On 15 April 1945, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated by British forces, including men of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry, 63rd Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery. Ordinary soldiers expecting the handover of a simple Prisoner of War camp, they were not prepared for what they would find there.
This free talk commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation, with a focus on eyewitness accounts of soldiers and survivors in their own words. The contemporary relevance of these stories, including the Museum's expanding education work, will be presented.
Speaker: Dr Myfanwy Lloyd
Dr. Myfanwy Lloyd's recent research into Bergen-Belsen survivor Naomi Kaplan, and her meeting with Oxfordshire Yeomanry soldier, Arthur Tyler, led to the creation of a new permanent display in the museum's Main Gallery, to show how a simple act of kindness had an impact lasting generations. This work is supported by Naomi's children and grandchildren in the Warren/Brandon/Spector/Roper families.
