Reunion of the Kindertransporte: Main archive

Archive Collection

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Scope and Content

Papers of the Reunion of the Kindertransport (ROK) organisation, 1987-2002. The collection comprises papers relating to Bertha Leverton's (founder and primary administrator of ROK) work planning reunions; writing and editing monthly newsletters; acting as a liaison to 'Kinder' and those interested in the Kindertransport; conducting educational lectures on the history of the Kindertransport; and generally promoting its story. Chiefly comprising letters, unpublished memoirs, and newspaper articles. The collection also includes a number of audio tapes, video tapes and photographs.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Reunion of the Kindertransporte (ROK) was an organisation that facilitated reunions and communication between former child survivors of the Holocaust who managed to escape Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia via organized transports for mainly Jewish children prior to the outbreak of Germany's invasion of Poland. The genesis of the group began as an idea by Bertha Leverton - a 'Kinder' herself - to organise a reunion in 1989, marking 50 years since the arrival of the first Kindertransport to Britain.

The 50th anniversary of the Kindertransports was held in June, 1989 in Harwich, England, site of the reception centre where boats carrying the children from the Hook of Holland first reached Britain. Although no precise statistical records exist in this collection, the reunion was attended by hundreds of 'Kinder' from various countries, though mainly from the US, Israel, and Britain. The event received enormous media attention and launched the story of the Kindertransports into public consciousness on an international scale.

Arrangement

The archive has been organised into four major categories, ranging from the most seminal materials to the life and function of the ROK organisation to small details.

The first group (1368/1) concerns documents related to the creation, organisation and execution of the ROK and includes mainly correspondence, but also newsletters, and memorial questionnaires.

The second group (1368/2) includes byproducts of ROK activities not directly related to reunion events, but arising as a result of the reunions. These materials primarily consist of memoirs and news cuttings. Material related to cultural projects commemorating the Kindertransport are also included in this group.

The third group (1368/3) concerns Bertha Leverton's educational activities and primarily contains correspondence, but also news articles related to this work.

The fourth and final grouping (1368/4) concerns material not directly related to the activities of the ROK. Most of these materials relate to the Holocaust generally, but not the Kindertransport specifically, and include letters, books, pamphlets, news articles and ephemera.