The following is a synopsis of Ernest Hirsch’s book which recounts his life before, during and after the Holocaust.
Ernest Hirsch was born on 11 April 1925 in Neidenburg, East Prussia (now Nidzica in Poland). He had two younger siblings – Herbert and Ruth. When Hitler came to power in 1933, East Prussia was taken over by the Nazis and his parents’ business was boycotted.
The family moved to Berlin where they lived reasonably comfortably. Ernst clearly remembers Kristallnacht in 1938, when his synagogue was on fire, and he saw graffiti scrawled all over his father’s shop window and the pavement in front of the shop.
In March 1939, Ernest left Berlin for England on the Kindertransport with his siblings and cousin. They were placed with different Jewish foster families in Glasgow, which had been arranged by their aunt and uncle who had travelled there before the war.
After the war, Ernest spent four years in the army, becoming an officer in the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He went on to study Textile Technology at Leeds University and had a successful career in the textile industry.
Ernest married his first wife in 1950 and settled in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1970, they settled in Cheadle Hulme in Manchester. They had three children. His wife sadly passed away in 1992.
Ernest later met and married his second wife and continued to live in Manchester.
