Leo Rosengarten, born in Witten-Heven, Westphalia, Germany, in 1903
Profession in country of origin: labourer and bricklayer
Arrived in Britain as a refugee from Germany in summer 1939
Male enemy alien - Exemption from internment - Refugee Surname: Rosengarten Forename: Leo Alias: - Date and place of birth: 07/05/1903 in Witten-Heven Nationality: German Police Regn. Cert. No.: 767 847 Home Office ref: C 3892 Address: Kitchener camp, Richborough, Sandwich, Kent Normal occupation: Bricklayer Present occupation: - Name and address of employer: - Decision of tribunal: Exempted "C" Date 20.10.1939 Whether exempted from Article 6(A): Yes Whether desires to be repatriated: No Tribunal District: Richborough Camp Tribunal 5
Source: National Arrives, Home Office: Aliens Department: Internees Index, 1939-1947
Editor’s note: We are not allowed to reproduce National Archives (UK) images, but we are permitted to reproduce the material from them, as shown above
Submitted by Herbert Rosengarten for his father Leo
Below, a wedding card – an English translation follows
Submitted by Herbert Rosengarten for his father Leo
Submitted by Herbert Rosengarten for his father Leo
To our dear friend Rosengarten
We wish on his wedding day,
Of course to you, Helga, too,
All the best we can think of.
We all know very well,
You have a noble heart,
You’ll treat your young wife well
And always love her dear,
You’ll cherish her all the time
Until you are grown old,
For you are always caring,
As we experienced ourselves.
Bread and butter, dear Leo,
Were always there.
When you arrived in the hut,
We shouted la oud ‘Hurrah’.
Your trade man’s bucket brought to you,
And all of us, good luck.
It opened all the doors to you,
Never empty-handed you came back.
As a comrade you proved yourself
With us at any time.
For that we’ll hold you always dear
For all eternity.
You never thought just merely of yourself,
For others too you had to care.
Look, Helga, now this is the glory
Belonging now to you alone.
Though not attending ourselves,
The wedding isn’t valid less:
We wish much happiness to the young couple
And to their future children!
The Comrades of
Hut 23/I
Ackerfeld, Adler, Baum, Demuth, Eisenberg, Gonsinowski, 3*Heilborn, Henoch, Hess, Kadritzkt, Kongrecki, Levy, Lewin, Lucas, Meier, Michel, Nebel, Neugeboren, Neustadt, Oske, Penzias, Rosenthal, 2* Sadel, Silberberg, Sommer, Tanne, Waksmann, Wedel, Weintraub, Weissenberg, Wormann, Zacharias
Kitchener Camp
Richborough 30.10.39
……………………………………..
Translation kindly submitted by a Kitchener researcher
[Editor: Cross-checking these names against the 1939 Register, we have the following information about the men in Hut 23/I
Mortiz Ackerfeld, born 1894 – a tailor
Adler – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Hans Baum, born 1902 – a clerk
or
Max Baum, born 1893 – a pharmacist
Armand Demuth, born 1904 – a clerk
Gustav Eisenberg, born 1905 – a plumber
Adolf Eisenberg, born 1900 – a bookseller
Manfred Gonsiorowski, born 1917 – a milliner
Heilborn – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Ludwig Henoch, born 1900 – a farm assistant
Hess – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Leo Kadritzki, born 1897 – a textile dealer
Abraham Kongrecki, born 1901 – an upholsterer
Levy – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Lewin – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
David Lucas, born 1900 – a jockey
Meier – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Michel – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Heimann Nebel, born 1897 – a master butcher
or
Erich Nebel, born 1895 – a linen salesman
Neugeboren – not in 1939 Register
Rudolf Neustadt, born 1904 – a master furrier
Werner Oske, born 1898 – a labourer and driver
Karol Penzias, born 1911 – a leather salesman
Rosenthal – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Sadel * 2 – not in 1939 Register
Kurt Silberberg, born 1903 – a bank manager
Sommer – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Max Tanne-Muenz (probably), born 1912 – a textile salesman
Cecil Waksmann, born 1899 – a laundry owner
Edmund Wedel, born 1909 – a farm assistant
Weintraub – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Weissenberg – too many possibilities to draw a conclusion
Wormann – not in 1939 Register
Julian Zacharias, born 1905 – a textiles commercial traveller
………………………………………….
Leo’s two sisters were also living in Sandwich, working as domestic servants, when the 1939 Register was taken.
[Hand-written: Exempt from Registration whilst husband serving in HM Forces] Female enemy alien - Exemption from internment - Refugee Surname: Rosengarten Forename: Lotte [Hand-written later: Eiffeler by marriage] Alias: - Date and place of birth: 18/04/1914 in Duisburg Nationality: German Police Regn. Cert. No.: 725 695 Home Office ref: C 3892 Address: 1, Minster Road, NW2 Normal occupation: Domestic Present occupation: Nil Name and address of employer: *** Decision of tribunal: Exempt Date 08.12.1939 Whether exempted from Article 6(A): Yes Whether desires to be repatriated: No Tribunal District: Metropolitan Police Tribunal No. 24
Source: National Arrives, Home Office: Aliens Department: Internees Index, 1939-1947
Editor’s note: We are not allowed to reproduce National Archives (UK) images, but we are permitted to reproduce the material from them, as shown above
Female enemy alien - Exemption from internment - Refugee Surname: Rosengarten Forename: Helene Alias: - Date and place of birth: 27/09/1909 in Rathenow Nationality: German Police Regn. Cert. No.: 997876 [original number crossed out - unreadable] Home Office ref: - Address: Ford House, Codicote, Herts Normal occupation: Domestic servant Present occupation: As above Name and address of employer: Major Bower, Address as above Decision of tribunal: Nt to be interned Date 07.12.1939 Whether exempted from Article 6(A): Yes Whether desires to be repatriated: No Tribunal District: Hertford Signed A T Miller 7 December 1939
Source: National Arrives, Home Office: Aliens Department: Internees Index, 1939-1947
Editor’s note: We are not allowed to reproduce National Archives (UK) images, but we are permitted to reproduce the material from them, as shown above