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Drawing of Staff Sergeant A. Cook, 1st Parachute Brigade
[nb-NO]Object number[nb-NO]M2021/005:001f
[nb-NO]Title[nb-NO]Drawing of Staff Sergeant A. Cook, 1st Parachute Brigade
[nb-NO]Creator[nb-NO] Mike Lewis
[nb-NO]Description[nb-NO]Pencil sketch portrait of a British soldier in uniform, wearing a beret pinned with a badge consisting of two crossed swords. The sketch is labelled "S/Sgt Cook A. Ge. Medal". Part of a collection of drawings by Sergeant Mike Lewis of his fellow servicemen c. 1942 - 1945.
Mike Lewis (born Colman Michael Wiessenberg) was the son of Polish Jews who had come to London before the First World War. Mike was interested in art from a young age, and for a time was able to attend art school at night while balancing various clerical jobs.
Mike was called up in 1940 and joined the Royal Fusiliers, but volunteered for the Parachute regiment in December 1941 to escape the boring routine of Infantry. He successfully passed through the tough parachute training course, despite a fear of heights and the bets placed against him by some of his peers who did not think he had the courage to jump because he was Jewish.
Mike said of the men of the 1st Parachute Brigade: "Every regiment in the army appeared to have volunteers; it was a regional mix with the voices to match... there were some who were surprised that I was Jewish; not having known any Jews, I did not accord with their mythology of a Jew, hooked nose, sallow complexion and greasy ringlets of hair..."
He served in several engagements with the 2nd Parachute Battalion against the Afrika Corps in Algiers and was wounded in the arms and legs. After hospitalisation in Tunis, Mike joined the newly formed Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU) in Algiers when he heard they were setting up an Airborne Section. He took part in the airborne invasion of Sicily, but his plane was hit by flak and returned to the UK.
In September 1944, he went on to cover the battle for the bridge at Arnhem, The Netherlands, re-joining his comrades from the Parachute Brigade. In his diary, Mike described the operation at Arnhem as a failure from the start. After eight days the remnants of the division were withdrawn; the numbers about 25% of the original strength. "The fact that the objective at Arnhem could not be gained was not the fault of the men. I saw how they fought. In defeat they won victory for themselves." This drawing of Staff Sergeant Cook was most likely completed mid-1944, in the lead up to Arnhem.
These drawings are part of larger collection of photographs, documents, artworks and objects that formed the personal archive of Mike Lewis. The archive documents his wartime experiences, in particular his role as one of the combat cameramen who filmed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from 15-26 April 1945. After the war, Mike went on to work as a news cameraman for the BBC until his retirement. He died in Australia on 8 April 1986.
Mike Lewis (born Colman Michael Wiessenberg) was the son of Polish Jews who had come to London before the First World War. Mike was interested in art from a young age, and for a time was able to attend art school at night while balancing various clerical jobs.
Mike was called up in 1940 and joined the Royal Fusiliers, but volunteered for the Parachute regiment in December 1941 to escape the boring routine of Infantry. He successfully passed through the tough parachute training course, despite a fear of heights and the bets placed against him by some of his peers who did not think he had the courage to jump because he was Jewish.
Mike said of the men of the 1st Parachute Brigade: "Every regiment in the army appeared to have volunteers; it was a regional mix with the voices to match... there were some who were surprised that I was Jewish; not having known any Jews, I did not accord with their mythology of a Jew, hooked nose, sallow complexion and greasy ringlets of hair..."
He served in several engagements with the 2nd Parachute Battalion against the Afrika Corps in Algiers and was wounded in the arms and legs. After hospitalisation in Tunis, Mike joined the newly formed Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU) in Algiers when he heard they were setting up an Airborne Section. He took part in the airborne invasion of Sicily, but his plane was hit by flak and returned to the UK.
In September 1944, he went on to cover the battle for the bridge at Arnhem, The Netherlands, re-joining his comrades from the Parachute Brigade. In his diary, Mike described the operation at Arnhem as a failure from the start. After eight days the remnants of the division were withdrawn; the numbers about 25% of the original strength. "The fact that the objective at Arnhem could not be gained was not the fault of the men. I saw how they fought. In defeat they won victory for themselves." This drawing of Staff Sergeant Cook was most likely completed mid-1944, in the lead up to Arnhem.
These drawings are part of larger collection of photographs, documents, artworks and objects that formed the personal archive of Mike Lewis. The archive documents his wartime experiences, in particular his role as one of the combat cameramen who filmed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from 15-26 April 1945. After the war, Mike went on to work as a news cameraman for the BBC until his retirement. He died in Australia on 8 April 1986.
[nb-NO]Date[nb-NO] 1943 - 1944
[nb-NO]Subject[nb-NO]armed forces, Allied military operations, liberators, art
[nb-NO]Object name[nb-NO]drawings
[nb-NO]Dimensions[nb-NO]
- width: 215.00 mm
height: 255.00 mm
[nb-NO]Credit line[nb-NO]Sydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Helen Lewis
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.