Life after Auschwitz
On 27 January 1945, Soviet soldiers entered the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp in south-west Poland. The site had been evacuated by the Nazis just days earlier. Thus ended the largest mass murder in a single location in human history.
Precise numbers are still debated but, according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, the German SS systematically killed at least 960,000 of the 1.1 million to 1.3 million Jews sent to the camp. Other victims included approximately 74,000 Poles, 21,000 Roma, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war and at least 10,000 from other nationalities. More people died at Auschwitz than at any other Nazi concentration camp.
Susan Pollack and Ivor Perl were children when they were transported to the camp, two of an ever-decreasing number of survivors able to provide firsthand testimony of what happened to them. They speak to Anushka Asthana about their time at Auschwitz, and how they rebuilt their lives afterwards.
With thanks to Arthur Cary. His documentary The Last Survivors features Susan and Ivor.
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North Wales Live
3 days ago
- North Wales Live
Stone cross landmark on Great Orme used to create Star of David
The removal of a cross made from stones on the Great Orme to create a Star of David has been criticised. The grass hillside - known as the 'Hill of Names' near the Great Orme summit in Llandudno is used by locals and visitors to create symbols and messages from the loose stones from a nearby quarry. This has included a large cross which some say has been there for decades. But on Friday a group of young people were filmed kicking down the stones. Some then carried the stones away and created a Star of David symbol on the hillside. It is a widely recognised symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism. In video footage seen by North Wales Live some of the group involved appeared to be in Orthodox Jewish dress. The incident sparked huge anger locally and an instant response, with people coming to restore the cross. Some said it was a shame the actions of a very small minority had caused reputational damage in a town where Jewish families have played a prominent role as well as there being a long history of Jewish visitors enjoying the town. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now Scott Puddey was one of those who helped restore the cross after hearing about the incident. He said: "I've just been up the Orme and thankfully normal service has been restored just finished off the last couple of corners just to make sure as someone has already cleared most of it. I helped restore the cross not for any religion purpose just that it's been a part of Llandudno for over 50 years and looked after by locals and holidaymakers alike." Another person added: "Glad the cross has been restored it's been there longer than I can remember, well done to whoever restored it." A local man commented, saying: "I am a white British Muslim who lives happily in Llandudno and a large part of my life in Gwynedd. This is not only disrespectful but as that cross has been there a long time and has become part of the landscape." Another added: "I've got no issue with other people seeing a symbol and being inspired to add their own, but destroying one symbol to add another is such an unbelievably poor choice." Some feared it would unfairly stir up anger and prejudice against Orthodox Jewish visitors who had been "happily visiting for well over 100 years". One person said that Llandudno's heritage includes many "lovely Jewish families" and that they "would certainly have something to say about this". Professor Nathan Abrams, who has worked to uncover and document stories of Jewish history and heritage in north west Wales, said: "These actions, if verified, have been committed by a tiny minority of Jews and should not be allowed to obscure the long history of Jews visiting and living in Llandudno that dates back over a hundred years. "Llandudno has and continues to have a fascinating Jewish heritage, which we are continuing to explore. "However, these actions in no way justify the outpouring of anti-Semitic prejudice I have read on Facebook, and it didn't take much to reveal the depth of prejudice bubbling beneath the surface."
