26 Jan 10 – Wartime hero Denis Avey, who as a prisoner of war in Auschwitz helped save the life of Jewish inmate Ernst Lobethall, today joined survivors at The Holocaust Centre – home of the Aegis Trust – on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day to commemorate those who died. This year it is the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the notorious death camp, in which an estimated 960,000 Jews were murdered.
Before his capture, Avey, 91, served in the Long Range Desert Patrol – the forerunner of the SAS – behind enemy lines in North Africa. As a prisoner, on two occasions he daringly swapped places with a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz III, risking his life to find out what conditions faced the Jewish inmates. There he met Ernst Lobethall, to whom he later smuggled cigarettes that Lobethall bartered to resole his shoes – essential to improving chances of survival in the harsh conditions of the camp, and even more important on the death marches at the end of the war. In video testimony recorded by the Shoah Foundation in 1995, Lobethall credited his survival to the British soldier he knew only as ‘Ginger’. He passed away in 2002 without ever having the chance to thank his rescuer in person.
“For anyone to change places even for a night with a Jewish prisoner was unheard of,” said Auschwitz survivor Arek Hersh, who lost 80 members of his family in the Holocaust and was among the survivors taking part in the commemoration. “It’s extraordinary that he managed to do it,” he says. “Had he been caught, there’s no doubt in my mind that he would have been killed.”
For many years Denis never spoke about his experiences, but following a recent BBC investigation that uncovered the story, he is now being considered by Yad Vashem – the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem – for the title of ‘Righteous among the Nations’, an accolade reserved for those proven to have risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
“At a time when most would place their own survival above all, Denis had the inner resource to show humanity toward others,” says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust. “He’s an inspiration; a hero who richly deserves recognition for his selfless actions.”
Dignitaries attend from across the region
The commemoration at The Holocaust Centre, which was also addressed by Professor Aubrey Newman, founder of the Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust Studies, was attended by civic dignitaries from the local area and across the region, including the mayors of Gedling, Lincoln, Melton, Newark, Ollerton, Rushcliffe, Solihull and Stoke-on-Trent; the Sheriff of Lincoln; the chairmen of Bassetlaw and North Kesteven District Councils, and the Vice Chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council. The Nottinghamshire Pioneers and schoolchildren from Joseph Rowntree, Ranby House and Lacey Gardens Junior School also took part. Closing words at the event were given by Rabbi Moshe Perez of the Nottingham Hebrew Congregation.
“It’s a fantastic place. I’ve been going on for years about this, but I never knew it existed,” Denis Avey said of The Holocaust Centre. “And I absolutely applaud the Smiths for creating it, because unless young people learn about the Holocaust, it could happen again; even here.”
