A HOLOCAUST evacuee has been named as a finalist in a national award for brave Britons.

Harry Grenville, from Dorchester, is one of four people in the Community Champion category of the Charles Holland Awards for Brave Britons from global hearing specialist Amplifon.

Harry’s family, who were Jewish, ran a successful packaging company in a town near Stuttgart before the Second World War – then it was taken over by a member of Hitler’s SS. 

Now the 90-year-old bravely recounts his and his family’s story. And through his voluntary work with the South West Dorset Multicultural Network he hopes it teaches others about forgiveness, reconciliation and the kindness of strangers. 

Following the Night of Broken Glass in November, 1938, when German and Austrian Nazis smashed 7,500 Jewish stores, Harry – born Heinz Greilsamer – and his sister Hannah were among 10,000 Jewish children evacuated from Germany to Britain where they lived with a foster family in Cornwall.

The siblings knew their parents and grandmother had been sent to an internment camp in Czechoslovakia and had been able to exchange brief messages with them via the Red Cross. 

But in October, 1944, they received a final note from Harry’s father which said they were being sent ‘east’ – an ominous sign they were heading for the extermination camps in Poland.

Harry was 18 at the time and never saw or heard from his family again. It was only when out of the blue he received a picture in 2013 showing his father’s suitcase amongst a pile at Auschwitz, that Harry discovered when and where they lost their lives. 

After the war Harry, joined the British Army and was trained as a German interpreter and worked with the administration of the German Prisoner of War camps in Britain, helping to rehabilitate Nazi prisoners.

Harry was granted British Citizenship in 1947 and after leaving the army he became a biology teacher and spent 34 years in education. 

Truly community spirited, in 2013 he also received a letter of commendation for his contribution to keeping Dorchester clean – he collects litter in the Borough Gardens four times a week and is also deputy of the Residents Association where he lives, helping to organise social events.

Global hearing specialist Amplifon launched their search to find ‘The Best Of British’ in memory of its founder and Second World War hero Charles Holland who was honoured for his bravery by Britain and America. 

The Community Champion Award goes to a member of the public who has made a significant or inspirational contribution to their community.

Charles Holland’s daughter, Ms Susan Holland, said: “As a family we have always been so proud of the bravery and courage shown by my father during the Second World War and The Charles Holland Awards for Brave Britons are a touching tribute to his heroism.”