JDA Magazine May 2025 Paperturn - Flipbook - Page 38
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My Life Story at 100!
Interview with Martin Binysh — by Brinthan
I was born in London in 1925. There were 昀椀ve of
us in my family — my mother and father and my
two brothers, Victor and Harry.
My father came from Poland and moved to
England, bringing the family with him. In London,
he owned two shops — a drapery and a shoe shop.
They were both a few doors away from each other,
in Hoxton. My father ran the drapery business,
while my eldest brother looked after the shoe shop.
As a little boy, I would drop by both shops!
When I was three years old,
I went to the Residential School
for Jewish Deaf Children
(RSJDC). Here, I met my oldest
friend, Miriam Solomon, who
I still see at JDA. I was happy at
boarding school because I had
Deaf friends, but every time my
parents came to visit me, I was
upset afterwards, as I missed
them.
At school, English was my favourite subject.
But I also learnt a lot by myself — I loved American
comics, and I have Batman and Marvel comics to
thank for my English literacy skills!
I started learning sewing at school and, when
I left school, I pursued tailoring and became a very
good tailor.
Soon afterwards, World War Two broke out.
During the war, Deaf people were always the last
to know the news. I would see war planes above
me in the skies, and I saw bombs and 昀椀re 昀氀ames
on the ground. But I had very little information
and just got on with life.
It was a scary time. One day, I was in the cinema
watching a 昀椀lm when, suddenly, everyone got up
and left in a rush. Being Deaf, I had no clue why.
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JDATogether — Issue 50 — May 2025
When I went outside, I saw war planes 昀椀ghting
each other in the sky — it was the famous Battle of
Britain. I ran onto the tram and sped away from
the full red 昀氀ames behind me. These memories
have stayed with me for life, I never forget them.
During the war, as a young man, I worked in
tailors’ shops. Then, one day, I had to stop
tailoring and went to work in my father’s shop as
a cashier looking after the till.
After the war, I learnt a new trade and became a
watch maker. I worked for one watch company
in Islington with Jack Schwartz. For a while, we
worked together for a company called Steven
Strauss & Co near Farringdon. Barry David joined
the 昀椀rm in 1974, and the three of us would sit and
have lunch together and play darts. Mark Hart
and Harold Fallman also worked with us brie昀氀y.
David Stellman worked in a jewellery shop in
nearby Hatton Garden. It felt like Farringdon was
a little Deaf hub!
My lovely wife Chana was French and attended the
famous Deaf school in Paris, St Jacqueline. In the
1950’s I travelled to France to meet her, and a year
later we got married in Paris. My wife then moved
to London with me. We had two children, my son
Steven and my daughter Sylvia.
