Latest news with #Beatrix
Metro
08-05-2025
- General
- Metro
'How Churchill's VE Day speech reached our Nazi camp from a hidden attic radio'
As a hidden radio came to life in the attic of a German concentration camp, a voice almost too impossible to believe began to speak. It was Winston Churchill announcing the end of war in Europe – the famous words which Beatrix Frank became the first person in the notorious Theresienstadt camp to hear. The English woman quickly spread the news of Germany's surrender eighty years ago today, but her fellow inmates didn't feel hope or optimism, but rather fear and dread. This revelation kicked off one family's unbelievable journey to the UK, where another Holocaust survivor was celebrating freedom of his own, after a remarkable escape from Nazi Germany six years earlier. Beatrix's son, Steven Frank, just nine at the time, was on death's door on VE Day, as he was starving and fighting an infestation of worms in his gut. The now 89-year-old told Metro: 'We were still under German occupation and people were terrified of what the Germans were going to do before the war ended that night. 'We thought they were going to get rid of as many Jews as they could before midnight.' Steven, his mum, and his brothers Nick and Carrel had been living in the Theresienstadt ghetto and transit camp since September 1944. While Beatrix was from England, the Dutch Jewish family had been living in Amsterdam, where Steven's father was in the resistance. But when his dad was betrayed and sent to Auschwitz, the remaining trio ended up in a string of camps before arriving at Theresienstadt. The camp, in Czechoslovakia, was partly a 'holding pen' for Jewish people before they were taken to death camps, and a ghetto designed to kill as many inmates as possible. 'People were dying all over the place. Starvation was rampant. There was little food about,' Steven said. It was because Beatrix was able to claim extra rations by working in the camp's hospital laundry that she and her three boys were able to stay alive. It meant they were well enough to notice that the end of the war was fast approaching. 'The turning point was when the planes going overhead did not have black crosses on their wings. 'They were white stars, which were American planes, not German. 'We began to realize that something was changing.' It was on VE Day in 1945, when Steven's mum, Beatrix, got to hear the news that the thousands of prisoners had been waiting for. She was approached by Russian prisoners of war in the camp and taken to a radio they had hidden in their attic. Steven explained: 'They knew something important was going to be broadcast, but it was going to be in English. 'So they asked my mother if she would listen to it, and they took her up in the attic, and they gave her a piece of paper with a pencil. 'So my mother listened, and it was Winston Churchill broadcasting over the overseas service of the BBC from the Cabinet War Rooms. 'My mother was probably the very first person in the camp to realise that at midnight, the war would be over.' Steven, who was in a children's home in the camp, soon learned the news of Germany's surrender, but also heard rumours that Germany was about to destroy the camp before they stopped fighting for good. Sorry, this video isn't available yet. He added: 'The Germans absolutely hated us. They were building the gas chambers in Theresienstadt. 'There had even been a rumour that they dynamited the camp. 'It felt touch and go whether the war was going to end before we were going to die.' But when the camp woke up on May 9, the Soviet Red Army were at the gates of the camp and liberated Theresienstadt. 'There was a sigh of relief that the threat of death, the threat of deportation, the threat of being gassed was now over. 'But then somehow or other we had to try and keep living. People were quietly happy but determined to try to keep alive.' In the months that followed, the Franks embarked on a remarkable journey through Europe to get to London, where Beatrix's family lived. She begged the Red Cross not to take them back to Holland, where she feared all of her family were dead. They then talked their way onto a British plane at the Czech city of Pilsen, and again managed to get a flight to London from Paris. It was there, after driving through the Blitz-destroyed London, that Beatrix reunited with her father and began a new life with her children in England. Steven said: 'It was an extraordinary journey and tremendous ingenuity and determination by my mum. 'VE day of course has always been very important to me because it's about veterans. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't be here today.' Just six years earlier, Gerald Granston left a German port heading to Cuba, but in a life-saving twist ,ended up in England. The SS St Louis was the ship, soon to be infamous, of Jewish refugees that nobody wanted. By the time it departed Hamburg on May 13 1939, passengers Gerald and his father had survived devastating Nazi persecution in their home town in Eastern Germany. Their synagogue had been destroyed during Kristallnacht, the destructive night of attacks against Jewish people in 1938 Gerald, who was six at the time he boarded the St Louis, told Metro: 'Kristallnacht was a catalyst. The synagogue was totally trashed. It was obvious, even as a six-year-old, that it was state prejudice.' 'I was told that when I walked past a policeman, I had to walk in the gutter and not look at him.' It is no surprise, then, that the mood inside the SS St Louis was jubilant as Gerald, his father and 900 other Jewish refugees sailed away from Germany to Cuba. 'Even at six I could see my father smiling again,' Gerald said. 'The ship was magnificent. I had never had life like it for two weeks. 