Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1893-1945 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 file
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
This collection of family papers consists primarily of letters from the Jewish parents, Franz and Hertha Kuhn in Berlin, to their daughter, Hannele or Hannah, who had managed to find refuge in Great Britain, having come out on one of the Kindertransporte in 1939. The letters give a very moving account of the trials and tribulations of a very close-knit, loving family split asunder by the Nazis and ultimately condemned to death.
Repository
Archival history
GB 1556 WL 1574 1893-1945 collection 1 file Kuhn , Hannele , c 1925 , Jewish refugee
This collection of family papers consists primarily of letters from the Jewish parents, Franz and Hertha Kuhn in Berlin, to their daughter, Hannele or Hannah, who had managed to find refuge in Great Britain, having come out on one of the Kindertransporte in 1939. The letters give a very moving account of the trials and tribulations of a very close-knit, loving family split asunder by the Nazis and ultimately condemned to death.
Deposited by the Family.
Papers of Hannele Kuhn, 1893-1945, comprise family correspondence and papers. The letters give a very moving account of the experience of a very close-knit, family split by the Nazis and ultimately condemned to death. The correspondence includes Red Cross telegrams between Hannele and her parents and an aunt (Meta) in Treibnitz, who was last heard of towards the end of the war and is thought to have been killed during the Russian advance. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from the parents to Hannele and her guardians. The first few deal with a failed attempt to get Hannele out by the Salvation Army. Most of them are dated up to end of 1940, by which time they were smuggled out by a mutual friend.
Amongst the last letters are a couple from the intermediary after the deportation of Hertha and Franz. Perhaps the most poignant is the parents' last letter, dated 22 June 1942, which, having been re-read some 50 years later by Hannele, is thought to be a farewell letter, containing words of advice on how to lead her life. In addition to the above are a few copy birth, marriage and death certificates pertaining to the Kirk family (Hannele's husband, also a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany).
Chronological by material type and subject matter.
Open
Copies can be made for personal use. Permission must be sought for publication.
German and English
Description exists to this archive on the Wiener Library's online catalogue www.wienerlibrary.co.uk.
Entry compiled by Howard Falksohn.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
March 2008 Wars (events) Antisemitism International conflicts Jews Kuhn , Hannele , c 1925 , Jewish refugee Migrants Nazism Political doctrines Racial discrimination Refugees Religious groups Totalitarianism War World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945)
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Deposited by the Family.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Hannele Kuhn, 1893-1945, comprise family correspondence and papers. The letters give a very moving account of the experience of a very close-knit, family split by the Nazis and ultimately condemned to death. The correspondence includes Red Cross telegrams between Hannele and her parents and an aunt (Meta) in Treibnitz, who was last heard of towards the end of the war and is thought to have been killed during the Russian advance. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from the parents to Hannele and her guardians. The first few deal with a failed attempt to get Hannele out by the Salvation Army. Most of them are dated up to end of 1940, by which time they were smuggled out by a mutual friend.
Amongst the last letters are a couple from the intermediary after the deportation of Hertha and Franz. Perhaps the most poignant is the parents' last letter, dated 22 June 1942, which, having been re-read some 50 years later by Hannele, is thought to be a farewell letter, containing words of advice on how to lead her life. In addition to the above are a few copy birth, marriage and death certificates pertaining to the Kirk family (Hannele's husband, also a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Chronological by material type and subject matter.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
Copies can be made for personal use. Permission must be sought for publication.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
German and English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Description exists to this archive on the Wiener Library's online catalogue www.wienerlibrary.co.uk.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
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Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English