AUCHWITZ

I never wanted to visit Auchwitz Birkenau on a sunny day. I chose a bitterly cold December day with snow in the wind.

At this extermination camp in German occupied Poland, the largest mass murder site in human history, 1.1 million died and for no good good reason other than the warped agenda of Hitler and his disciples . The death toll includes 960,00 Jews of which 865,000 were gassed on arrival, 74,000 ethnic Poles, 21,000 Roma and 15,000 Soviet prisoners. I have included prisoners drawings displayed at the site and two archive photographs. This should have been a lesson well learned, to never allow it to happen again. It has and will again - and we do nothing.

EMILE GOUÉ

1904 -1946. Born in Bordeaux and captured in June 1940 fighting for France. He composed several pieces in the Oflag XB including this prelude. He was liberated but died shortly after succumbing to an illness picked up at the camp. You can listen to the prelude whilst watching the video. Do watch full screen with the volume on for the best experience. It’s a haunting and sombre piece that fits well with the imagery.

Please note: Images in the video have been intentionaly degraded by me to fit better with the old photos and prisoner’s drawings. To view individual images click on the thumbnails.

. . . . . an internet connection is required to play the video