Item 27: Holocaust survivors from Hungary ; George Hunter interviewed by Herta Imhof, 1990

MLOH 500/162

item

05/05/1990

Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories

997356

Sound Recording : CY MLOH 500/162

1 sound cassette (1 hr.)

George Hunter, formerly Unterberger, was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1922. His family were not orthodox. He studied at an engineering high school and afterwards worked in a German barbed wire plant. Because of this job George was exempted from labour camp until October 1943, when he was sent by the Hungarians to labour camps at Mohacs and Tiszaeszlar.

In May 1944 George was sent on a forced march 250 kms to the Carpathian Mountains. In Poland they were bombed by the Russians and after two months they were marched back into Hungary.

Taken to Tiszalok in August 1944, George did not return to the camp, walking East with a friend while the column of inmates walked West. Arriving at Bes George and his friend were helped at first by gypsies and then by a farmer, with whom they stayed, working on his farm.

Liberated by the Russians in December, George crossed the Tisza River and took the train to Debreczin. He stayed there with other returned Jews before reuniting with his father in Budapest in May 1945, where he continued to live until March 1947.

George then lived in Paris for 6 months before migrating to Australia via Haifa late in 1947.

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Log of interview available in the Mitchell Library Reading Room -

Original Mitchell Library allocated tape number 85.