Holocaust Memorial Day: 'Kindertransport saved my life'

[Behind the Aegis]

Ellen Davies was the only one of a family of seven brothers and sisters to survive World War II.

Born into a middle class Jewish family in a village in Germany, she was put on board a train and sent to the UK in 1939 as part of the kindertransport programme.

Sanctioned by the British Government, it rescued about 10,000 Jewish children from central Europe during the months leading up to the outbreak of war.

Mrs Davies, who was taken in by foster parents in Swansea, said she was in no doubt it had saved her life.

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[leftynyc]

1. My cousin's wife's mom

was part of the Kindertransport - she was the only one in her family to survive. She passed away last year after being married for around 60 years, having two children and 5 grandchildren. Sometimes when you saw her she was just gazing off into the distance with an unfathomable look of sadness on her face. Sometimes she would talk about those years some but she mostly kept it all inside. May she rest in peace.

[COLGATE4]

2. I have been with a fair number of

Holocaust survivors who showed the same ineffable sadness. I don't think that anyone who was not subjected to it can understand the impact it has made on those few who lived to give witness to the atrocity.