MALCOLM Warne Holland of Leeds is trying to trace the family of his wife's grandfather.

Solomon David Midofsky moved to Cheetham Hill in Manchester around 1906 with his parents Harris and Mary (Miriam).

They came from Augestova in the Russian Empire (now Augustow in Poland).

Harris was a tailor and Solomon followed him into the trade.

Solomon lost touch with his family after 'marrying out', although his father visited secretly for some time after Solomon had established his business in Stockport.

He knew some of his young grandchildren including Malcolm's wife's father Louis.

A very large family of Meads - which Solomon changed the surname to in the 1930s - exists across the Greater Manchester area and Cheshire.

Write to 105 The Avenue, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LD or email mwhassociates@yahoo.co.uk

TODD Winer of Chicago is researching a biography of Bert 'Yank' Levy (1897-1965) - a Canadian-born American who served in the Jewish Legion's 39th Royal Fusiliers in World War I in Palestine.

He taught guerrilla warfare tactics to British Home Guard during World War II.

Contact 1739 W Newport Ave, Chicago IL 60657 USA or email toddwiner@hotmail.com

SUZANNE Belling, executive director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, is looking for her twin first cousins.

They were formerly Susan and Elaine Barron of Manchester, daughters of the late Mary and Jack Barron.

Jack was Suzanne's late father Hyman Barron's brother.

Manchester-born Suzanne emigrated to South Africa with her parents.

Write to PO Box 2009, Cape Town, 8000, telephone +27 214646700 or email sueb@ctjc.co.za

GRAEME Smith, honorary research fellow at University of Strathclyde, is researching the life and times of the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

He is also researching Howard & Wyndham Ltd theatre company which was started in Glasgow in 1895 by ex-Baillie Michael Simons, head of Simons & Simons, the largest fruit brokers in UK, and by David Heilbron, whisky merchant and distiller.

The Simons family chaired Howard & Wyndham Ltd for 50 years, and expanded it to 25 theatres outside London.

Michael Simons lived in Bath Street, Glasgow and later in the west-end of the city. On his death in 1925 he was succeeded as chairman by his son Ernest Isodor Simons, who lived in London and directed the family firm at London's Spitalfield Market.

Ernest Isdodor Simons died in December 1944, and for a time after that the theatre group was chaired by Prince Littler.

Graeme wishes to hear from relatives of Ernest Isodor Simons.

Write to 12 Greenlaw Road, Newton Mearns, Glasgow G77 6ND or email mail.smith@btopenworld.com

SIMON Jackson is looking for descendants of Rachel (née Berkson) and Marks Simon, who were living at 20, Fred Street, Higher Broughton, Salford in 1901.

They married in 1900 in Prestwich, aged 23 and 24 respectively.

Simon also wants to know what became of Jack Lewis, born in 1913, in Prestwich, son of Lazarus Lewis and Leah (née Cohen).

The family lived at 79 Bent Street, Manchester, when Lazarus died in 1929.

In addition, Simon wants information on Dr Barnet Fink (b1900), whose parents lived at 4 Faraday Avenue, Cheetham. His parents were Betsy (died 1936, née Lewis), and Isaac (died 1948).

Other families whom Simon is looking for include Gertrude (née Lewis) and Harry Cohen who had two sons, Jack (born 1921) and Lionel (born 1926); Marie (née Louterman) and Louis Cohen, children Harold (born 1921) and Betty (born 1927); Laurence Block, born in 1926 in Cheltenham, whose mother, Haidee (née Boodson), married Maurice Block in London, but had roots in Manchester.

Finally, he wants to find the family of Dora (née Lewis) and Daniel Kaminsky.

They married in 1910 in Prestwich, where all of their nine children were born: Golda (born and died in 1911); Jacob (born 1912); Bernard (born 1914); Sidney (born 1915); Florrie (born 1917); Abraham (born 1918); Norman (born 1919); Blanch (born 1920); and Beatrice (born 1922).

Write to: 39, Wycherley Crescent, Barnet, Herts. EN5 1AP, telephone 020-8440 4179 or e-mail spjackson85@hotmail.com

SHEILA Pickford of Oldham is seeking information about Raly (Rose) Rabinovich (Ray) nee Finklestein.

Raly, who was born in Riga between 1879 and 1881, married Max Rabinovich before they emigrated to England.

They initially lived in Rusholme Road, Ardwick where they owned a tailor's.

The family, which by now included Leah, Betsy, Mick, Sam, Hymie, Freda, Sylvia and Harry, moved to Elizabeth Street, Cheetham in the first half of the 1930s.

It was around this time they changed their name to Ray. They then moved to Beechfield Street in Cheetham. Rose died in February 1944.

Write to: 3 Harrow Avenue, Oldham OL8 4HZ.

DR Gabriel Sivan of Israel is trying to find descendants of a Mancunian named Dr JS Goller.

His father, Shlomo Tzvi Goller, died in Manchester in 1928 aged 73.

His brother, Rev Dr Izak Goller (1891-1939), was a well-known Zionist poet, playwright and preacher who lived in Liverpool from 1925.

Izak and his wife, Malkah were childless and after he died Malkah went to live with her sister in Manchester.

