Anschluss and Belton

Altogether, over 2,700 mainly Jewish members of Vienna University were dismissed and subsequently expelled and/or murdered - teachers, students and administrative employees, and more than 200 people were stripped of their academic degrees. In April 1938, Vienna’s Medical Faculty purged 175 members. At the peak of professional eminence, Julius Hass, an orthopaedic surgeon became a victim of Nazi persecution and was expelled. Being Jewish, he could not legally give allegiance to Hitler. Some university members committed suicide, others died in Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Why didn’t they just leave Austria? That demanded assets for the huge, Reichsfluchtsteuer (Reich Flight Tax), sponsors and numerous documents. Austrians had a 9-year wait for U.S. visas.

Julius came to Belton via India in July 1938 intending to move to the U.S. The visitor book records that the Brownlows hosted Julius, son Anton, wife Alice and her brother Kurt Gottlieb.

The introductions likely arose through the Brownlow’s friendship with Baron Franckenstein, Austrian Ambassador. A Belton address book (NT 434766) lists telephone numbers to a 1930s Austrian legation diplomat, Baron Lothar Wimmer. He became Austrian Ambassador in 1952.

Anti-Nazi Franckenstein, sacked after Anschluss, remained in London to devise the Special Operations Executive strategy against wartime Austria. He took British nationality and was knighted to become Sir George Franckenstein.

Alice returned to Belton in 1950 for the funeral of her brother in Belton’s churchyard. Kurt’s tragic end makes another story.

Anton married in 1957 and had three children, Anthony Cecil, John Randolph and Elizabeth, and grandchildren.

Alfred (1909-1983) an E.N.T. surgeon fled to Britain and within a year had gained qualifications from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. He then worked at Guy’s Hospital and the Royal Nose, Throat and Ear Hospital in Grays Inn Road. He wrote papers on blast injury of the ear. He was appointed Consultant at St James’ Hospital, Balham in 1946, and worked there until 1974. He specialise in treating the voices of singers. He became honorary laryngologist to The Royal College of Music and The Royal Northern College of Music and Consultant to the Royal Academy of Music. In 1982 he was awarded honorary membership of the Royal College of Music. He wrote many articles on the function of the larynx in singers. He condensed his thoughts into his book Operanatomy published in various versions between 1971 and 1979. It took until 1955 for his nullified doctorate to be reinstated by the Vienna University.

As an example of how easily flight was thwarted without the assistance of benefactors like the Brownlows, Walter Benjamin, a famous German philosopher obtained a US visa, but only for travel from neutral Portugal. Travelling there through Franco's Spain, their police proposed to deport him back to the Nazis; he committed suicide. His brother was murdered in Mauthausen concentration camp.