Year 9 students were honoured to take part in a powerful and deeply moving talk delivered by the Holocaust Education Trust, welcoming Holocaust survivor Harry Kessler BEM to our school.

 

From the moment Harry began speaking, the atmosphere in the room was one of complete attentiveness. Students listened in absolute silence, demonstrating remarkable maturity and respect as they heard first-hand testimony from someone who had lived through one of history’s darkest periods. There was a tangible sense of focus as Harry described his childhood in Vienna and the gradual changes he witnessed as the Nazis rose to power.

 

Harry explained that he was just a young boy when the Nazis took over Austria in 1938. As he spoke about the fear and uncertainty that followed, students remained deeply engaged, many visibly reflecting on the reality that he had been their age when his world changed so dramatically. The contrast between an ordinary childhood and the sudden loss of safety resonated strongly across the room.

 

One of the most striking parts of the talk was Harry’s account of the chance meeting that would ultimately save his family’s lives. Travelling on a Danube steamer, young Harry climbed onto a seat and almost muddied a woman’s skirt. Unfazed, the woman – visiting Austria with her husband from their hometown of Chester – began speaking with Harry and his father, Frank Kessler. Students listened with quiet intrigue as Harry described how Gladys and William Jones missed their boat stop because they were so engrossed in conversation. In an act of kindness, Frank invited them back to the family home for cake, and the weekend ended with a warm farewell.

 

There was a noticeable shift in the room as Harry explained that a simple thank-you note sent by Gladys upon her return to England would later become the key to their survival. Students leaned forward as he described how, by March 1938, the Jewish Kessler family knew they had to leave Austria. They had secured most of the necessary documents to escape, but they were missing one crucial requirement: an affidavit from someone willing to take legal and financial responsibility for them.

 

Five years after that chance meeting, Frank and Annie Kessler found the thank-you note and wrote to the Jones family asking for help. In an extraordinary act of compassion, the Jones family welcomed the Kesslers into their home in Chester. As Harry reflected on this act of kindness, the emotion in the room was unmistakable. Students were completely absorbed, understanding the profound impact that a single moment of humanity had made.

 

At the end of the theatre talk, students were invited to ask questions. The quality of these questions reflected the depth of their engagement; pupils asked thoughtfully about Harry’s childhood memories, how he rebuilt his life in Britain, and what message he would want young people today to remember. Each question was asked with confidence and respect, and Harry’s responses further deepened students’ understanding of the human impact of historical events.

 

Following the main session, a smaller group of students had the privilege of taking part in a further question-and-answer discussion with Harry in the Headteacher’s office. Their questions continued to be insightful and reflective, demonstrating how seriously they had taken the opportunity to learn from a living witness to history.

 

Throughout the event, Year 9 showed exceptional respect and maturity. Their silence was not passive; it was reflective and purposeful. As the different parts of Harry’s story unfolded – childhood innocence, rising persecution, fear, courage and ultimately kindness – students were able to see how each moment connected. The chance meeting on a boat, a slice of cake, and a thank-you note all tied together to form a powerful reminder that small acts of kindness can have life-changing consequences.

 

The experience was both emotional and profoundly educational. It served as a stark reminder of the importance of remembrance, particularly in today’s world. We are incredibly grateful to the Holocaust Education Trust and to Harry Kessler for sharing such an extraordinary testimony. Opportunities like this ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to live on through future generations, inspiring empathy, responsibility and the courage to stand against hatred in all its forms.