Renate Collins was born in Czechoslovakia (b. 7 July 1933) to Hilde and Otto Heinz Kress[ova]. In 1939 Renate was sent by her mother to foster parents in Wales, the Copelstons. Hilde hoped to leave Czechoslovakia and reunite with her daughter, but was ultimately transported to Theresienstadt where she died. Otto Heinz Kress also died during the Holocaust, as did much of Renate’s immediate family. After the war she was adopted by the Copelstons, and married David Collins.
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Family papers belonging to Renate Collins. Includes correspondence from Renate’s mother Hilde, material documenting Renate’s move to England and ultimate adoption, and later material showing Renate’s family tree and the fates of family members under the Nazis.
Renate Collins collection