The collection contains a translation of an affidavit confirming Harry’s parentage and date of birth as well as two commemorative poems he wrote 46 years after leaving Germany.
Harry Hans Grunau was born on 2 January 1914 in Berlin to Max and Klara Grunau. He had a brother, Siegbert, and sister, Erna. In 1938 Harry decided to leave Germany because of the deteriorating circumstances for Jews in the country. He initially wanted to immigrate to Palestine but could not obtain a visa and instead chose to come to South Africa. He left for Cape Town aboard the SS Stuttgart with a group of friends. His parents made numerous unsuccessful attempts to obtain visas to enter South Africa. Along with Erna, they were deported to the Lodz Ghetto on 1 November 1941, where they perished a few months later. Siegbert was sent to a concentration camp in 1933 and released soon after. He spent the duration of the war hidden by his Christian wife, and continued to live in Berlin after the war. When Harry arrived in Cape Town he was helped by the local Jewish community to find lodgings. He became a travelling barber until he opened a barber shop in the city.
His story is featured in the exhibition ‘Seeking Refuge: German Jewish immigration to the Cape in the 1930s,’ including his heartfelt poem, ‘Saying goodbye.’