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Holocaust Guest Speaker
January 27 marks Holocaust Memorial Day, and this year the internationally agreed theme is Fragility of Freedom. Last Wednesday, the History Department, together with the Holocaust Educational Trust, arranged for Year 8, joined by Year 10 Historians and sixth formers from within the Valley Invicta Trust, to be given the unique opportunity of hearing the survivor testimony of Harry Bibring MBE, as delivered by his son, Michael Bibring. Harry was born in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday 26 December 1925, to a Jewish family.
Students learnt how Harry’s father’s menswear business was looted and destroyed during Kristallnacht. His father was arrested, and Harry’s family was forced to leave their flat and live in a house together with 50 other Jewish women and children. The family was allowed to return to their flat following Harry’s father’s release, but by this point they knew they had to leave Vienna. Fearing for the safety of their children, Harry’s parents decided that 13-year-old Harry and his sister should leave for Britain on the Kindertransport. The plan was for them to be sponsored by a family friend and for their parents to join them as soon as they could. That never happened. In November 1940, Harry’s father died of a heart attack. His mother was deported to the death camp at Sobibór in Poland in 1942.
When Harry and his sister arrived in England they were greeted by Mr Landsman, who Harry’s father had arranged to act as their sponsor. However, it turned out there was no room for Harry, and the two were separated. When war broke out on 3rd September 1939, Harry was evacuated to Fletton, near Peterborough. Harry stayed with the headmaster of the local grammar school, who offered him tremendous support. After his 14th birthday, Harry returned to London. He started working for Mr Landsman in one of his shops as an errand boy. However, when he realised that there were no prospects for learning a profession, he procured an engineering apprenticeship. On his 18th birthday Harry applied to join the RAF, although, because his mother was believed to be alive and living in enemy territory, Harry was turned down. It was thought that, if captured, this would be something the enemy could use to get information out of him.
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Happily, in May 1945 Harry met his wife-to-be, Muriel and they married two years later. Harry later qualified as a chartered engineer with management qualifications. Harry went on to work for 20 years as a manufacturing engineer and then became a lecturer at a college. Harry had one son, Michael and two grandchildren, Lee and Nikki, and two great-grandchildren, Rafi and Eli. Though Harry sadly passed away in 2019, his son Michael, as the second-generation of those who witnessed and survived the Holocaust, continues to deliver Harry’s testimony in the hope of teaching today’s generation the there is no place for prejudice and discrimination in our world.
As Michael concluded his father’s testimony, Molly M, William B-H and Joshua C from 10V gave a vote of thanks to Michael, reminding all students and staff that we too have now been given the opportunity to spread Harry’s message of hope for a better future, keeping in mind of the conflict still in existence today in our world.
Our sixth form visitors had the following to say about the experience:
Luke R, VPS: “Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the opportunity of hearing the inspiring and thought-provoking testimony of your father, Harry. It will be something that stays with me for years to come.”
Lily W, IGS: “I would like to say thank you for having invited me to the Holocaust talk on Wednesday, I found it to be a very thought-provoking and interesting talk which brought up a lot of emotions. It was amazing to hear accounts of someone’s life during this period of time and hear of ways that we can help change the world and make it a better place for us all to live in.”
Should you wish to find out more about Holocaust Memorial Day and how to get involved with the many activities taking place in the wider community and around Britain this month, please click here, which will direct you to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website.
