Overview
- Description
- The collection primarily documents the wartime experiences of Frank Gittler, originally from Breslau, Germany (Wrocław, Poland), who was sent on a Kindertransport from Germany to England in August 1939. Included are photographs, family correspondence, material related to his internment at Hutchinson Internment Camp, immigration paperwork, military paperwork, testimony, and material from an unbound scrapbook.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1924-circa 1996
bulk: 1939-1946
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Nancy Muller Belkowitz, William Gittler, Mitchell Gittler, Jeffrey Gittler, Susan Gittler Musselman, Steven Muller, and Trixie Freind. In memory of Gertrud and Wilhelm Gittler, Franz Ludwig Gittler, Ilse Gittler Muller Draker, and Marie Gittler.
- Collection Creator
- Frank Gittler
- Biography
-
Frank Gittler (1924-2000) was born Franz Ludwig Gittler on March 12, 1924 in Breslau, Germany (Wrocław, Poland) to Wilhelm Gittler (1877-1944?) and Gertrud Rehfeld Gittler (1887-1944?). He grew up in a Jewish family and had one sister, Ilse Lotte Gittler (later Muller, 1915-2002). His sister Ilse immigrated to the United States in 1938, and in August 1939 Frank was sent on a Kindertransport to England. He was interned as a German at the Hutchinson Interment Camp from July 1940-April 1941. In November 1943 Frank immigrated to the United States aboard the RMS Empress of Australia. He lived with his sister Ilse and her husband Harold Muller (Hans, 1908-1947) in Lysander, New York and attended high school.
In June 1944 Frank enlisted with the United States Army. He worked as a translator with the 4th Infantry and the Third Army, and was part of the liberation force at Buchenwald. He was discharged from the army in April 1946 and later had a career working at Bell Laboratories. Frank married Renee Dreyer (1930-2022) and they had four children. Frank's parents were murdered in the Holocaust in 1944.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Photographs Correspondence
- System of Arrangement
- unarranged.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material. Museum staff are currently unable to copy, digitize, and/or photograph collection materials on behalf of researchers. Researchers are encouraged to plan a research visit to consult collection materials themselves.
- 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.
- Copyright Holder
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Keywords & Subjects
- Geographic Name
- Wrocław (Poland) United States--Emigration and immigration. England
- Corporate Name
- United States. Army
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2024 by Nancy Belkowitz, niece of Frank (Franz) Gittler.
- Record last modified:
- 2025-07-16 09:27:25
- This page:
- http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn768295
Download & Licensing
- In Copyright - Use Permitted
- Terms of Use
- This record is not digitized and cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Request 7 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
Contact Us
Also in Frank Gittler collection
The collection primarily documents the wartime experiences of Frank Gittler, originally from Breslau, Germany (Wrocław, Poland), who was sent on a Kindertransport from Germany to England in August 1939. Included are photographs, family correspondence, material related to his internment at Hutchinson Internment Camp, immigration paperwork, military paperwork, testimony, material from an unbound scrapbook, a Haggadah, a book on Scotland, a stationary box, and a suitcase.
Date: 1924-circa 1996
Stationery box used by Frank Gittler to house correspondence
Object
Cardboard stationery box in which Frank (Franz) Gittler kept correspondence while living in Bristol, England during the Holocaust. Frank fled Breslau, Germany, on a Kindertransport in 1939.
Haggadah owned by Frank Gittler
Object
Haggadah owned by Frank (Franz) Gittler, who fled Breslau, Germany, for Bristol, England, on a Kindertransport in 1939. The book was written by Dr. C. Seligmann and published by J. Kauffman in 1913 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Book about Scotland owned by Frank Gittler
Object
Book, the Story of Scotland, owned by Frank (Franz) Gittler, who fled Breslau, Germany, for Bristol, England, on a Kindertransport in 1939. The book was written by F. Fraser Darling and published by William Collins in 1942 in London, England.
Leather suitcase used by Frank Gittler
Object
Leather suitcase used by Frank (Franz) Gittler, who fled Breslau, Germany, for Bristol, England, on a Kindertransport in 1939.
