Walter Saunders papers

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

Walter Saunders (1922-1996) was born Walter Schatzker in Vienna, Austria, to Paul and Klara Schatzker. He had one brother, Kurt, born in 1919. Walter grew up to become an electrician, while Kurt became a tailor. Soon after the Kristallnacht, the brothers obtained visas to the United States. They traveled first to Merksplas, Belgium, where Walter volunteered his serves at the refugee camp there. They later traveled to England, where again Walter served at first as an electrician and later a nurse at the Kitchener camp for refugees. In 1940, the brothers sailed on the Volendam to New York City in 1940. There Walter would meet Mildred Goldstein, whom he later married. While Walter was living in the United States, his parents, who remained behind in Europe, were arrested and placed in Les Milles and Gurs concentration camps, before being sent to Auschwitz in 1942, where they both were killed. 

Walter Saunders papers 

folders 3 

The Walter Saunders papers contains correspondence with Walter’s parents while they were in Marseille and Les Milles. The documents contain reference letters, naturalization certificate, and an Austrian citizenship certificate. The photographs include portraits of Paul and Klara while at Auschwitz, a group photo with Paul at Camp Gurs, a young Walter with his brother Kurt, and a younger Paul while serving in the Austrian Army during World War I. 

The Walter Saunders papers are arranged as a single series.