Eric Erber collection

Eric (Erich) Erber (1924-2017) was a Viennese Kindertransportee who came to Britain in 1938. He became an architect and settled in the UK.

His father Robert (1895-1978) was an active member of the Austrian socialist movement who worked for the Viennese tram company between the wars; after an unsuccessful escape attempt through Switzerland, he made his way to Britain via Germany and France. He returned to Vienna in 1947, where he became a prominent local politician.

Eric’s mother Anna (1901-1956) left Austria for England on the same train and ship as Eric to take up a domestic service position in London; she returned to Austria with Robert.

The collection contains the personal papers of Eric, Robert and Anna, in particular vital records and identity documents. Eric’s papers include the materials he collected in seeking compensation for a property owned by his mother’s family. Robert’s papers contain materials on his dismissal from the Viennese tram company because of the Nazi race laws and a letter from the foreign representatives of the Austrian socialists offering Robert support as a political refugee.

The collection also includes Robert’s correspondence with various institutions on the whereabouts of his brother Ernst, who escaped Vienna for Saratov in the early 1940s.