Mordaunt Cohen

Mordaunt Cohen was born in Sunderland, England on 6 August 1916 and was educated at the Bede Collegiate School.[1] He qualified as a solicitor at twenty-one and set up his own practice the following year.

Cohen volunteered for service in 1940 and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a 2nd Lt (212456), on 4 October 1941,[2] where he served in the Anti-Aircraft (AA) branch. His unit, 251 Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Battery,[3] was posted to West Africa Command. There he commanded Nigerian troops, including Muslims, of the West African Artillery (WAA). In West Africa, he learned Hausa - the lingua franca for Nigerian troops - and trained his men for active service.[4] In Burma, he led them in the fight against the Japanese.[5] At the end of the war his service was recognised with the award of a Mention in Despatches.[6]

After the war, Cohen transferred to the Territorial Army and continued his military service. In 1954, by now a Major, he received the Territorial Decoration.[7] He retired as a Lieutenant-Colonel.[1]

On his demobilisation, Cohen re-established his legal practice. His core work was in industrial relations, representing trade union, but later he became a full-time chair of industrial tribunals.[1] In 1969, he was involved in the foundation of Sunderland Polytechnic and became the first chairman of the Board of Governors, supporting the Rector Dr. Maurice Hutton.[8] In 1992, the institution was, in turn, among the first polytechnics to gain university status.[9] Cohen was an Orthodox Jew. He was a member, and later chairman, of the Association of Jewish ex-Service Men.[1] As a centenarian, he remained active in educating future generations about the Second World War, and in 2017 he was awarded an MBE for this work.[10]

In 1953, Mordaunt married Myrella[1][nb 1]. The couple had two children. Mrs. Cohen was known professionally as: Her Honour Myrella Cohen, QC and was a distinguished figure in her own right.[11] The Cohens were the first British couple to hold simultaneous, full-time judicial positions.[12] Cohen was widowed in 2002 and died himself on 16 March 2019, at the age of 102.[12]