'The sailors would tell us: 'When you get to Cuba, you'll love it'.' Cuba was seen as a transit point to get to America, the promise of safety that all Jewish refugees had paid thousands to try to reach. But as the ship pulled up outside the Caribbean Island, one catastrophic problem emerged – Cuba did not want them. Officials refused to let the refugees off the ship, despite a week of haggling, and US officials in Florida did the same days later. So the ship had no option but to turn back and head to Europe. Gerald remembered the horror on board: 'Everything changed on the way back. 'Even I knew that wasn't good. I saw people crying their eyes out, saying 'we are going back to Germany'.' In the end, the ship's passengers did not have to go back to Nazi Germany, as Belgium, France, Holland and the UK agreed to take the refugees. Gerald and his dad arrived in London in June 1939 as two of the 288 passengers taken by the UK. They were the lucky ones – 250 of the other passengers still died at the hands of the Nazi's as Hitler's war machine conquered the whole of Europe in the years to come. Hardship was not over for them either, as Gerald was twice evacuated to avoid the horrors of the Blitz in London. But he was back in the capital to experience one of London's most memorable moments – the rapturous celebrations for VE Day 1945. Gerald added: 'I went along with a family friend. We walked got on the underground from West Hampstead and travelled to Baker Street. 'We wanted to go to the Mall, but people were going mad. 'I remember trying to climb up a pedestrian crossing. Their lights were flashing on and off. 'It was a feeling I'd never felt again. The Germans were beaten.' As Gerald was jubilant on that day, he was all but unaware of the scale of the horrors faced by other Jewish people who were trapped in Europe. More Trending Six million Jewish people, as well as another five million who weren't, were killed at concentration camps, in ghettos or at the hands of German officers during the Holocaust. Both Steven and Gerald have made it their life's mission to educate others, in particular children, about Nazi's Germany persecutions of Jewish people and other minorities through their own stories. The pair have both been awarded British Empire Medals for these efforts. Steven, who has given close to 1000 talks in schools, told Metro: 'It's my thank you to this country for having allowed me to come here, to live here, and brought up here, and to love here, and to bring my family up in this country.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: German police begs UK detectives for help before Madeleine McCann suspect walks free MORE: UK party leaders pay tribute to 'lion-hearted generation' for VE Day MORE: Keir Starmer: My grandad's post-war silence reminds me of our VE Day sacrifice
Metro
30-04-2025
- Health
- Metro
TV soap story prompts 5,000 blood donations leaving girl's family 'gobsmacked'
An episode of Casualty that aired last year prompted 5,000 new blood donation registrations. All I Want For Christmas, which was broadcasted over the festive period in December, focused on the staff at Holby ED dealing with a shortage of vital bags of donated blood. The instalment had real-life stories interspersed throughout, with one of them focusing on a little girl called Beatrix. The youngster, who is four, spent more than a year in Newcastle's Freeman Hospital waiting for a new heart. She appeared in the special Christmas episode to shine a spotlight on the importance of donating blood. Along with thousands of new blood donations, the episode also resulted in 10,000 extra appointments being made to give blood. Beatrix's father Terry said the scale of the impact was 'staggering' and reiterated how vital blood donations are, pointing out that his daughter's life had been saved 'multiple times over' by them. Beatrix's family, who are from County Durham, filmed for the episode in September at their home and Durham Fire Station. Terry noted that young Beatrix was in her 'element' while filming and loved being cheeky with the crew. The NHS noted 1,200 appointments were booked within the hour after the instalment was broadcasted, and also stated 5,000 donations are needed everyday to meet the needs of hospitals and patients. When Terry learnt about the number of people who had signed up as a result of watching the episode, he was 'absolutely gobsmacked'. 'We owe a massive debt of gratitude to every single person that has given blood and continues to do so', Terry said. Beatrix had her heart transplant in 2022. She needed multiple blood transfusions during and in the run up to the operation. Star Barney Walsh, who plays nurse Cam in the show, reflected on the importance of blood donations in a chat with us back in December. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! He said: 'The importance of blood should not be underestimated, because it is the one thing that cannot be replaced and cannot be manufactured. It's either there or it's not. 'From the beginning of the episode, seeing Cam and the particular rigmarole that Cam has to do with the blood from the beginning – out of the fridge into the thing, the clock has to go on, it has to be downstairs by a certain time, has to be on the right shelf at the right time. View More » 'All of these things you'd expect, OK, but the fact that blood can so easily be either contaminated or the fact that blood can be so easily depleted in an ED or in a resus of one room of one hospital is quite scary and quite staggering.' MORE: NHS worker 'had Nazi flag and picture of Hitler in the background of video call' MORE: Children who identify as trans to be tested for autism under new NHS rules MORE: Hip hop star Ebow Graham fell to his death 'after string of NHS and ambulance failings'
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
County Durham heart transplant girl's Casualty role inspires blood donations
