United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Peter Mansbacher (1922-1994) was born Fritz Ludwig Mansbacher in Lübeck, Germany to Martin and Juliane Mansbacher. Concerned for his safety, his parents secured him a place on a Kindertransport to England in December 1938 where he passed through several refugee camps in 1939, spent a brief time at the Southwest Essex Technical College, and was then housed with the Norman family in Over. When England declared war on Germany in 1939, Mansbacher was classified as a category C alien and labeled a"Refugee from Nazi Oppression" but he was arrested and interned when Germany launched major operations in Western Europe in April 1940. He was moved through several internment camps in England before being relocated via the MS Sobieski to Canada, where he passed the rest of 1940 and most of 1941 in three different Canadian internment camps. He secured his release through the sponsorship of a Canadian family, completed his secondary education in Canada, and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in October 1946.
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The collection is arranged as 3 series: Autobiography, 1991; Correspondence, 1939-1944; Subject Files, 1934-1953
The Peter Mansbacher papers include a memoir, correspondence files, and subject files documenting Mansbacher’s efforts to obtain a visa to the United States, his passage to England on a Kindertransport, subsequent internment in England and Canada, and eventual immigration to the United States. Mansbacher's 1991 memoir, Refugee from Nazi Oppression: an Autobiography by Peter Mansbacher, describes his childhood in Lübeck, his wartime experiences in England, the completion of his education in Canada, and his eventual move to the Chicago, Illinois area. It includes photographic copy prints and photocopies of original photographs of Mansbacher, his family, and friends, and photocopies of original documents, many of which are included elsewhere in the collection. The bulk of the memoir focuses on Mansbacher's arrival in England on a Kindertransport at the end of 1938, his time at Kitchener Camp, his efforts to obtain a visa for entry into the United States, his 1940 arrest and internment as an enemy alien at Bury St. Edmunds and then the Isle of Man, his transfer to and further internment in Canada at Camp T (near Trois Rivières), Camp B (near Fredericton), and Camp N (near Sherbrooke), and his school and work experiences in Canada. The memoir concludes with descriptions of Mansbacher's move to Chicago in 1949, his marriage to Ursula Dengel, their children and family life, and his career at Chas. A. Stevens & Co. Correspondence files include letters and telegrams from family members and friends during the war. The letters provide updates about the welfare of loved ones and document efforts to assist Mansbacher and his family in their emigration efforts. Subject files document Mansbacher’s efforts to immigrate to the United States and to get his parents out of Germany, as well as his experiences in English and Canadian internment camps, education and employment, and interactions with refugee aid organizations, American Consulates, and Canadian government agencies. Records include letters, telegrams, postcards, forms, ID photos, poems describing children at a Canadian internment camp, clippings, and receipts.
Peter Mansbacher papers