Harold Lawrence collection
Extent and Medium
13 items
Creator(s)
- Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps
Biographical History
Harold George Lawrence was born Hans Georg Lewinneck in Gerdauen, East Prussia, in 1910. As a child, he briefly moved to Berlin, before settling in Rastenburg, where his grandfather lived. Hans's father bought and sold horses. Hans left the Gymnasium to apprentice in haberdashery and worked in a large store in Königsberg. In 1938 the Nazis closed the Jewish-owned store. Hans started looking for a way to leave Germany. He found a place on a train from Berlin with other young Jews and then travelled by ship from Ostend to Dover. He was sent to Kitchener Camp, where he worked as a roofer.
Hans then joined the Pioneer Corps, achieving the rank of sergeant. He crossed into Normandy three days after D-Day and served as an interpreter in occupied Berlin. After the war, he moved with his family to Buenos Aires, where his sister had settled. Six years later the family relocated to Oakland, California, to join his wife's cousins, who had gone there from Shanghai. Harold died in 1991.
Acquisition
Donor: Peter Lawrence
Scope and Content
Documents and photographs relating to Harold Lawrence’s experiences of Kitchener Camp. These include the transcript of an interview conducted by Lawrence’s son.
Conditions Governing Access
Open
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Digital file