Typhus Epidemic During World War II
In 1939, the British Foreign Office published a White Paper detailing reports of torturing and killing Jews and political prisoners. It was considered a “propaganda stunt” by the several members of the press . The British began to learn about the Final Solution in June of 1942 when the Daily Telegraph reported that Jews were being taken to concentration camps as part of a plan created by the Nazis. The connection between the Final Solution and crimes against Jews was not made until the liberation of concentration camps. There is still a debate however as to whether or not the British public really believed the stories of Nazi atrocities before 1945.When Eisenhower sent an invitation to Parliament and Congress to come tour Buchenwald concentration
…show more content…
Medical personnel were provided by the British Red Cross and the Society of Friends. Six British medical teams, of twelve men and women in each group, were first sent to the former concentration camp until they realized they need more medical staff in order to prevent the spread of Typhus. Many of these nurses kept diaries and published articles about their experiences at Bergen-Belsen. It took about two weeks to get the Typhus epidemic under control. The British also had a Rabbi come to the camp to help the victims. Leslie Hardman was the first British Jewish Chaplin to enter Bergen-Belsen the day after it was liberated. In his memoir he recalled The Colonel at regimental headquarters telling him “keep a stiff upper lip Padre” and that he had to go to Belsen because there were Jews who were kept prisoner there. When he got to the camp he found the sign that said “Danger Typhus”. The first survivor he came across was a young woman who took him on a tour of the camp. In his memoir he uses the word “holocaust” to describe the conditions in the camp. The term “holocaust” didn’t appear in the press until the 1960s. He also recalls a conversation he had with a British officer who was assisting in the burial process. Hardman asked the officer, “Is it not possible to show reverence to the dead?” The British officer responded by saying that he deeply regretted it but it had to be done in order to stop the spread of
Medical personnel were provided by the British Red Cross and the Society of Friends. Six British medical teams, of twelve men and women in each group, were first sent to the former concentration camp until they realized they need more medical staff in order to prevent the spread of Typhus. Many of these nurses kept diaries and published articles about their experiences at Bergen-Belsen. It took about two weeks to get the Typhus epidemic under control. The British also had a Rabbi come to the camp to help the victims. Leslie Hardman was the first British Jewish Chaplin to enter Bergen-Belsen the day after it was liberated. In his memoir he recalled The Colonel at regimental headquarters telling him “keep a stiff upper lip Padre” and that he had to go to Belsen because there were Jews who were kept prisoner there. When he got to the camp he found the sign that said “Danger Typhus”. The first survivor he came across was a young woman who took him on a tour of the camp. In his memoir he uses the word “holocaust” to describe the conditions in the camp. The term “holocaust” didn’t appear in the press until the 1960s. He also recalls a conversation he had with a British officer who was assisting in the burial process. Hardman asked the officer, “Is it not possible to show reverence to the dead?” The British officer responded by saying that he deeply regretted it but it had to be done in order to stop the spread of