Joe Quittner personal papers

Joe (Josef) Quittner was born 15 August 1923, the only child of a middle class assimilated Jewish family in Vienna. The family employed a cook and cleaner and a nanny for Joe. His father, Egon (born 16.7.1883), ran his own factory, and his mother, Amalia (born 18.12.1892), ran the retail store which sold the products which the factory produced. With the advent of the Nazis in 1938, the property and business were Aryanised. Joe could continue to go to school until the end of the year and then the authorities terminated his school career on account of his Jewish status.

In 1938 Joe came to England where he continued his education then helped in the war effort as a civilian. At the beginning of 1949, under his own steam, he went to Toronto, where he continued his education becoming an electrical engineer.

His parents were deported to Terezin then Auschwitz where they perished. An aunt committed suicide.