Arthur Kurt Hirschfeld letters to his mother during his time at Hay and Tatura internment camps

MLMSS 11578

fonds

1940-1942

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs

9661640

0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder)

Arthur Kurt Hirschfeld (later Hirst; 1922-1990) was born to Florence Hirschfeld (nee Rothschild) and Max Hirschfeld. His family were Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany and settled in London prior to the Second World War.

When war was declared in September 1939, the British Government began deporting foreigners, particularly German speaking foreigners, as enemy aliens. Hirschfeld was deported to Australia in July 1940 on the HMT Dunera – an infamous voyage that saw passengers abused and robbed by the British soldiers who guarded them. Over two-thirds of the 2,500 men and boys transported were Jewish civilians of Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. This group became known as the ‘Dunera boys’.

Hirschfeld disembarked in Sydney on 6 September 1940 and was interned at Hay, New South Wales. He was transferred to an internment camp at Tatura, Victoria on 9 May 1941. Hirschfeld returned to Britain following his release on 17 July 1942.

References:
Library acquisistion file
National Archives of Australia. "Prisoner of War/Internee: Hirschfeld, Arthur Kurt; Date of birth - 11 June 1922; Nationality - German." MP1103/1, 39777. Accessed online 4 August 2022.
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8617462
National Archives of Australia. "Prisoner of War/Internee; Hirschfeld, Arthur Kurt; Year of birth - 1922; Nationality - German." MP1103/2, E39777. Accessed online 4 August 2022. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=9906281

Held in a private collection until approximately 2019

This collection contains:
72 letters from Arthur Kurt Hirschfeld to his mother, Florence Hirschfeld
3 letters to Florence Hirschfeld from her family in Yonkers, New York
1 letter from Ernst Borchardt in Tatura internment camp to Florence Hirschfeld regarding the death of her hushand, Max Hirschfeld
2 Christmas cards from Arthur Kurt Hirschfeld; 1 to Florence Hirschfeld and 1 to Mr and Mrs Rothschild
2 black and white photographic prints (postcards)

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales