Antiques Roadshow

Holocaust Memorial (39x13)

: 15, 2017

As preparations begin to mark Holocaust Memorial Day later this month, Fiona Bruce and a small team of experts meet a remarkable group of British survivors whose lives were shattered by the events of World War II. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosts a special gathering as Jewish families come together to talk - many for the first time on television - about life under Hitler's tyranny. Precious objects that help tell their stories include family silver hidden from the Nazis, a pair of striped trousers worn in Auschwitz and a gold coin used by a family as vital currency when fleeing over the Pyrenees. Broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky explains her role in the work of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, which involved conducting over a hundred interviews, and she meets again the woman who moved her most as she talks about life in Belsen. Relatives talk about the impact that is still wrought on their families, but there is hope in the form of four enormous quilts celebrating the lives of orphaned loved ones who were given refuge in the UK. In a rare break from tradition, the items screened will not be valued due to their priceless nature and historical importance.