Eek! I hope you are feeling OK after your prostration, Marion. I’m sure the wine helped…..seems a suspiciously advantageous trip hazard for the restaurant…. have fun, rest up a bit! X
Question about Emmerich Machold and your father's book Dear Ken Patterson,
I am Anežka Vrbová, 16 year old student from Bruntál. I am interested in the book your father wrote about his experiences as a soldier in WWII.
I had stumbled upon your blog about your journey in his tracks on the internet and I got very interested in the history of my town that I have never been taught about. So I did a bit of a research and told our history teacher about you and your journey to Bruntál. He was very surprised and pleased that I am interested in these things. He suggested that I write a study about Emmerich Machold, leader of the POW camp in Bruntál.
I agreed and started to gather information. I went to a historian who wrote a book about Bruntál in the years of WWII and he too thinks of the idea of the study fondly.
Which brings me back to the request I wanted to adress to you. I sadly couldn't find any contact of you on the internet, so I had to contact you this way.
Are you willing to send me a .pdf or a .doc version (or any other format that can be opened on computer, even photos of pages) of your father's book, if the book is available in those formats? I would be very glad and share any informations about Emmerich Machold and his factory, if you want, in return.
I look forward to your answer,
Anežka Vrbová
P.S. I had some problems with internet conection, so I hope this wont be sent two times. If so, please sorry my lack of IT skills and our conection.
Emmerich Machold Hi Anežka. I must apologise that I rarely log in to my blog when I'm not travelling, and Covid has stopped me getting abroad so much. I'll send a pdf of the book to your e mail address. There are are a few paragraphs about Bruntal and the linen factory. I've tried to research the Machold family but found nothing on the internet. But may be you can discover more about the family, locally.
There is also this comment on the blog: "My great aunts were slave laborers here.
My great aunts Beilu and Rachel Herskovits both were slave laborers in this factory starting in January, 1945. Being selected to work here most likely saved their lives as it got them out of Auschwitz, where they had spent about 7 months in Barrack Z. Beilu told me that Mr. Machold tried his best to treat the laborers humanely. She told me that they were liberated by the Russians on May 5, 1945. The Russian troops included many Jews, some of them orthodox Jews who were davening. The Russian captain, who was Jewish, instructed the troops to "leave these girls alone." After liberation, the women had to remain in Bruntal for several weeks. They were able to walk around the town which was largely abandoned. Beilu spoke of a cosmetics store in the center of town that they basically ransacked and enjoyed themselves". Let me know what your research finds. Kind regards, Ken Patterson
My great aunts were slave laborers here. My great aunts Beilu and Rachel Herskovits both were slave laborers in this factory starting in January, 1945. Being selected to work here most likely saved their lives as it got them out of Auschwitz, where they had spent about 7 months in Barrack Z. Beilu told me that Mr. Machold tried his best to treat the laborers humanely. She told me that they were liberated by the Russians on May 5, 1945. The Russian troops included many Jews, some of them orthodox Jews who were davening. The Russian captain, who was Jewish, instructed the troops to "leave these girls alone." After liberation, the women had to remain in Bruntal for several weeks. They were able to walk around the town which was largely abandoned. Beilu spoke of a cosmetics store in the center of town that they basically ransacked and enjoyed themselves.
Macholds, Bruntal. Dear Arnold. I must apologise for a late reply. I haven't been travelling because of Covid and this is the first time I have looked at my blog. Do you have any other information about your aunts or Machold that could help further research into the story? I can't find any descendants on the internet. Best regards, Ken Patterson
Bridget Enever
non-member comment
Eek!
I hope you are feeling OK after your prostration, Marion. I’m sure the wine helped…..seems a suspiciously advantageous trip hazard for the restaurant…. have fun, rest up a bit! X