Holocaust Survivors in Postwar Britain

This book pays particular attention to the experiences of younger child survivors of the Holocaust, considering how they kept in touch with one another, and how they integrated into larger cohorts of survivors settling in postwar Britain. My late father was one of 732 young holocaust survivors who arrived in the Uk in 1945.Most of these children had lost their entire families and endured imaginable suffering and loss.The group became known as the ‘Boys’ although 180 were girls! In 1965 they started the 45 Aid society with 3 missions , to look after each other, teach the lessons of the Holocaust, and to give back to their adopted country, that they were internally grateful to. Ellis Spicer’s powerful story of the ‘Boys” holds important lessons for shaping a better future.—Angela Cohen MBE Chair of 45 Aid society This book pays particular attention to the experiences of younger child survivors of the Holocaust, considering how they kept in touch with one another, and how they integrated into larger cohorts of survivors settling in postwar Britain. Digging deeper than ever before into their postwar circumstances exposes the process of rebuilding shattered lives and the evolution of community relations, including both the beneficial and re-traumatising effects engendered by these networks. Newly conducted interviews put the experiences of younger survivors centre stage. These individuals did not receive much attention or status as survivors until the 1990s, and whilst they represent the most active cohort of survivor speakers in the UK, their narratives and community relations have been markedly absent from academic study. Ellis Spicer is an affiliate of the Centre for the History of War, Media and Society at the University of Kent, UK.