Surrey’s History Centre in Woking is proudly marking Holocaust Memorial Day in January 2025 with a brand new, month-long exhibition and an online, live event telling the stories of 13 British Born victims of Aktion T4.
Aktion T4 was the Nazi extermination programme responsible for the deaths of approximately 70,000 adults with mental and physical disabilities.
The live, online event is on the 29 January 2025, at 5:30pm and tickets can be booked via the History Centre’s website. It will feature presentations from Dr Helen Atherton (University of Leeds) and Dr Simon Jarrett (Open University) the curators of the exhibition. Both speakers will discuss the T4 programme and the meticulous research that has unearthed these 13 life stories and painstakingly reconstructed the lives of these people.
Surrey History Centre was able to contribute directly to the research of this work as one victim, Anna Elsie Panitza (1897-1940) had lived in Surrey. Staff at Surrey History Centre discovered that she was admitted to Surrey County Council’s County mental health hospitals at Brookwood and Netherne. Her medical case notes, now preserved at Surrey History Centre, have filled important gaps in her story and she is a key part of the powerful, international exhibition that will be hosted at Surrey History Centre in January 2025 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Centre, just 15 minutes’ walk from Woking station and fully accessible, helps people from all over the world research Surrey’s history, people and places year-round. The extensive archives allow residents to research their own undiscovered family history, with assistance from knowledgeable, dedicated on-site staff.
Councillor Denise Turner Stewart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities said, “Yet again Surrey History Centre has played a key role in helping piece together an important story; in this case the life of a disabled Surrey resident who features in this significant research.
“We are privileged to have this facility, and I encourage everyone to visit. There is a full programme of fascinating events for all ages to experience.
“The History Centre provides access for anyone who wishes to research Surrey and its people. The staff are welcoming and knowledgeable and understand how the links with our past help shape who we all are today. I’ll certainly be going to see this particular exhibition and I hope many of our Surrey residents can do the same.”
The talk will take place on Zoom and the exhibition is open during the normal opening hours of the Surrey History Centre from 2 – 30 January 2025.
Notes:
Surrey History Centre in Woking collects and preserves the records of Surrey’s past and present, documenting the story of the county and its people from the 12th century to the 21st century. Visiting the centre to use the collections is free, staff are always happy to offer advice, and there is a busy programme of exhibitions, talks and events.
Helen Atherton is a lecturer in nursing in the School of Healthcare at Leeds University. She initiated the Finding Ivy project after a chance discovery 14 years ago and has been working on it, in her own time, ever since. She now leads the international team of researchers who have put the exhibition together.
Simon Jarrett is a visiting Fellow at the Open University and a member of the Finding Ivy research team. He is the author of two books on the history of disabled people.
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