A Cross Keys soldier killed in the First World War lies in a war grave in France. But long after the guns fell silent another battle continues to rage to give Zephaniah Oram a fitting memorial. MARTIN WADE tells of the Jewish soldier whose grave is marked with a cross.

Zephaniah Orman, the son of Simon and Esther was born in Abertillery in 1891. He used various names throughout his life; the registration of his birth shows Jasapo Chvi Orman, in the 1901 census he was Jepha Orman and he enlisted as Harry Normand.

Simon and his wife were Russian Jews and came to Britain and setup as a drapers and outfitters. The couple arrived in 1880 and lived in Blaenavon and Abercarn before settling in Cross Keys. Zephaniah went to Pontywaun Grammar School.

He joined the 3rd Battalion the Middlesex Regiment in 1910 and was stationed in India in 1911. Sometime later he transferred to the 4th Bn. and went to France as war broke out in August 1914.

He was an early casualty of the war in France. After surviving the battle and retreat from Mons he was made a despatch messenger and he was killed between October 12th and 14th of 1914. He is buried at Vieille-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture, France.

His grave has all the simple dignity of all Commonwealth War graves; the headstone made of Portland stone, the regimental crest, his name of course and a religious symbol. Yet Zephaniah’s stone is etched with a cross, rather than the symbol of Jewishness, the Star of David.

Martin Sugarman has worked for over 20 years with Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX) to highlight the contribution made by Jewish servicemen and women in defending this country.

He sees there is a wrong to be righted. "I first found out about the grave in 2012.” He contacted the synagogue Newport and Gwent researcher Shaun MacGuire to find out more on Pte Orman’s background.

He found out that his brother Reuben, who also died in the First World War has record which confirms he was a Jew confirmed that Zephaniah was his brother.

He wrote to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission asking if Zephaniah's grave could be changed. “I had a very long reply saying that they could not change the grave because Zephaniah's family had had contact with them.

“The CWGC said that they didn't know if the family requested a cross, but that as there was recorded contact with the family they could not change anything about the grave. They have to assume that the family asked for the grave to have a cross.”

Martin adds: "It's so obvious, I can't understand it. Just because the family have communications it doesn't mean they have asked for a cross.

“There is overwhelming proof that Zephaniah was indeed Jewish and no proof at all that he converted.

The Argus itself published some of that proof. We reported in January 1915 on the death of Zephaniah and his brother Reuben. There seems no doubt from this report that soldiers who had fought alongside Pte Orman recognised him as being Jewish.

“Private Zeph Orman was a signaller and he had shown conspicuous bravery at the front. Of him a writer in the “Jewish Chronicle” said “Conversing with a number of wounded men who had recently returned from the front, I chanced to meet a Christian soldier of the 4th Middlesex Regiment who, in glowing language, endorsed the opinions I had already received upon the bravery of our Jewish soldiers in France. Private Orman was reported to me as being the principal signaller of his unit and most popular with all ranks. This Jewish soldier, I was told, had been in many positions of danger and bore a charmed life. My informant observed him moving fearlessly amid ‘showers of bullets and shrapnel.”

Zephaniah is also commemorated too at the Risca Road Synagogue in Newport. On their Roll of Honour it states: "For God, King and Country/Members of Newport Hebrew Congregation who served in the Great War 1914-1919/Those who made the Supreme Sacrifice: Pte R Orman SWB (South Wales Borderers) Pte Z Orman Middlesex Rgt.

In one of his appeals, Martin tells how these errors could have been made at the time. "The CWGC clerical staff could have made a mistake and would have been under great pressure with the sheer volume of casualty work from the First World War, but often families spoke poor English and moved around a lot and letters requesting religious symbols were lost, filled in incorrectly."

He says he is mystified as to why a Jewish family would have requested a cross.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, while sympathetic to Martin’s case were adamant that because there was record of contact with Zephaniah’s family, they could not change the headstone.

In responses to Martin’s many appeals, they have said that the Commission's policy is to “respect the wishes of the next-of-kin as expressed when the headstone was originally engraved."

"For Pte Orman, the cemetery records the details of the next-of-kin. This demonstrates that contact was made with the families after the war. In such cases, and in the absence of any definitive evidence to the contrary, the Commission's position is that, contact having been made, the next-of-kin will have stated which religious emblem was to be used." They added that there is no evidence that errors were made.

They added: "We cannot be in the business of second-guessing decisions recorded as having been made all those years ago by the families. We do know that people sometimes people did indeed make surprising (and perhaps to our contemporary eye inexplicable choices) and I think it is not for us now to 'correct' those choices.”

They also said that in Private Orman's case, where contact with relatives was made at the time – “evidence is required to illustrate that he retained his faith during his time in service”.

Martin says it is important for many reasons: "The grave is a visible sign of the part that Jewish people played in the war. It's important to keep reminding people of this - you'll find many, many graves of Jewish people who died fighting for this country. So many believe our community did not 'do its bit'.

“In faith terms alone it is a significant matter for us to have their sacrifice shown proudly to one and all and be buried with the sign of our people." He adds: "It's an important part of the fight against anti-semitism."

Martin is effusive in his praise for the CWGC’s work and for the care they have taken in responding to his appeals. He says “The Commission, for all its splendid work , cannot go on falling back on decisions made 100 years ago in the rush and fog of war, when overwhelming evidence emerges later and shows that errors have been made.”