My mother’s postcard album, or Postkarten Album, as it says on the cover, was one of the few possessions she brought with her when she left Germany for England in 1939. The album, which comprises postcards from her father and from other family members as she was growing up in pre war in Germany, also came with her to Australia after the war.
The postcards were a reminder of happier days growing up in Germany in the years between World War I and World War II and were a link to her immediate and wider family, many of whom did not survive the tragic events.
I recall looking at the postcards a couple of times with my mother but did not really understand the meaning and context of the postcards. The album remained untouched, stored away with various other items, for over thirty years after my mother died in 1981.
As part of a longstanding attempt to find out more about my mother’s parents, I came across information in 2014 revealing that my grandfather had been born in Themar.
I then came across the website “Juden in Themar”. Upon contacting Sharon Meen, I mentioned that I had an album of postcards from my mother and asked whether it would be of any interest. The rest is history. It was only then that I realised the album’s significance.
I am pleased to have assisted in bringing the postcards “back to life” and in making them a resource available for viewing by researchers and by the general public.
Garry Meller (Ilse‘s son)
Melbourne, Australia
July 2015
Below is a selection of postcards contained in the album.
Click on the above image for a view of all the postcards and messages. Hover over image to see place and date.