Object numberM2015/004:002b
DescriptionThis is a nine-page letter coming with an envelope (M2015/004:002a) from Leonard Aron Oppenheim to his wife Leonie in Sydney, Australia.
Leonard Aron Oppenheim was the first husband of Leonie Hirschberg who later became Leonie Hilton. Leonie left Berlin in 1938 in order to escape the Nazi regime. They met and got married in Singapore. Leonard Aron Oppenheim was born in Harbin, Russia, of Jewish origin. He was an engineer and architect in Singapore which was controlled by Britain. When war started he joined the British Volunteer Corps. The Japanese conquered Singapore in February 1942. Leonie was evacuated and ended up in Sydney. Leonard was captured and put to work. He became a prisoner (N° 13753) of war and was moved from Singapore to a camp in Kuching, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo in March 1943. There Leonard died in 1945. The cause of his death was officially given as malaria and beriberi.
Between 1942 and 1945, Leonie and Leonard managed to make contact in an exchange of telegrams, letters, postcards and broadcast messages.
In this letter, written on blue paper and dated 29th January 1942, Leonard tells Leonie that as soon as he received mail from her knowing that she arrived in Perth he sent her some money. He also informs her that everything was fine with their house the other day he went there whereas Margaret had to move as a bomb had hit her house.
The letter was censored as the red stamp (‘passed by censor’) on the envelope tells. Taking this into account, page seven might be of particular interest as a part of the page was cut out containing approximately five written lines, as following: “About a week ago, there was a severe raid on the … (part cut out) … this happened in the morning and I can only hope poor Mrs. Ynen (?) was not hurt.”
Leonard Aron Oppenheim was the first husband of Leonie Hirschberg who later became Leonie Hilton. Leonie left Berlin in 1938 in order to escape the Nazi regime. They met and got married in Singapore. Leonard Aron Oppenheim was born in Harbin, Russia, of Jewish origin. He was an engineer and architect in Singapore which was controlled by Britain. When war started he joined the British Volunteer Corps. The Japanese conquered Singapore in February 1942. Leonie was evacuated and ended up in Sydney. Leonard was captured and put to work. He became a prisoner (N° 13753) of war and was moved from Singapore to a camp in Kuching, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo in March 1943. There Leonard died in 1945. The cause of his death was officially given as malaria and beriberi.
Between 1942 and 1945, Leonie and Leonard managed to make contact in an exchange of telegrams, letters, postcards and broadcast messages.
In this letter, written on blue paper and dated 29th January 1942, Leonard tells Leonie that as soon as he received mail from her knowing that she arrived in Perth he sent her some money. He also informs her that everything was fine with their house the other day he went there whereas Margaret had to move as a bomb had hit her house.
The letter was censored as the red stamp (‘passed by censor’) on the envelope tells. Taking this into account, page seven might be of particular interest as a part of the page was cut out containing approximately five written lines, as following: “About a week ago, there was a severe raid on the … (part cut out) … this happened in the morning and I can only hope poor Mrs. Ynen (?) was not hurt.”
Production date
SubjectHolocaust, survivors, Jews in Australia, loved ones' contact, Japanese occupation, prisoners of war
Object nameletters
Dimensions
- width: 130.00 mm
height: 205.00 mm
Language
- English
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Jeffrey Hilton