ID Bracelet (Object)
World War II
2018.45
What do you see? We can see the name ‘Marjorie Joseph’ written on a metal tag. We can also see that the tag is attached to a chain on either side. Look closely, what do you see? What do we know? This is a child’s identity bracelet which belonged to Marjorie Joseph, from Merthyr Tydfil,...
Copyright/attribution: Jewish Museum London
Copyright/attribution: Jewish Museum London
Description
What do you see?
We can see the name ‘Marjorie Joseph’ written on a metal tag. We can also see that the tag is attached to a chain on either side. Look closely, what do you see?
What do we know?
This is a child’s identity bracelet which belonged to Marjorie Joseph, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. ID bracelets like this one were worn during the second World War, by non-evacuees, in the likelihood of separation/death.
Marjorie’s grandparents immigrated to Palestine from Belarus during the Ottoman Turkish rule when they were only sixteen years old. When life in Palestine became difficult for them after World War I, Marjorie’s grandparents were told by the Welsh Palestine police that there were jobs in Merthyr Tydfil, a town with coal mines, iron and steelworks. The iron and steelworks were a well-known industry in Merthyr Tydfil at this time and included projects such as forging the Trans Russia/Siberian rail-track. The Joseph family were active members of the Jewish community and worshiped at the Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue.
What do you wonder?
We might wonder if Marjorie actually wore this bracelet? We might wonder how Marjorie’s grandparents felt when they arrived in Merthyr Tydfil? What do you wonder?
Discussion Questions
Why did many Jewish families, including the Joseph family, decide to migrate to Wales in the early 20th century?
Why reasons might cause people to migrate to new countries today?