Ralph Liebman papers

Ralph Liebman was born Rolf Liebmann on 6 July 1928, son of Oscar and Rosie Liebmann in Mannheim, Baden, Germany. He had a brother, Heinz (later Harry), who was born 29 October 1922. Their father, Oscar, came from a Jewish family in the Palatinate in Southwest Germany. His paternal grandfather had died in about 1901 and Oscar, then aged 19, took over the family business of wholesale textiles. Ralph's mother, Rosie, was born in Stuttgart on 15 April 1896, daughter of Jacob Joseph from Metz in Alsace-Lorraine.

Ralph enjoyed a comfortable middle class assimilated Jewish lifestyle up to 1935 when both the Nuremberg race laws were enacted- resulting in increasing deprivations and restrictions for the family- and the death of Ralph's father. Through a second cousin the family made a connection with a Quaker in Suffolk who organised the escape of Ralph to England on one of the Kindertransports. The plan was for Ralph's brother and mother to follow in due course. A guarantor was found and on 29 June 1939 Ralph left on one of the Kindertransports. He never saw his mother again who was deported first to Gurs in the Pyrenees and then Auschwitz. He met up with his brother for the first time 26 years later.

It is thought that the reference to ‘Mama’ is Mr Ralph Liebman’s maternal grandmother. Also Ernst and Ludwig were brothers to Ralph's mother Rosa. Mrs Liebman does not know her name but knows that his grandfather was Jakub Josef.