Veteran Mervyn Kersh awarded BEM in New Year Honours List

Everyone at the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans is absolutely delighted that our dear friend, 101-year-old WWII veteran Mervyn Kersh, has been recognised in the New Year Honours List with the award of the British Empire Medal (BEM).

Mervyn has been a familiar and much-loved face on Taxi Charity trips for many years, regularly travelling with his daughter Lynne, and has built a special bond with London cab drivers through his warmth, humour and remarkable life story. His award is richly deserved and recognises the tireless work he has carried out over decades, educating young people about the Holocaust and the importance of remembrance.

Mervyn's wartime service forms an extraordinary chapter of Britain’s World War II history. Serving with British forces during the conflict, he took part in some of the most significant events of the war. After a 14-hour Channel crossing, Mervyn came ashore on D-Day, landing on Gold Beach at the western end of the British sector, alongside American forces at Omaha.

Moving through France, Belgium and Holland, Mervyn eventually reached Germany, arriving at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp only days after it had been liberated. The scenes he witnessed there would remain with him for the rest of his life.

In the years since the war, Mervyn has devoted himself to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. He has spoken to countless schoolchildren, students and community groups, sharing his experiences with honesty, dignity and compassion. His talks are deeply moving and unforgettable, helping younger generations understand not only history, but the consequences of hatred and intolerance.

In June 2025, on the Taxi Charity trip to Normandy for the D-Day commemorations, Mervyn joined other veterans to talk to students from a school in Paris, who had travelled by coach to Normandy to hear the veterans talk about the war and answer questions from the young people. The meeting was scheduled for an hour but ran significantly over as neither the students nor the teachers wanted to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.

London cab drivers have played a special role in supporting Mervyn and fellow veterans through the Taxi Charity, ensuring they can attend commemorations, remembrance events and educational visits. Mervyn often speaks fondly of the kindness shown to him by drivers and the friendships formed along the way.

Congratulations, Mervyn - from everyone at the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and across the London taxi trade.

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Mervyn wrote this poem in August 2018

A Veteran

I’ll go again to Normandy

Where I was once before,

But then I was in uniform

In June of forty four.

True, I landed on a beach

On that early summer’s day

But I am not a ‘Hero’

Whatever you may say.

It took a year to rescue them;

Nation after nation,

In the war we fought to free them

From under German domination.

That done we came back home again

To live our lives and wed,

But thousands stay there buried:

They are the ‘faithful dead.’

I am not a ‘Hero,’

Despite the medals that I wear.

They merely mean that those I have

Just prove that I was there.

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Mervyn's daughter, Lynne, writes:

Of course, I’m immensely proud of my father for being awarded his British Empire Medal. In some ways it means even more than his many other awards.

I’ll explain...

His taking part in D-Day or being an eye witness at the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen wasn’t out of choice but rather a quirk of fate which befell a young lad all those many years ago.

His managing to (so far) reach the rarified age of 101 is also not out of choice exactly but perhaps more to do with his voracity for huge amounts of daily chocolate!

What makes this BEM medal so special is that it is awarded for my father’s life-long choice, commitment and achievement in speaking out, educating young and old alike and doing everything he possibly can to ensure that the moral lessons of WWII are not forgotten and that, especially today, educated with this knowledge we never allow the same mistakes to happen again.

This fervour and vocation is what his BEM recognises.

Our World War II veterans are often celebrated merely for their part in the war and for living to such a ripe old age but I believe that it’s what they’ve each achieved since their youth, how they’ve lived throughout the ensuing 80 years, how they’ve coped with what life has thrown at them since, that makes them truly special women and men.

The support of charities, such as the Taxi Charity and Poppy Cabs, ensures that these special people’s invaluable and rich lives can not only seen, heard and celebrated by us all but that our veterans themselves are given the opportunity to still be seen, heard and celebrated and for us to learn from them.

Oh and let’s not forget the chocolate!