Overview
- Description
- The Walter Saunders papers contains correspondence with Walter’s parents while they were in Marseille and Les Milles. The documents contain reference letters, naturalization certificate, and an Austrian citizenship certificate. The photographs include portraits of Paul and Klara while at Auschwitz, a group photo with Paul at Camp Gurs, a young Walter with his brother Kurt, and a younger Paul while serving in the Austrian Army during World War I.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1914-1944
bulk: 1938-1944
- Collection Creator
- Walter Saunders
- Biography
-
Walter Saunders (1922-1996) was born Walter Schatzker in Vienna, Austria, to Paul and Klara Schatzker. He had one brother, Kurt, born in 1919. Walter grew up to become an electrician, while Kurt became a tailor. Soon after the Kristallnacht, the brothers obtained visas to the United States. They traveled first to Merksplas, Belgium, where Walter volunteered his serves at the refugee camp there. They later traveled to England, where again Walter served at first as an electrician and later a nurse at the Kitchener camp for refugees. In 1940, the brothers sailed on the Volendam to New York City in 1940. There Walter would meet Mildred Goldstein, whom he later married. While Walter was living in the United States, his parents, who remained behind in Europe, were arrested and placed in Les Milles and Gurs concentration camps, before being sent to Auschwitz in 1942, where they both were killed.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs. Correspondence. Naturalization records.
- Extent
-
3 folders
- System of Arrangement
- The Walter Saunders papers are arranged as a single series.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--France. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Austria. Jewish refugees--Austria. Holocaust victims. Jewish families--Austria--Vienna.
- Geographic Name
- United States--Emigration and immigration--Government policy--20th century. Vienna (Austria) Marseille (France)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Walter Saunders donated his papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-02-24 14:19:01
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn519366
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- Available for Research
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD