Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Colorful, handcrafted cigarette holder made from found objects for Walter Wharton, a Jewish British Army medic, by fellow prisoners, some also Jewish, whom he cared for while interned in a concentration camp or prisoner-of-war camp in Germany from 1942 to 1945. Walter was deployed circa 1942 with the British Army Medical Corps in North Africa. He was captured after the British surrendered to German forces in Tobruk, Libya, on June 21, 1942. Walter was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. He escaped, was re-captured, and then sent to a prisoner-of war camp in Germany. Walter was eventually sent to a concentration camp, possibly Dachau, where he worked in the camp hospital. Dachau was liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945.
- Date
-
received:
after 1942 July-approximately 1945 May
- Geography
-
received:
Germany
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of David Wharton
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Walter Wharton
- Biography
-
Walter Wharton was born on September 12, 1916, in Salford, England. He was Jewish but not religious. Walter lived in Manchester, where he trained as a registered nurse at Crumpsall Hospital. World War II began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3. Walter enlisted in the British Army Medical Corps. He was stationed at the Allied garrison in Tobruk, Libya. On June 21, 1942, the Allies surrendered Tobruk. Walter was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. He escaped, was recaptured by the Germans, and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. He was eventually transferred to the concentration camp system to work in the camp hospitals and because he was Jewish. He was possibly held in Dachau. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. Walter believed that he survived because he had more value alive than dead. In 1950, Walter married Lillian Liddle (1928-1998), in Southport, England. The couple had a son. They later emigrated to Vancouver, Canada. Walter worked as a nursing supervisor. Walter, age 81, died on December 26, 1997, in Maple Ridge, Canada.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Personal Equipment and Supplies
- Category
-
Smoking paraphernalia
- Object Type
-
Cigarette holders (tgm)
- Physical Description
- Flattened, short, cylindrical cigarette holder handmade from sections of salvaged materials. The 1 inch mouthpiece is made from smooth, mottled, offwhite horn or bone. It has a small center hole that extends the length of the holder. The center is constructed from segments of silver colored metal, offwhite horn or bone, and brown and clear plastic. The end is made from silver colored metal, with ridged sides and a circular front hole where the cigarette is inserted.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm) | Width: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
- Materials
- overall : horn, metal, plastic
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Prisoners of war--Great Britain--Biography. Soldiers--Great Britain--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Medical care--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, German. Medical personnel
- Corporate Name
- Great Britain. Army. Royal Army Medical Corps Great Britain. Army
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The cigarette holder was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by David Wharton, the son of Walter Wharton.
- Funding Note
- The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 08:44:58
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn88140
Also in Walter Wharton collection
The collection consists of a cigarette holder, handheld heating device, and miniature sandals relating to the experiences of Walter Wharton, a British Army medic who was held in a German prisoner-of-war camp and concentration camp during World War II.
Date: after 1942 July-1945
Small heating device made from a cigarette tin for a Jewish British Army medic by fellow inmates
Object
Small metal heating device, that he called an oven, made from a cigarette tin and other salvaged materials for Walter Wharton, a Jewish British Army medic, by fellow prisoners, some also Jewish, whom he cared for while interned in a concentration camp or prisoner-of-war camp in Germany from 1942 to 1945. Walter was deployed circa 1942 with the British Army Medical Corps in North Africa. He was captured after the British surrendered to German forces in Tobruk, Libya, on June 21, 1942. Walter was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. He escaped, was re-captured, and then sent to a prisoner-of war camp in Germany. Walter was eventually sent to a concentration camp, possibly Dachau, where he worked in the camp hospital. Dachau was liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945.
Pair of miniature leather sandals made for a Jewish British Army medic by fellow inmates
Object
Pair of miniature brown leather sandals made from salvaged materials for Walter Wharton, a Jewish British Army medic, by fellow prisoners, some also Jewish, whom he cared for while interned in a concentration camp or prisoner-of-war camp in Germany from 1942 to 1945. Walter was deployed circa 1942 with the British Army Medical Corps in North Africa. He was captured after the British surrendered to German forces in Tobruk, Libya, on June 21, 1942. Walter was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. He escaped, was re-captured, and then sent to a prisoner-of war camp in Germany. Walter was eventually sent to a concentration camp, possibly Dachau, where he worked in the camp hospital. Dachau was liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945.
