Object numberM2019/013:001
DescriptionRound wooden box, with a scalloped lid; the top of the lid features an engraved kangaroo and the internal inscription reads: I.C Tatura P. Jennek, 1941. They were given to Dr John Baruch by Sabine Nathan; their father's, both of German Jewish descent, were interned together in England classified as enemy aliens. P. Jennek may have been a friend of the men.
Ludwig (Lou) Alfred Baruch was born in 1917 in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to this, his family were living in the United Kingdom and moved back to Germany around 1914. In 1928, Ludwig’s father returned once again to the UK to manage a German firm in Liverpool and in 1930, the rest of family joined him.
Ludwig established his political identity early and was a member of the Young Communist League (YCL); his father had been a member of the Social Democrats and his grandfather, a left wing socialist. He left school early and took a job with the Donegal Tweed Company in Liverpool; he learnt the trade of cutting and remained there until 1939.
In October 1939, he was ordered to appear before a magistrate. He and his father, who was also summoned, were then transported via train from Lime Street Station to Liverpool Station in London. His father had a heart condition and was released; Ludwig went on to Seaton, where he remained in an internment camp for enemy aliens until mid-1940. On 1 July he was returned to Liverpool and put on SS Arandora Star. At 6am in the morning whilst most of the ship was sleeping, the ship was torpedoed and sank. Half of its passengers and crew were killed. Ludwig was rescued by a Canadian destroyer and was then returned to Liverpool via Scotland and placed on the Dunera to Australia.
He was sent to Tatura in Melbourne. He found the camp clean and tidy and the men settled themselves into organising their own work, including tailoring and woodworking shops. They received some of their equipment from the Quakers in Melbourne; additional help was given by Jewish aid organisation and Red Cross. Some of the inmates wanted to work in Australia and integrate with the community; Ludwig and some of the other communists in this group wanted to go back to England.
Ludwig returned to Britain in 1942. After a hearing, he was released unconditionally 21 December 1942 and made his way to Manchester where is parents and fiancé were living. He took a job tailoring uniforms and then making fabric lays. He joined the Tailor and Garments Union and was an executive member of the Manchester and Salford Trade Council. Toward the end of the war, he was asked by Manchester Police to visit POWs in camps to try and influence their political persuasion.
He became a tailor of children’s clothing, running his own store in Bradford, near Liverpool; at one stage he made undergarments for children of the Royal family. In 1999, Ludwig and his son John visited Australia and the Sydney Jewish Museum. He died in 2002.
Ludwig (Lou) Alfred Baruch was born in 1917 in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to this, his family were living in the United Kingdom and moved back to Germany around 1914. In 1928, Ludwig’s father returned once again to the UK to manage a German firm in Liverpool and in 1930, the rest of family joined him.
Ludwig established his political identity early and was a member of the Young Communist League (YCL); his father had been a member of the Social Democrats and his grandfather, a left wing socialist. He left school early and took a job with the Donegal Tweed Company in Liverpool; he learnt the trade of cutting and remained there until 1939.
In October 1939, he was ordered to appear before a magistrate. He and his father, who was also summoned, were then transported via train from Lime Street Station to Liverpool Station in London. His father had a heart condition and was released; Ludwig went on to Seaton, where he remained in an internment camp for enemy aliens until mid-1940. On 1 July he was returned to Liverpool and put on SS Arandora Star. At 6am in the morning whilst most of the ship was sleeping, the ship was torpedoed and sank. Half of its passengers and crew were killed. Ludwig was rescued by a Canadian destroyer and was then returned to Liverpool via Scotland and placed on the Dunera to Australia.
He was sent to Tatura in Melbourne. He found the camp clean and tidy and the men settled themselves into organising their own work, including tailoring and woodworking shops. They received some of their equipment from the Quakers in Melbourne; additional help was given by Jewish aid organisation and Red Cross. Some of the inmates wanted to work in Australia and integrate with the community; Ludwig and some of the other communists in this group wanted to go back to England.
Ludwig returned to Britain in 1942. After a hearing, he was released unconditionally 21 December 1942 and made his way to Manchester where is parents and fiancé were living. He took a job tailoring uniforms and then making fabric lays. He joined the Tailor and Garments Union and was an executive member of the Manchester and Salford Trade Council. Toward the end of the war, he was asked by Manchester Police to visit POWs in camps to try and influence their political persuasion.
He became a tailor of children’s clothing, running his own store in Bradford, near Liverpool; at one stage he made undergarments for children of the Royal family. In 1999, Ludwig and his son John visited Australia and the Sydney Jewish Museum. He died in 2002.
Production date 1941 - 1941
SubjectDunera, Tatura internment camp, enemy aliens, ships, families
Object nameboxes
Materialwood
Dimensions
- circumference: 700.00 mm
circumference: 750.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Dr John Baruch