealer and son Leslie, a physician and surgeon. She is buried in Byker and Heaton Cemetery.

Bro Jacob died aged 70 years old in April 1970 in Southend on Sea, Essex.