Monday, February 14, 2011

Holocaust Memorial Day - Suitcase Kindertransport

This photograph is from the statue commentating the Suitcase Kindertransport in the aptly named Hope Square outside Liverpool Station in East London. 

Before the Second World War nearly 10,000 children (mostly Jewish but also many children of left wing opponents) were sent to the UK from Germany and saved from being murdered by the Nazi.  Many of them arrived in the UK via Liverpool Street Station.

On the 27th January it was Holocaust Memorial Day.  In many Newham schools they held workshops and ceremonial remembrance events.  In Essex Primary School in Manor Park, Ruth Barnet, who was actually one of these Suitcase Kindertransport children who fled to safety and who then went to this school, gave a speech to the school together with our Mayor, Sir Robin Wales. Check out also The Newham Mag (page 14)

The original tale of the Suitcase Kindertransport has been one of the top ten posts of the week on my blog for quite a while.

Update: Check out more photos of statue on Facebook here

3 comments:

mysonsi said...

How wonderful- at long last a memorial to those special children who were spared the cruel fate of so many of their peers. Inspirational considering many of them suffered losing their parents and families.

John Gray said...

it is a special place.

Anonymous said...

yes excellent post
and great statue

arriving at a station where the local population would have to take refuge from nazi bombs