Tomi Komoly, born in 1936 in Budapest, was the only child of a loving Jewish family. Tomi describes the ordeals endured by Hungarian Jews under the Horthy regime and Nazi occupation. He provides an account of his survival after he was forced to move to a constricted 'yellow star house' and eventually found shelter with a Hungarian family with his mother. Tomi's father was forcefully conscripted into the Hungarian Labour Service and did not survive.

Post-war, facing the oppression of the communist regime in Hungary, Tomi fled to Vienna, then moved to England having secured a scholarship to study engineering. He married Gill, built a successful career in engineering and settled in Manchester with his family. Tomi received the British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education.

Tomi's book is part of the My Voice book collection, a stand-alone project of The Fed, the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi persecution who settled in the UK. The oral history, which is recorded and transcribed, captures their entire lives from before, during and after the war years. The books are written in the words of the survivor so that future generations can always hear their voice. The My Voice book collection is a valuable resource for Holocaust awareness and education.

Paternal family tree viii
Maternal family tree ix
1 My family
2 Growing up in Budapest
3 Moving to a yellow-star house
4 Uncle Ottó's bravery
5 Moving to a protected house
6 In hiding
7 Reunited with my grandmother
8 Searching for survivors
9 Post-war hardships
10 Fuelling the apartment
11 My primary education, sporting and leisure activities
12 A 'proper' upbringing
13 The kitchen was the heart of the home
14 High school
15 Working the system
16 Going to University
17 Time to leave Hungary
18 Crossing the border to the free West
19 A refugee in Vienna
20 The question of studying
21 My arrival in England
22 Help from the Jewish Refugee Committee in London
23 College life in Scotland
24 Flat sharing and improving language skills
25 Hitchhiking in Europe
26 Adventures in Kenya
27 Studying for a Master's at Birmingham University
28 Studying and socialising at Imperial College
29 Supplementary income
30 Buying my first property
31 Becoming British and my mother's arrival
32 My job at ICI
33 From single to married life
34 Relocation with a newborn
35 Life in Dumfries
36 The tile business
37 From Cumbria to Manchester
38 Settling in Wilmslow
39 Project management
40 My girls and grandchildren
41 Enjoying life after retirement
42 My love of travel and SHERPA
43 Spending time with relatives in Hungary and Israel
44 My personal development in later life
45 Involvement with the Holocaust Educational Trust
46 Reflections
Glossary
My Voice volunteers
About The Fed

Author

The Fed is Manchester's leading social care charity serving the Jewish community. In June of 2021, The Fed were awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service for the My Voice Project, the highest possible accolade for a voluntary sector group.