Legacy letters convey something of importance from the sender to another person. Whether eloquent or inarticulate in their presentation, legacy letters are often so emotionally powerful as to send the recipient reaching for a handkerchief.
Such is the case with the recently discovered “Auschwitz letter.” It’s possible that you missed the story, given the media’s interest in presidential puppies and Miss America gaffes, so here it is:
In 1944, a group of prisoners from the infamous Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland was escorted about 100 yards outside the camp to work on reinforcing the cellar of a warehouse so it could be used as an air raid shelter for the camp’s soldiers.
Seven of the prisoners – six Poles and one Frenchman, all between the ages of 18 and 20 – tore a scrap of paper from a cement bag and scribbled a note in pencil. Although the exact details of the note have not been disclosed, it includes the names of the seven prisoners, their home towns and their assigned camp numbers.
They rolled the note, stuck it inside a bottle and hid it inside a concrete wall they were building. It was discovered by a construction crew that was recently renovating the site. Research shows that two of the Polish men survived the camp, but they have not been found.
The Frenchman, however, was Googled and located in Marseilles by a Polish newspaper reader. The man, 85-year-old Albert Veissid, confirmed that the camp number on the note matches that on his arm but does not remember anything about the note or bottle.
Imagine how meaningful it is for descendants of the four who didn’t survive the camp, to have this final message from their long-deceased relative. As one commenter at a Hamburg, German, newspaper said: “I think it was simply a case of we existed, remember us.”
Isn’t that we all want?
Writing prompt of the day: You have just 10 minutes to live. Write your own legacy letter. Quickly.
Larry Lehmer is an author and retired personal historian. Contact him via e-mail or follow him on Twitter.
Flickr photo of Auschwitz courtesy of Rain Rannu.
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