Joanna Millan BEM JP
Joanna was born Bela Rosenthal in Berlin, August 1942. Bela’s father was deported to Auschwitz, while she and her mother were sent to Theresienstadt. Her parents did not survive but Bela was at the camp for two years until it was liberated by the Russians. Bela was sent with other orphans from Theresienstadt to Windermere in the Lake District, in the group known as ‘The Boys’. Her adoptive parents called her Joanna and never wanted to talk about her past. Joanna was in her 50’s when she learnt about her family. (Concentration Camp Child Survivor, Theresienstadt, Windermere post-war)
Sometimes my grandchildren ask me about my past. I would like them to know what happened within their family because that’s part of their history and, in a way, it’s their inheritance.
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