Georg Groß – Memories

My Dad

Georg Groß

Born 1 January 1900 in Preußisch Friedland, Westpreußen

Moved to Berlin in 1906

Occupation in country of origin and in England: dress designer

Last work/home address in country of origin: 20 Schlesische Straße, Berlin

Rescued from Berlin by Quakers; taken to safety at Kitchener Camp; arrived on 20 April 1939

Died 15 August 1960 in Soho, London

Note: his internment certificate states his occupation as ‘Clerk’ although the Kitchener enumeration states his occupation as ‘Designer and cutter of ladies’ wear’. He always referred to himself as ‘Dress designer’.

Georg, like thousands and thousands of others, had his dress-making business in Berlin confiscated in the 1930s. When rebuilding his post-Kitchener life in London’s Soho as a dress designer, one of his projects was to make a marigolds tutu for his daughter Helen. She found it after her mother died in 2001.
This is Helen in the tutu. Students at the ballet school put on a performance to the music of the children’s song “Inch Worm”, written by Frank Loesser, with the lyrics “Inch worm, inch work, measuring the marigolds…”

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His mother

Helene Seelig

Born 22 January 1874 in Berlin

Deported from Berlin on 24 October 1941 to Lodz ghetto with son Theodor Groß

Helene died 4 November 1941 in Lodz ghetto

Theodor was murdered on 4 May 1942 in Kulmhof/Chelmno extermination camp

My mum

Klara Elfriede Dahl (Andresen)

Married name Friedl Groß

Born 8 January 1916 in Frankfurt-am-Main

Last address in country of origin: Spichernstraße 8, Köln

Married my dad 1 March 1951 in Hampstead, London

Died 7 May 2001 in Shepherd’s Bush, London

Possibly a cousin of Georg’s

Willy Groß

Born 25 September 1903 in Preußisch Friedland

Son of Casper and Minna Gross

Last known address Brunnerstraße 9, Preußisch Friedland

Occupation Butcher

Deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp

Arrived UK 31 August 1939

Recorded in 1939 Register at Kitchener camp

Husband of Johanna of Kilburn NW6; Willy unmarried on arrival in UK

Enlisted Pioneer Corps 21 December 1939; service number 13800494

Died 16 May 1942

Buried Darlington West Cemetery, sec S.6K Grave 3

Additional note from family: 

For a while I had thought that Willy (sometimes spelled Willi/Willie) was one of my dad’s brothers. In recent months, I’ve decided that he is not. As a toddler, I was aware of a Tante Hannah, and I’ve found out during the last few months that she was married to Willy. The more recent documentation shows that he was born in the same place as my dad, but to different parents, with same surname Groß. I think/hope it is safe to speculate that he was my dad’s cousin. This is the most up-do-date information I have collected for him.

Information submitted by Helen Martins for her father, Georg Groß