Henny Franks closes her eyes and remembers wearing a khaki uniform, walking hand in hand with her cousin down Oxford Street on VE Day May 1945.
The veteran and AJR member, who turns 102 next month, is reminiscing at north London’s RAF Museum, where on Tuesday afternoon more than 150 of the UK’s remaining Holocaust witnesses and their descendants marked the end of the second world war.
Against the backdrop of iconic fighter aircrafts including the Spitfire, they honoured and celebrated those who took up arms and fought against their fellow countrymen and their countries of birth.
Many Jewish refugees, who found refuge in the UK, fought back against those responsible for their flight and oppression, and a number joined the British armed forces in the battle against the Axis powers.
Henny, proudly wearing service medals bestowed on her last year by AJR, tells Jewish News that on VE Day they were “singing and dancing with all the crowds. And I was happy because I thought I’d see my parents again. It wasn’t quite like that, but that’s what I thought. I close my eyes and I can see it now. I’ll never forget it.”
The VE Day 80 Years Celebration 2025 of AJR in London Royal Air Force Musume on 6 5 2025. Photos taken by Adam Soller Photography©
With young school children on day trips running around excitedly, she adds: “These days should never be forgotten. People like me will not forget.”
In February 1939, she escaped to the UK via a Kindertransport, together with her younger sister. Her father was arrested and deported to Sobibor where he was murdered by the Nazis, but her mother survived the Holocaust.
Henny was taken in by a cousin in England and at the age of 19 was recruited by the British Army to the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). She went to Nottingham for training and then worked as a driver transporting ammunition in Westcliff-on-Sea.
Today Henny said: “I love England very much. I felt so proud to be in the army. I did my bit. I was one of the lucky ones. I want people to know that Jewish people did their bit to fight back.”
Henny Franks, Kurt Marx (middle) with John Fieldsend. RAF Museum, Tuesday 6th May 2025. Pic: Michelle Rosenberg
Michael Newman, chief executive, The Association of Jewish Refugees, said: “Today we give special recognition to the brave endeavours of the Jewish refugees, who escaped central Europe and joined the British War effort, having experienced the horror of Nazi terror first hand.
“Over the years, the AJR has been honoured to count many members as veterans, including those who worked at Bletchley cracking and deciphering Enigma and some as Secret Listeners, eavesdropping on conversations of German POWs.
The VE Day 80 Years Celebration 2025 of AJR in London Royal Air Force Musume on 6 5 2025. Photos taken by Adam Soller Photography©
“All of which helped shorten the war. For this community, VE Day was – and remains – a paradox of celebration and realisation. Of bunting and smiles, and of heart-wrenching desperation that the fate of loved ones was in stark contrast to their own.”
During the proceedings, AJR members were given a private tour of RAF WW2 fighter aircrafts, followed by entertainment from a swing band and traditional 1940’s sandwiches and cakes – representing the new life in Britain, Jewish refugees forged, in the face of adversity.
The VE Day 80 Years Celebration 2025 of AJR in London Royal Air Force Musume on 6 5 2025. Photos taken by Adam Soller Photography©
Guests of honour included MP for Hendon, David Pinto-Duschinsky and Sally Sealey, chief of staff to the UK Envoy for post-Holocaust issues.
Initially, refugees from Austria and Germany were not permitted to join the British armed forces. This was later relaxed, when some were allowed special dispensation to join the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (renamed the Pioneer Corps in 1940), an unarmed unit that provided manual labour for British units.
Tasks included trench digging, bridge building, and clearing roads. Some 4,000 male Jewish refugees enlisted in the Pioneer Corps during the course of the war. From 1942, Austrian and German refugees were permitted to enlist directly into technical units and the Special Forces, and eventually all restrictions on service were lifted. Refugees who served in the army were sometimes known as ‘The King’s Most Loyal Enemy Aliens’.
In total, around 10,000 German and Austrian refugees joined the British armed forces from 1939 to 1945.