Dr Sivan is writing an Izak Goller memorial volume which will include a broad selection of his poetry and prose.

Write to: 4/26 Rehov Moshe Hovav, 93717 Jerusalem, telephone (02) 6480511 or email gavsivan@hotmail.com

RICHARD Tutin of Essex wants information about the Hoffman family of Hull.

Isaac Hoffman, a master glazier, was married to Jane (nee Sucher), both originally from Russia /Poland.

Their children were Mary, born 1877 in Russia; Solomon, born 1874 Sheffield; Leah, born 1889 Hull; Ernest, born 1891-2 Hull; and Dora, born 1893 Hull.

The girls' married names are (Mary) Aronovich, (Leah) Kingston and (Dora) Turner.

Solomon married Richard's grandmother's sister Ursula Wood and Ernest married Dora Appleson.

Write to: Goodacre, Wick Road, Burnham on Crouch, Essex CM0 8LS or email tutin@users.bargainoutlet.co.uk

IVAN Stone of Australia wants to make contact with any family or friends who may have know the late Isaac Stone.

Isaac, who may be buried in a Leeds cemetery, moved from Russia to Leeds in the 1880s with his wife Fanny.

They had five children: Jack (Mark), born 1889, Leah, Rose, Rebecca, born 1898 and Samuelb born 1900.

The family subsequently moved to Birmingham. Isaac Stone passed away between 1900 and 1930.

Ivan is also seeking information with any friends of the late Jacob Stone (wife Rosa, born in Newcastle).

They had a daughter, Lily, born in 1891 in Leeds.

In the 1891 census both families lived at 39 Cannon St, Leeds.

Write to: 2/27 Spring Road, Caulfield, South Melbourne 3162, Australia or haspro@hotmail.com

ROSEMARY Wenzerul wants to discover the whereabouts of the Messer family.

Marie (nee Goldston) married Joachim Messer on December 25, 1913 at the South-East London Synagogue.

On June 2, 1914 at the Great Synagogue, Fanny, daughter of the late Mrs Joachim Messer, married Leonard, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Moses Feldman.

The marriage was conducted by the bridegroom's uncle, Dayan Feldman.

Fanny was the daughter of Joachim's first marriage to Margaret.

On April 15, 1915 they had a daughter. At the time they were living at 4 Hanover Gardens, Broughton Park, Manchester.

Both Joachim and Marie are buried at Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery, London.

Marie married Joachim when she was 46 years.

Telephone 01923 677111 or email her at dandr@wenzeds.freeserve.co.uk

PHILIP Wolfson of Glasgow is trying to trace any relations of Harry Ogin.

He would have lived in the London area around 1930 and was friendly with the Cohen family, who later were evacuated to Glasgow around 1940 and changed their name to Collins.

Of the original brothers and sisters the only one remaining is Joe.

Philip's mother, June, was born in London on July 17, 1930.

Write to: 55 Viewpark Drive, Rutherglen, Glasgow G73 3QQ, telephone 0141 569 1244 or email philip.wolfson@alstom.transport.com or wolfsonfamily@btopenworld.com

DAVID George Gordon is looking for information about Samuel Gordon, born in December 1883 in Vilno (Vilna) Russia.

He settled in Chicago around 1904 with his wife Bessie Kubitski. Sam's father was Haskell Gordon, also from Vilno.

Write to: PO Box 1372, Port Townsend, WA 98368, telephone 360-385 5063 or email dggordon@olympus.net

AARON Kent, a post-graduate student at the University of Leeds, is researching the early years of the Jewish Lads' Brigade in the Leeds area as the central part of a study of youth movements in the years 1890-1920.

Aaron of Austin, Texas, is particularly interested in the organisation, membership, activities, and experiences of those who participated in the group.

Write to him at School of History, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT or email aaron.a.kent@btinternet.com

JON Klein of Kentucky is searching for two branches of his family.

First, is the family Broniatowski originally from Czestochowa and Lodz Poland.

Jon can find a wedding record for a Heinrich Broniatowski in London in 1907.

The other family name is Regenbogen. They came from villages such as Bucac and Zbruch in Galicia.

Some lived in London in 1905 and then went on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Write to Jon at University of Louisville, Baxter Biomedical Research Building, 570 South Preston St, Louisville, KY 40202, telephone 502 852 5239 or email him at jon.klein@kdp.louisville.edu

ANGELA Elfassi is trying to find descendants of Florrie nee Stinberg/Stimberg/Steinberg who died in Leeds, on June 11, 1943, and Max Cohen, who died March 22, 1925 in Redcar.

They married around 1893 in Old Central Hebrew Synagogue,Victoria Road, Leeds.

They had seven children - Selina, Sarah, Rebecca, Sidney, Maurice, Ada and Betsy.

Selina married Philip Goldstone. They had four children Ivy, Augusta, Philip and Alec.

Rebecca married a man called Rosorky, while Betsy had seven children with Morris Addleman.

They were: Solomon, Rose, Bernard, Eli, Cecil, Flossie and Lena.

Max, who was Angela's great grand uncle, died in a car crash.

Write to: 7/24 Menachem Begin St, Yehud, 56478, Israel or email aelfassi51@yahoo.com