Charles Ehrlich papers and correspondence relating to the Dunera Boys

MLMSS 12164
VT 5777

fonds

approximately 1942-1995

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs, Ephemera, Clippings, Moving Images

9680427

0.03 metres of textual material (1 folder) - typescript and manuscript
1 videocassette (2 hr., 54 min.) - VHS

Karl (Charles) Wolfgang Ehrlich (1913-1996) was born in Berlin to a German-Jewish family. Due to the rise of antisemitic oppression by the Nazi regime, Karl, his brother Gunter (born 1918) and their uncle fled to England in March 1939. With England facing the possibility of a Nazi invasion after the rapid advance of German forces through the Low Countries in May 1940, the British Government interned 12,000 Germans, Austrians and Italians, many of whom were refugees that had fled fascism, and reclassified them as 'enemy aliens'. Karl and Gunter were both detained as enemy aliens and subject to deportation and internment. Though Gunter was deported to Canada, Karl was deported to Australia with nearly 2,500 mainly Jewish refugees on board the Hired Military Transport (H.M.T.) 'Dunera' in July 1940 and interned at Hay Camp 7.

Released on 15 March 1942, like many of his fellow internees Karl enlisted on 8 April 1942 and served with an ‘Alien’ Employment Company of the Australian Military Force, eventually attaining the rank of Lance Corporal. After he was discharged from the military, Karl became naturalized in July 1946 and began working for fellow ‘Dunera Boy’ Walter Heine. Walter grew his Melbourne-based business trading processed food and clothing into what eventually became Heine Brothers (Australia) Pty Ltd. Karl, also known as Charles, returned to the UK in about 1970 and became Director of Heine Brothers (England) Ltd. Charles continued working for the Heine family until he retired in 1985 and remained in London until he passed away in June 1996.

References:
1. “Certificates of Naturalization.” Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, Thursday 5 September 1946, Issue No. 167, 2412. Accessed 27 May 2024.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/232894202/25116009

2. Ramsay, Cynthia. “VHEC opens its new exhibit.” Jewish Independent, June 22, 2012. Accessed 28 May 2024.
https://jewishindependent.ca/oldsite/archives/june12/archives12june22-01.html

3. The Australian Financial Review. “Leslie and Michael Heine” April 6, 1990. Accessed 27 May 2024.
https://www.afr.com/companies/leslie-and-michael-heine-19900406-kamec

4. Virtual War Memorial Australia. “EHRLICH, Karl Wolfgang.” Accessed 27 May 2024.
https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/1464225

5. Library acquisition file

By descent to Charles Ehrlich's daughter, Kate Seideman.

MLMSS 12164

Collection of loose papers accumulated by Charles Ehrlich relating to the former HMT Dunera internees. The collection includes correspondence with ex-Dunera internee associations located in Australia, Europe and the United States; contact lists of former internees; research materials including lists of record series from the Public Records Office, Kew and the National Archives of Australia; photocopies of journal and newspaper articles; cuttings from newspapers and magazines; correspondence from Dunera Boys including colour photographic prints from Alberto Karoly (Albert Karolyi); Charles Ehrich's business card from Heine Brothers (England) Ltd; one postcard with a black and white image of ten Dunera Boys in military uniform, probably 1942-1945.

VT 5777

50 Year Reunion of Dunera Boys, Sydney 6 September 1990

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Letter written by Charles Ehrlich to Henry Lippman, October 4, 1986, with image from attached postcard, probably 1942-1945, was published in Dunera news, no. 10, (November 1986): 10-11.