The University of York commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day, 27th January, with a public online lecture, led by Dame Stephanie Shirley CH.
Arriving in Britain in 1939 with her older sister, Shirley was one of the ‘Kindertransport children’. The kindertransport was a rescue effort which transported thousands of children from Nazi Europe to Britain, allowing them to escape what would have otherwise been almost certain death.
By 1939, the borders were closing and her parents made the desperate decision to send her and her older sister to England, where they would be taken in under the supervision of two strangers.
Shirley expressed extreme gratitude at being able to escape: “Hundreds of thousands of children never had the chance to make it to safety. They were left behind with their parents and grandparents.”
She explained that each train had about 1000 children, aged between 5-16, rammed inside the carriages with just two allocated adults to supervise. The children slept on large strips of corrugated cardboard and overhead luggage racks.
There were also some young women who were pregnant and were allowed to deliver their babies in England, but only under the condition that they returned to their home countries after the birth. Shirley pointed out that these women would have likely been aware of the ill fate awaiting them upon their return.
She recalled her own experience travelling on the kindertransport: she was five, her sister was 9. Shirley pointed out that she may have embellished or forgotten certain details of that journey over the years.
Was the sky really grey or had she seen too many black and white photographs of children on the kindertransport, for instance.
When she arrived at Liverpool Street station in London, she recalled that the platform was ‘silent’. That was how her mind preserved it, at least.
The children were speechless and wide-eyed, with numbered labels hanging around their necks like lost property, waiting to be claimed whilst sitting on straw-filled mattresses.
“We owe such gratitude to those who dedicated so much of their lives to sharing these memories with us, and it’s our hope that future generations never forget the devastating human cost of the Holocaust.”
The University of York’s Vice-Chancellor, Charlie Jeffery
Her story is explained in detail in her book: Let It Go: My Extraordinary Story – From Refugee to Entrepreneur to Philanthropist. Since retiring in 1993, Dame Stephanie’s life has been dedicated to venture philanthropy in the fields of IT and autism. She initially founded Autism at Kingwood in 1994 to support her late son Giles, and her charitable Shirley Foundation went on to make grants of nearly £70 million.
“Genocides don’t just happen,” she warned us, “they only occur when people stand by, afraid to speak out or even worse, when they are indifferent’.
She pointed out that the history of our own city of York is riddled with tragic examples of anti-Semitism. The organised rounding up and massacre of the entire Jewish Community in 1190 is but one example. Today, daffodils are placed around Clifford’s Tower – the flowers’ six points represent the star of David as a timeless reminder of the city’s sombre past.
The University of York’s Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffery also spoke at the event.
He said: “we owe such gratitude to those who dedicated so much of their lives to sharing these memories with us, and it’s our hope that future generations never forget the devastating human cost of the Holocaust.
“We are a University of Sanctuary and we welcome those who are displaced or seeking refuge. We seek to be a safe place for refugees, asylum seekers and other people who have been forced to migrate.
“By attending this evening, we hope that you will be inspired to further support work in these areas, as well as continuing conversation within your own.”
The talk is now available to watch on YouTube.