Students' moving trip to Auschwitz

09/12/2009

Ashley (left) and Shaun found the experience deeply moving

Early in November, two students from the College flew out to Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp in Poland, for a harrowing lesson in modern history, never to be forgotten

Ashley Colella and Shaun Wates, both 17 and studying Aeronautical Engineering at the Crawley campus were put forward for the trip by lecturer, David Molden. After attending a preparatory seminar in London, they were part of a 200-strong group of students from the South East, onboard an early morning flight to Krackow as part of a Government funded scheme.

After visiting a pre-war Jewish site in the Polish town of Oświęcim, the group travelled the short distance to Auschwitz 1, which was originally the administrative centre for the rest of the complex, and now houses the Museum. The displays of personal belongings, written material and photographs of those who died at the camp particularly affected Ashley and Shaun.

The group then moved onto Berkenau, which is virtually unchanged from how it was in the 1940s. Students were able to see first hand the remnants of barracks, crematoria and gas chambers, and experience Ashley described as "so overwhelmingly awful, so incomprhensible, that it was difficult to put feelings into words."

The time at Berkenau concluded with a memorial ceremony held next to the destroyed crematoria II, led by Rabbi Barry Marcus of the Central Synagogue, before they returned home. A week later, all students who had been on the trip attended a follow-up seminar in London.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Education Trust, which runs the visits, explains that the project aims to turn the educated into educators. "We are very aware that there's going to be a time where there aren't any survivors left to go into schools," she said. "The young people on these visits themselves become eye-witnesses.

After an unforgettable experience, both Ashley and Shaun felt privilaged to have been given the opportunity to experience this trip. Their detailed recollections of the day and enthusiasm to describe their experiences would suggest that the Holocaust Education Trust's objectives have been met.

Holocaust Memorial Day is 27 January 2010.

For more from Ashley and Shaun see this week's Crawley News (9/12/09)