A four-year-old girl's appearance on BBC drama Casualty helped prompt 5,000 new blood donor registrations, the NHS has from Burnopfield, County Durham, who spent more than a year in Newcastle's Freeman Hospital waiting for a new heart, appeared in the Christmas special to highlight the importance of with thousands of new donations, the episode also saw 10,000 extra appointments made to donate Terry said the scale of the impact was "absolutely staggering" and that Beatrix's life had been saved "multiple times over" by blood donors. Beatrix's family filmed the episode for the TV medical drama in September at their home and at Durham Fire said his daughter was "in her element" while filming, and when the crew were "asking her to do a thumbs up, she was being cheeky and purposely doing a thumbs down".The NHS said the episode, which featured a number of people who had been affected by blood donation, prompted a "fantastic response" and that 1,200 appointments were booked in the hour immediately after the episode aired. Beatrix had her heart transplant in 2022 and needed multiple blood transfusions both during and in the run up to the Terry heard about the number of people who had signed up, he said he was "blown away and absolutely gobsmacked"."We owe a massive debt of gratitude to every single person that has given blood and continues to do so," he NHS said it needed "5,000 donations every day to meet the needs of hospitals and patients".The episode, All I Want for Christmas, is available on iPlayer and was first shown on BBC One on 21 December. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Euronews
26-04-2025
- General
- Euronews
Warhol artwork was 'probably' binned during Dutch town hall renovation
ADVERTISEMENT An official investigation revealed that the 46 works of art that the municipality of Maashorst in Brabant lost last year 'probably' ended up in bulky waste. One of the lost works is a silkscreen print of Queen Beatrix, which was part of Andy Warhol's 1985 series Reigning Queens l – a series of 16 rare prints of four monarchs; England's Elizabeth II, Beatrix of the Netherlands, Margrethe II of Denmark and Ntombi Twala of Eswatini. This and other works of art, valued at around €22,000 are probably lost forever. The works used to be owned by the municipality of Uden, one of the municipalities that merged into the new municipality of Maashorst in 2022. In the run-up to the merger, Uden's art collection was mapped out. A number of works of art were loaned to the Museum Krona in Uden, some are on display in the new town hall and some have been returned to the artists. In November it became clear that the whereabouts of around fifty artworks was unknown. The municipality reported the matter to the police and called in a research agency to help retrieve the missing pieces. The agency has now concluded, after thorough research and investigation that 46 works of art most likely ended up being binned, a possibility the municipality itself already suspected. During the renovation of the town hall, the artworks were stored in the basement, and were not handled with care, the research concluded. For instance, the artworks were left unprotected, moved a number of times with several pieces even reportedly suffering water damage due to a leak in 2023. The artworks were then taken to the bulky waste at various times. According to the researchers, the municipality lost sight of the artworks because there was no clear policy or protocol in place during the renovation process. More specifically, there were no guidelines for the registration, storage, conservation and security of the pieces. It was also never clearly defined who was responsible for which pieces. When the artworks went missing, the investigation also finds that the municipality failed to react quickly enough. Analysing the results of the investigation by the research agency, the municipality has since acknowledged that there is very little to no hope that the pieces of art will ever be found.
Russia Today
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Dutch town hall throws away Warhol artwork
A Dutch town hall has said it may have accidentally disposed of dozens of works of art, including a piece by famed artist Andy Warhol, during recent renovation works, according to local broadcaster Omroep Brabant. The municipality of Maashorst said on Thursday that the works of art had been stored in a basement during extensive renovations of the town hall last year. An investigation commissioned by the municipality found that 46 works – among them a rare 1980s silkscreen of former Dutch royal Queen Beatrix by Warhol – had gone missing, 'most likely' ending up with bulk waste and unlikely to be recovered. According to the investigation, there were no policies or procedures in place for handling the works during the renovation. Some pieces were loaned to a local museum, others returned to the artists, while those placed in the town hall's basement became damaged. The response was also reportedly slow once the works were found to be missing. The Warhol piece, estimated at around €22,000 ($25,000), was last seen in September 2023, the report said. Maashorst Mayor Hans van der Pas told the Omroep Brabant the artwork must have ended up with the bulk waste sometime during that period. 'This is no way to treat valuable items,' he said. 'But it happened. We regret it.' Warhol, widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, created the print as part of his 1985 'Reigning Queens' series – two years before his death. The series features 16 colorful silkscreen prints portraying four monarchs: Elizabeth II of the UK, Beatrix of the Netherlands, Margrethe II of Denmark, and Ntombi Twala of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). He based the works on official state portraits chosen for their mass circulation on stamps, currency, and other public media. In a separate incident last November, several of Warhol's Reigning Queens silkscreens were stolen during an overnight break-in at the MPV Gallery in the Dutch province of North Brabant. Thieves initially took four prints from the series but abandoned two nearby. The stolen works depicted Queen Elizabeth II and Margrethe II of Denmark, while prints of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini were left behind because they reportedly did not fit in the getaway car.08:59hello Jay, many thanks