Metro
5 days ago
- Metro
How a remote Royal Navy base celebrated VJ Day - and the horrors they saw after
Bill Jones witnessed the horrors of the war against Japan after the enemy surrendered on VJ Day Each year that August 15 rolls around, William 'Bill' Jones casts his mind back to VJ Day. It was when, 80 years ago, that Japan announced it had surrendered to the Allied Forces. And while thousands of people in the UK held street parties and parades celebrating the end, Bill's memories from that time are far more bittersweet. The 99-year-old was 14 and living in Penistone, South Yorkshire, when the UK and France declared war on Germany in September 1939 a few days after the Nazis invaded Poland. Six years later, he had been sent 8,500 miles away to a remote Pacific Island, waiting for news of a surrender from Japan. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Bill Jones joined the Navy when he was just 18 (Picture:Royal British Legion) He had decided when he was 18 he would join the Navy in 1944, which led him being trained for combat and sent into action. But instead of fighting German U-Boats in the Atlantic, he was dispatched to the Pacific, where Japanese forces were stubbornly resisting allied advances. The veteran said: 'I had been an engineer, so they made me a metal worker. We went out in a liner all the way to Australia, where we took a carrier into the war zone. That's when it started.' In March 1945, his team of engineers landed in a little coral island of Ponam, off the north coast of Papua New Guinea. By that time, the war in the Pacific had advanced with ruthless intensity. Bill worked on Ponam (pictured) repairing British aircraft during the last months of the war (Picture: Royal British Legion) Bill recalled: 'The Kamikazes were attacking our ships, so we were busy assembling, maintaining and repairing aircrafts for our carriers.' When the war in Europe ended, there was still no end in sight for Bill and his British comrades. Despite the devastating fire-bombing of their cities and the crippling of their armed forces, the Japanese refused to surrender in Asia. Just as Bill was planning to take a Dakota transport plane to Australia for some well-earned rest, the world changed forever. On August 6, the US dropped a nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, killing 70,000 people instantly. Three days later, another one landed on Nagasaki, killing another 40,000 in the blink of an eye. The moment the Nagasaki bomb detonated, as seen from 9.6km away (Picture: Getty) It took just six more days, until August 15, for the Japanese Emperor to concede his country's defeat in a radio broadcast to his people. So it was in a stiflingly-hot, mosquito-riven island when Bill heard that the Second World War had finally come to an end. The news triggered raucous celebrations across the Navy base – including with one unique tradition carried out across the Pacific. It might seem unusual now, but sailors in the Royal Navy had a daily allowance of rum, called a 'tot', an equivalent to about two shots. But on special celebratory occasions, the order was given to 'splice the mainbrace' and allow for the soldiers to have an extra tot of rum. On VJ day, Bill and his fellow soldiers were delighted to learn they could have an extra tot, and embarked across their own parties on the island. He even has a picture of the day, giving a clue about what they all got up to now that his memories have faded. An image from Ponam, believed to be VJ Day – celebrations in full swing. Bill is bottom right, wearing an American hat (Picture:Royal British Legion) But after several days of celebrations, the servicemen were soon reminded of the horrors of war that people across the globe had faced. Two Dakota jets, originally lined up to take Bill and his comrades to Australia before they headed back to the UK, were diverted to Japan to collect prisoners of war. 'On their way back, the Dakotas stopped off at Ponam to refuel,' Bill said. Japanese treated prisoners of war brutally. Pictured is a Japanese camp for British POWs at Kamburi (Picture: Imperial War Museum) 'The prisoners were as thin as rakes, and covered with bruises where they had been beaten, some of them had been prisoners for over three years. 'The canteen prepared food for them but they couldn't eat it. I've never seen anything like it my life, what happened to them. 'We put them back on the planes as soon as possible, to get them to hospital in Australia.' According to the Imperial War Museum, Japan's early successes in East Asia during the Second World War resulted in more than 190,000 British and Commonwealth troops being taken prisoner. It added that at the time, the Japanese military's philosophy was that 'anyone surrendering was beneath contempt.' This means prisoners were held in brutal camps and forced to work exhausting infrastructure projects. Prisoners working on a railway bridge between Thailand & Burma during the second world war. 26,000 Allied prisoners of war who were forced to work on the project died from ill-treatment, malnutrition & disease (Picture: BBC Picture Archives) One of these was the Burma-Thailand 'Death Railway', of which 16,000 died in the brutal construction. British, Commonwealth and Indian troops meanwhile fought Japanese soldiers during the Burma Campaign from December 1941 to September 1945 in the Second World War. The conditions they faced were unimaginable, said Mark Cann, who is the director of the Burma Star Memorial Fund, which honours those who fought during that time. He told Metro: 'They were in this hot, humid jungle full of snakes and spiders and raging river torrents, and nonstop rain. 'There were diseases: dysentery, malaria and cholera. British Commandos wading ashore at Myebon, Burma from a Royal Indian Navy landing craft in January 1945 (Picture: Collection/ANL/Shutterstock) 'The enemy were absolutely terrifying, uncompromising and initially perceived as the real experts of that terrain. 