Autobiography

looked up the VC awards in The Times and
there was no mention of Bill Gold. I was
devastated. Did she think I was lying?
It was only recently that I discovered, quite by
chance, that there was a Thomas William
Gould who won the Victoria Cross in February
1942. The medal is on display at the Hendon
Jewish Military Museum. A few years ago I
visited the museum to find out more about
Thomas William Gould. He was born in Dover
on 28 December 1914. Thomas died in 2001 at
the age of 86, and was the only Jewish
recipient of the Victoria Cross in the Second
World War.
When he won it he was a 27 year-old Petty
Officer in the Royal Navy serving on the
submarine HMS Thrasher. At about midday on
16 February 1942, HMS Thrasher was on patrol
off Suva Bay on the north coast of Crete when
she torpedoed and sank an enemy supply ship
of some 3,000 tons that was escorted by five
anti-submarine vessels. The escorts, with
support from enemy aircraft, counter-attacked
and 33 depth charges were dropped, many of
them exploding close to their target.
Miraculously, Thrasher survived the attacks,
and that evening after dark she surfaced to
recharge her batteries.
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