Mrs Ellis and Miss Tappenden pictured with Nic Wetherall MBE and delegates from Trinity Catholic School, Leamington Spa and NUSA, Nottingham.
On Sunday 4th May, Miss Tappenden and Mrs Ellis were rewarded for their commitment to Holocaust Education and engagement in Nic Wetherall’s project ‘The Holocaust, Their Family, Me and Us’ with an invite to the ‘45Aid Society 80th Anniversary Gala Reunion at the Royal Lancaster in London.
The ’45 Aid Society was established as a charity in 1963 by a group of child Holocaust survivors who were brought to Great Britain at the end of the Second World War. In total 732 children were transported to the UK to begin new lives. They quickly became known as ‘The Boys’ – although 204 of them were girls. Most had lost everything and had little or no surviving family. With each other, they created their own extended family, and the charity is built on these strong foundations. They support survivors and their families, and the annual gala reunion is an opportunity to be together, to celebrate life and remember those who were lost.
Angela Cohen MBE has been chairman of the ’45Aid Society since 2015. Her late father, Moishe Malenicky was one of the boys who arrived at Windermere in 1945. The family story was featured in the BBC programme ‘My Family, The Holocaust and Me’ in 2020, and is one of four family stories from the documentary featured in the HtFMeUs project.
This year marked a landmark anniversary; 80 years since the end of the war, the liberation of concentration camps throughout Europe, and for many of ‘The Boys’ since their arrival in the UK. The evening was one of extra special reflection and celebration, during which those in attendance heard from surviving members of the boys, Angela, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. There was even a special mention for Highfields School in the introductory video for the event, watched by 600 people in attendance, who fell silent as the event got underway.
Click the button below to see this video, and learn more about the significance of the ‘45Aid Society.
