Private Papers of Mrs O Samuels

Collection

Scope and content:: Memoir (9pp ts) of her childhood experiences as a Jewish girl in Italy during the Second World War, living with her parents in Milan, recalling the air raids on the city and life in the shelters, the family's consequent decision to leave the city for the safety of a relative's home on Lake Como during 1941 - 1943, the advantages and hardships of life there (including antisemitic abuse at the school she attended), the hazards of crossing the border into neutral Switzerland in November 1943 with the help of a 'contrabbandiere' (people smuggler, in this case helping Jews and other persecuted individuals to leave Italy), her experiences with a temporary foster-family in Weiningen in the canton of Zürich until 1946 when she was moved to a children's home in Heiden, rejoining her parents in Lugano shortly afterwards before the family returned to Italy in 1947; the memoir also tells the story of what happened to other family members who also escaped to Switzerland or stayed behind in Italy.

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Holocaust; Holocaust--Rescue and resistance; World War II

Access, restrictions:: Visit IWM website for Research Room access provisions see https://www.iwm.org.uk/research/research-facilities

Finding aids:: Online catalogue see: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1030044205