GalleryIntroduction by René Pinczon du Sel, Director
Could the following text and pictures show you that UNRRA did not fail in this way.
In Germany with UNRRA since the 19th April 1945 I was appointed on the 10th August to take over UNRRA Team 208 which was already in Esslingen since the 20th June. The operation had not a very great number of Displaced Persons (about 10.600) but was rather difficult because spread over three Kreis1 with 17 camps of about 23 different nationalities.
In every Kreis in Germany such mixed nationality camps were the rule, but in September the Military Government and UNRRA planned the consolidation of camps by nationality and large movements of displaced persons took place in October to obtain this end.
After having given away two Kreis to other UNRRA Teams, Team 208 remained with the one Kreis of Esslingen. A big number of Displaced Persons were shipped to different camps and Esslingen was supposed to have only a large Latvian camp of about 4000 inhabitants. About 1200 were already on the spot and the remaining were scheduled to arrive in Esslingen on the 17th October.
I prefer not to speak of this day which was awful for everybody: for the people who arrived in cold weather to find cramped quarters without heating, without furniture and for UNRRA who got these quarters from the Germans the same day and who were unable to procure the so much needed furniture. Cooking was done in a big kitchen 5 miles away and the food brought down to town three times a day.
Anyhow, with the understanding of the displaced persons, their help, and also with the energetic extensive work of all my UNRRA colleagues we managed to overcome these difficulties and by the end of October the Esslingen Assembly Centre had nearly the same set up as at the present time:
a small group of Poles attending the Technical School in Esslingen,
a small group of Stateless,
a large Latvian centre.
The purpose of this booklet is to show the different aspects of this Assembly Centre, its common and private life, its activities, and as you will easily understand, the largest part will be given to the Latvians. But in this introduction I would like to say some words of our Polish and Stateless groups.
Because of their small number, of their generally good accommodations in private billets, the stateless already living in Esslingen were authorized to remain there. They have their own leader and their own elected committee who are working under UNNRA supervision. Many of them are working with UNNRA, the Army or in German factories. Their small number does not allow for a large extension of the welfare program, but they have the possibility to take part in the Latvian activities.
There is in Esslingen a very well equipped and well known German State Technical School for training engineers. In August 1945 with the Military Government's authorization a small group of Poles were allowed to use its laboratories and some class rooms. When the Poles had to move to other Kreis in October last, I was allowed to retain here the students who were accommodated in a former factory which was then partitioned off into rooms for four to six students.
Step by step we got more space in the school and more students in the "Hotel" until we reached the present number of 300 students. All courses are given in the Polish language by Polish teachers who were called for from the whole American Zone.
Now 100 Latvian students also attend this Technical School with their own teachers and a few months ago the Germans again started their courses. A committee of teachers of these three nationalities was then formed for establishing the policy and the schedule of attendance to the laboratories. It works smoothly and with the full understanding and cooperation of the three parties.
The Polish Camp has a committee of teachers which is in charge of all school problems with the cooperation and agreement of the Polish Repatriation Officer. This committee deals with the management of the school, elaboration of the program, etc. There is an administration leader who is responsible for the administration: cooking, cleanliness, maintenance and discipline inside the camp and a committee of students working together with the two above.
These students having got the opportunity to restart their studies in this school would like to finish them as soon as possible so as to be able to bring to their Homeland together with the strength of their hands, a real knowledge which is also necessary in order to rebuild their country.
I believe it is time for me to let the Latvians explain for themselves what is now their camp after one year of effort. Before coming to Esslingen I did not know them at all, I scarcely knew the geographic situation of Latvia. After one year of constant and deep collaboration with many of them, I really appreciate their good conduct and behaviour, their fine organizational mind, their love of study and knowledge, which exists even among the old people, their desire to work and their ability in handicrafts. Actually they need only the provision of raw materials to be able to produce, goods in big quantities.
I feel sure that after having seen, in this booklet the results obtained in one year, and especially if a trip to Esslingen allows you to visit the Centre and its workshops, you will have the same good opinion that I have of the Latvians.
At the end of this long introduction allow me to thank all the UNRRA members who helped me to make this camp like it is and to confess that after four months as Director of a French spearhead Team, I was more afraid, when arriving in Esslingen, to find and lead a Team of 15 members of 9 different nationalities than to manage the camps under my charge. I believe that in Esslingen, like in most UNRRA Teams we got the proof that many nations can work together and be quite friendly if they have the same goal and try to understand each other.
My sincere thanks and affectionate friendship to all the ones who helped me so much in my task: Army, Military Government, UNRRA, national leaders without forgetting the translators, editor, photographer, artists and the editorial "GO DEVIL" staff (60th Infantry — U.S.A.) who produced this booklet.
René Pinczon du Sel, Director UNRRA Assembly Centre Esslingen
| 1 | Administrative district of a Land in Germany, similar to a county. |
