Sonja describes her experiences after arriving in Britain. SH: And so we arrived, we went to London first where we had rich relations but they only took us to see the sights. You know what it was like? INT: Yes. I think that was common. SH: Yes. We saw the Bank of England and everything … Read more
Geraldine talks about the increasing difficulties facing her mother and her grandmother as the war progressed. She describes their time in Theresienstadt and then in Auschwitz where her mother’s skills saved her life, when she was forced to draw for the notorious Dr Mengele. INT: That’s interesting. And life obviously changed very significantly for your … Read more
Once in Glasgow, Walter goes to school, his mother finds work, though his father is interned on the Isle of Man. INT: Why Glasgow? WG: My father was interned in the Isle of Man right away so it was just my mother and sister and myself that were at liberty so to speak and Glasgow … Read more
INT: Did you see soldiers? SU : Well you see what we had in Hungary was an Arrow Cross, special sort of branch of the gendarmerie, they were Nazis but the regime was under István Horthy who was in charge of the land. I remember distinctly when the Germans came into Budapest because what happened … Read more
Susan notes that Jews in Hungary were only rounded up in 1944. She speaks of her family and herself being transported to Auschwitz but explains how it was that she survived and the others died. She describes how she was chosen to be part of a work detail in Lippstadt in Germany and describes her … Read more
In this section, Sidney describes how he arrived in England and explains why he came to Scotland. He talks about the fate of his family and mentions what happened to their property in Germany. And on Crystal Night in 1938, November, we had to leave. My father was arrested. He was taken to Dachau Concentration … Read more
INT: I was just going to ask which town was she living in when she came back? Was it the same town? ST: Yes. It was a little town outside of Jagerndorf. INT: Right. ST: And I’ve forgotten it…it’s Lobenstein, Lobenstein. So I’m not sure. I’m assuming that the Gestapo made some kind of base, … Read more
INT: So when did you leave Germany? Tell us about that. R.F: I left Germany end of 1938 together with a very good friend. INT: And he had connections in Switzerland, that’s why you went there. Is that right? R.F: Yes, connections. INT: Family? INT: What age were you then? R.F: Twenty-three. INT: And how … Read more
INT: And the rest of your town, what happened to them? The 80%? MG: I would say 95% were probably executed.INT: Right. MG: In two actions. I don’t remember the details actually. My cousin was particularly interested in this MG: Yes. It’s not just himself; several people took part in it. So, some people did … Read more
Marianne describes what happened to her and her family when the Germans invaded Hungary. She speaks about the ghettos set up in her town and her time in the local brickworks before being put into cattle wagons. She goes on to explain that she and her family were selected to work in Austria, though many … Read more