FlightPaths 05 - Jew’s House - Gerhard’s Story
1 sound
Jew’s House is one of Lincoln’s oldest buildings and has long been linked to the city’s Jewish communities. The building has stood in silent witness to the persecution of Lincoln’s Jewish community and to Edward I’s expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290, at which time it is said the building was seized from its Jewish owner.
On December 10th, 1938, Gerhard Heilig left Vienna’s Westbahnhof on the first Kindertransport to depart the station. This journey took hundreds of Jewish children, like Gerhard, to the Netherlands, where many then made the onward journey by boat to the United Kingdom and safety from Nazi persecution. Five years later, having turned eighteen, Gerhard joined the Royal Air Force, where his native German was put to use as a special operator with 101 Squadron.
Scan the QR code to watch Heilig, a short documentary film by Steven Hatton focusing on Gerhard’s childhood, his father’s imprisonment in the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, and Gerhard’s flight from Austria. In addition, the next audio recording on our trail features Gerhard speaking about his later experiences as an airman.
Walk to the top of Steep Hill through historic Lincoln before pausing for breath at Castle Hill.
