Heathlands Village Resident Norbert commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day by appearing on North West Tonight talking about seeing his mother’s handwriting for the first time in 70 years.
Norbert’s German Jewish mother sent lettersæ to her son and daughter who were seeking shelter in the UK, but they were intercepted by the Nazis and never received.æ The postcards have only recently been discovered.
In 1937, Norbert was sent out of Hockenheim, Germany at the age of 16 and sadly Norbert lost most of his immediate family in the camps.æ In December, daughter Corinne Stoops and granddaughter Natasha went to back to Hockenheim in place of Norbert to unveil remembrance cobblestones which had Norbert’s family name on at his former family home.
Corrine was put in contact with a couple who showed them round the town.æ They later showed her postcards which were sent by Norbert’s mother in 1939 addressed to his sister and intended for both of them.
It remains a mystery why the postcards never reached Norbert.æ There is speculation that were intercepted by Nazis at the post office.æ They were eventually uncovered and ultimately ended up for sale on the internet at a high price.
In December Norbert saw the postcards from his mother “R Bamgarten” for the first time.æ Norbert says he “cried like a baby” and practically “collapsed” when he saw her “lovely handwriting.
He has found it very difficult to read them but has been encouraged by his daughter and with her help has been deciphering the handwriting which is hard to understand.
Norbert wants people to hear his story as people must remember the atrocities of the Holocaust.
