My Voice: Werner Lachs
By The Fed
Book Information
- Format: eBook
- Published Date: September 2024
- Series: My Voice: The Remarkable Life Stories of Holocaust Survivors
Description
Werner Lachs was born in Cologne, Germany in 1926 and had a happy childhood. However, by 1938, there were many laws restricting Jews, and after Kristallnacht, the family planned to emigrate. In June 1939, Werner escaped to England with his parents and older sister. Unbeknown to the family, they had been helped by a spy, Frank Foley, who had signed and issued their visas without financial guarantees.
After arriving in England, Werner was separated from his family at first and placed with different families. He worked in clothing manufacturing for over 50 years. In 1953, he married Claire, and they had a daughter, but Claire died tragically before their daughter turned two. Werner married Ruth in 1962, a fellow Holocaust survivor, and they had two children.
Werner'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.
Contents
1 My family
2 My childhood
3 Kristallnacht
4 Plans to emigrate
5 Frank Foley, our saviour
6 Saying our goodbyes
7 Our arrival in England
8 My first home in England
9 The Bentwoods and my Bar Mitzvah
10 Evacuation
11 An unsettling time during the war years
12 A terrible loss
13 We were the lucky ones
14 The fate of my German friends
15 Settling down after the war
16 Meeting Ruth
17 My growing family
18 My career and communal work
19 My interests and leisure time
20 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.