'The fact that they had all of that, all at once, for a sustained period, is what I think we can never really fully understand.' It is because of all of these challenges that when VJ Day arrived, it was a moment of celebration as much as remembrance, Mark said. 'People were celebrating the fact they'd survived. It was a moment of euphoria. It was a moment of 'Bloody hell, I've survived. Thank God. It's over and we won',' he added. Campaigners and charities have said that this year's VJ Day carries extra weight, as it's likely to be the last opportunity to recognise the sacrifices of veterans while a handful of them are still alive. Bill has never forgotten what he saw when those liberated soldiers landed back in Ponam. (Picture:Royal British Legion) Mark added: 'The opportunity VJ80 represents to lay strong foundations for the future is an opportunity not to be missed. 'The life we enjoy now has always, and will always, be preserved by young people marching towards danger, to stand in harm's way for us and the values we hold dear as a nation. 'The debt we owe those young people is immense and we will continue to do everything possible to ensure it is never forgotten.' For Bill, who returned to the UK on Christmas Eve in 1945, it's the servicemen who never made it home that he pays tribute to. 'I was very lucky that I was in the right place at the right time. If I mark VJ Day, it's for the lads that lost their lives.' Bill will be attending the Royal British Legion's Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, which is broadcast live on BBC One from 11:30am. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: The rudest name ever for a video game was a complete accident Arrow MORE: How four people survived one of the deadliest plane crashes that killed 520 Arrow MORE: Meet Britain's Doomsday preppers stockpiling for World War Three
Scottish Sun
01-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
Breakthrough in hunt for Hitler's gold with dig to begin for legendary £250m ‘Amber Room' treasure stolen by Nazis
The man leading the hunt has spent the last decade searching for the legendary train GOLD RUSH Breakthrough in hunt for Hitler's gold with dig to begin for legendary £250m 'Amber Room' treasure stolen by Nazis Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BREAKTHROUGH may have been made in the hunt for Hitler's legendary gold train - said to be packed with jewels, gold and the lost £250m Amber Room. Since 1945, governments, the Polish Army and treasure hunters have scoured the terrain searching for the train - and now they believe its location may be in northern Poland. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Legend has it that the train holds up to £20bn worth of Nazi treasure, including the contents of the Amber Room (pictured in 1917) 4 Poland's deputy culture minister said in 2015 that he was 99 percent sure of the existence of the fabled Nazi train 4 Polish authorities have officially granted permission for a new search, according to Wirtualna Polska. Gdańsk's Office for the Protection of Monuments has reportedly approved drilling and archaeological surveys in Dziemiany - located in the Kościerzyna district of northern Poland. The search aim to uncover a suspected WWII-era bunker, which could conceal the fabled train and its valuable artefacts. Marcin Tymiński, spokesperson for the Pomeranian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments, said there might be a hidden German deposit in Dziemiany. read more world news GOLD TRAIN Nazi gold train hunters uncover letter 'revealing location of Hitler's treasure' 'Some speculate it could even be the lost Amber Room,' he added. The Nazis established a military training ground in Dziemiany for SS units at the end of 1943, according to Jan Delingowski who is leading the treasure hunt. Delingowski, a former merchant fleet radio officer, has spent the last decade searching for the legendary train in the region of Kashubia. In an interview on the YouTube channel History Hiking on Sunday, he pointed to historical evidence linking the suspected treasure site to Nazi official Erich Koch, RMF24 reports, RMF24 reports. Erich Koch was a Gauleiter of the Nazis in East Prussia from 1928 until 1945. After WWII, Koch was tried in Poland and convicted in 1959 for war crimes - including responsibility for the deaths of around 400,000 Poles. Mystery of Nazi shipwreck that may hold £100million of Hitler's GOLD & the legendary 'Amber Room' treasure Koch was sentenced to death, but the sentence was never carried out - officially due to his poor health. However, according to declassified files from Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), cited by Rzeczpospolita, the real reason was that the communist-era Polish Security Service and the Soviet KGB hoped he would reveal the location of the Nazi gold train. An inmate who met Koch in the 1980s claimed the Nazi official revealed the treasure's hiding place before his death. Citing the inmate's account, Delingowski says the convoy veered off the road 'somewhere between Czersk and Człuchów, heading toward the Oder'. 4 The hunt for the Nazi gold train has lasted decades Credit: Getty Images - Getty The crates are said to be stashed in a bunker disguised and hidden 'on a hill near a lake, at the site of former SS barracks'. Previous explorations of the region led to the discovery of a brick tank, Wirtualna Polska reports. Based on the testimony and Delingowski's decade-long research, authorities have granted permission to investigate the site. The official decision reads: 'Based on findings from prior heritage surveys, there is reason to believe that a World War II-era slit bunker is located on the plot (...), which may qualify as a historical monument. "Furthermore, historic material - including archaeological artefacts - may be present inside and around it.'
