Leistungsbuch der Hitler-Jugend
Object numberM1993/029:013
TitleLeistungsbuch der Hitler-Jugend
Description
Hitler Youth Membership, unused. It features the Nazi eagle and insignia on front cover, and an inscription by Adolf Hitler: 'We want to bring up a tough gender that is reliable, loyal, obedient and decent, so that we do not shame our people'. The booklet was found by Michael Sheridan, who served as part of the British Liberation Army from 06/06/1944 until 02/09/1946, at Rheine, Germany, 25 April 1945. It enables the holder to record the outcome of physical exercise exams. The tests become more difficult as one moves through the excercises. The Hitler youth have to prove their ability to qualify for a bronze and then a silver medal. Recording, for example, how far they can jump, how far they throw the discus, how long it takes to run 60m, how many body rolls forward and reverse and record how many minutes it takes to swim 200m etc. It also tests knowledge with questions such as, Do you know the Horst Wessel song? Do you know about the flag? and Do you have knowledge of rifle shooting?
Michael Sheridan (previously Shernovsky until he joined the army) was born in Whitechapel, London on 2 November 1917, to Herschel and Sarah who had emigrated from Poland. He was one of seven children. His father was a kosher butcher who worked for the London Beth Din. Michael left school at the age of 14 and went to work for a local radio firm before his father asked him to help with his newly opened business. Michael enlisted in the British Army on 22 March 1939. On 12 July 1939 he married his wife Anne. His first son David was born in 1940, and his daughter Gloria was born in 1942; after the war his youngest son Barry was born in 1954.
Michael served in the Home Service up until 3 June 1944, where he trained as a machine gunner before being transferred to the Royal Engineers where he served as a mechanical equipment operator, operating bulldozers. He landed in France on D-Day. From France, he went into Belgium where he served in Lille and Ghent. From there he moved on to the Netherlands where he stayed in a town called Tilberg for two to three days. In Tilburg he assisted in the task of cleaning up the local synagogue that had been desecrated by the withdrawing German army. At the synagogue he met two Jewish families including William and Yetta Asser. These families had managed to hide during the war and Michael supplied them with food during his stay in Tilburg. In thanks for his assistance William Asser gave Michael his yellow Star of David (M1993/029:010).
Michael’s company was then attached to the American 9th Army for a number of weeks in order to learn their methods of building roads and airfields. They entered Germany where in Rheine, Michael picked up Hitler Youth Papers (M1993/029:013) on the side of the road, and also took some medals from a dead German soldier. His company entered Bergen-Belsen mid-April 1945, and he was assigned the job of moving bodies into burial pits with a bulldozer.
His company was later transferred to Berlin where he served with the occupation forces, policing and keeping the population under control, and repairing damaged buildings for the use of the occupying army. He was with the British Army of Occupation from 1945 until he was discharged in 1946. Michael went back to London to work as a radio mechanic, eventually starting up his own electronics business. When his son David immigrated to Australia in 1965 and married, the Sheridan’s visited Australia, fell in love with the country and upon returning to Britain they decided to immigrate. In 1969 he and his family immigrated to Australia.
Hitler Youth Membership, unused. It features the Nazi eagle and insignia on front cover, and an inscription by Adolf Hitler: 'We want to bring up a tough gender that is reliable, loyal, obedient and decent, so that we do not shame our people'. The booklet was found by Michael Sheridan, who served as part of the British Liberation Army from 06/06/1944 until 02/09/1946, at Rheine, Germany, 25 April 1945. It enables the holder to record the outcome of physical exercise exams. The tests become more difficult as one moves through the excercises. The Hitler youth have to prove their ability to qualify for a bronze and then a silver medal. Recording, for example, how far they can jump, how far they throw the discus, how long it takes to run 60m, how many body rolls forward and reverse and record how many minutes it takes to swim 200m etc. It also tests knowledge with questions such as, Do you know the Horst Wessel song? Do you know about the flag? and Do you have knowledge of rifle shooting?
Michael Sheridan (previously Shernovsky until he joined the army) was born in Whitechapel, London on 2 November 1917, to Herschel and Sarah who had emigrated from Poland. He was one of seven children. His father was a kosher butcher who worked for the London Beth Din. Michael left school at the age of 14 and went to work for a local radio firm before his father asked him to help with his newly opened business. Michael enlisted in the British Army on 22 March 1939. On 12 July 1939 he married his wife Anne. His first son David was born in 1940, and his daughter Gloria was born in 1942; after the war his youngest son Barry was born in 1954.
Michael served in the Home Service up until 3 June 1944, where he trained as a machine gunner before being transferred to the Royal Engineers where he served as a mechanical equipment operator, operating bulldozers. He landed in France on D-Day. From France, he went into Belgium where he served in Lille and Ghent. From there he moved on to the Netherlands where he stayed in a town called Tilberg for two to three days. In Tilburg he assisted in the task of cleaning up the local synagogue that had been desecrated by the withdrawing German army. At the synagogue he met two Jewish families including William and Yetta Asser. These families had managed to hide during the war and Michael supplied them with food during his stay in Tilburg. In thanks for his assistance William Asser gave Michael his yellow Star of David (M1993/029:010).
Michael’s company was then attached to the American 9th Army for a number of weeks in order to learn their methods of building roads and airfields. They entered Germany where in Rheine, Michael picked up Hitler Youth Papers (M1993/029:013) on the side of the road, and also took some medals from a dead German soldier. His company entered Bergen-Belsen mid-April 1945, and he was assigned the job of moving bodies into burial pits with a bulldozer.
His company was later transferred to Berlin where he served with the occupation forces, policing and keeping the population under control, and repairing damaged buildings for the use of the occupying army. He was with the British Army of Occupation from 1945 until he was discharged in 1946. Michael went back to London to work as a radio mechanic, eventually starting up his own electronics business. When his son David immigrated to Australia in 1965 and married, the Sheridan’s visited Australia, fell in love with the country and upon returning to Britain they decided to immigrate. In 1969 he and his family immigrated to Australia.
SubjectWorld War II (1939-1945), Nazism, youth, nazi memorabilia
Object namepamphlets
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- height: 148.00 mm
width: 105.00 mm
depth: 30.00 mm
Language
- German This book enables the holder to record the outcome of physical exercise exams. As you go through the book and fill in the forms, the exam gets harder and Hitler youth have to prove their ability to qualify for a bronze and then a silver medal. Recording, for example, how far they can jump, how far they throw the discus, how long it takes to run 60m, how many body rolls forward and reverse and record how many minutes it takes to swim 200m etc. It also tests knowledge with questions such as, Do you know the Horst Wessel song; Do you know about the flag? Do you have knowledge of rifle shooting? The forms record the outcome of the test. This particular book is unused.
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mr. Michael Sheridan