Item 01: Holocaust survivors from Romania ; John Jurmen interviewed by Anita Fisher, 1993

MLOH 500/164

item

10/10/1993

Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Oral Histories

1088889

Sound Recording : CY MLOH 500/164

1 sound cassette (1 hr.)

John Jurmen, born in Bucharest, Romania, 1929. Before war did apprenticeship as toolmaker. Put into ghetto in former brick factory. After six weeks transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland. Said he was 17 not 15 and selected for workers' group. After eight days sent to factory in Fallersleben, Germany, and worked assembling V1 rockets. Factory destroyed by Allied bombing and workers moved to Alsace, France, and put to work pulling down houses. Soon sent to camp Dora, near Buchenwald, Germany, where worked oxywelding wings of planes. Allies approached and as other Jews marched out, John hid in Russian barracks. Next day evacuated to Ravensbruck concentration camp, Germany. Soon evacuated again to concentration camp at Ludwigslust, Germany. In May 1945 guards disappeared and John just walked out of camp. Spent two years in a displaced persons camp near Munich, another two years in Paris and finally migrated to Australia in 1949.

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Log of interview available in the Mitchell Library Reading Room -

Original Mitchell Library allocated tape number 87.