The second generation of Arthur Samuel's family comprises 14 nephews and nieces. Most of them were born in Hüls, which is now part of North Rhine-Westphalia; the eldest child Ernst in 1898, the youngest child Helga in 1929.

Eight members of this generation survived the Nazi era, with seven exiting Germany and one leaving Holland during the 1930s or shortly thereafter.

Three were killed in concentration camps in the East along with their families.

One member of this generation died in Hüls in 1930 and the fate of two others is unknown.

Most of the survivors traveled as far away from Europe as soon as it became possible; four to South Africa and two to Australia. The remaining two found refuge in England. (See graphic here) The lives of all eight survivors of the second generation were very difficult in the years before and after their emigration. The hardships experienced by some were truly horrific. A brief overview of their departure from Germany, sorted by country of immigration, is available in the menu item "Exhibits", as is also the fate of their deceased cousins.

Whereabouts of Arthur Samuel's nieces and nephews around 1958.

(Graphic created from family documents)

Arthur and Eugenie isolated from their family

Following the conclusion of the war, several surviving members of the second generation re-established contact with one another, as well as with Arthur. However, only his nephew Fritz (the son of Arthur's sister Emilie) was able to travel internationally at that time. This unfortunate situation, with only a few exceptions, led to Arthur and Eugenie in Cadenberge having almost no direct personal contact with close relatives after the 2nd World War. In reality, there were only one or two visits in the 1950s, by the nephew Fritz.

And there was one visit in the mid-1960s by Henry Irwig, one of the authors of this text, who is a grandson of Arthur's sister Emilie. He writes about his visit as follows:

Arthur's wife Eugenie died in 1956 and his sister Emilie in 1958.

"In 1964, at the age of 21, I went to Cadenberge for a visit. The decision to go to the country which had treated our family with such brutality and inhumanity was then not an easy one for me to make. At the time, I was working in London for a year before returning to South Africa to complete my architecture studies. My great-uncle Arthur was 84 years old at that point, so it seemed to me the last opportunity for members of the first and third generations of the Samuel family to spend some time together.

I traveled by ferry across the English Channel connecting with a train to Hamburg and then onwards to Cadenberge. There I was welcomed at the train station by Arthur and his beloved dog. Arthur's house was located nearby on Osterstraße. Although my great-uncle and I had never met before, a close relationship immediately developed. Arthur was discernibly very pleased to finally be able to again spend time with a family member and I was warmly welcomed into his home. Arthur was supported by a helper who ran daily errands and communicated with my great-uncle in Low German. I remember Arthur's amazement that I could understand parts of their conversation. Low German shares significant similarities with Afrikaans, the language that every schoolchild in South Africa had to master.

During the visit, which lasted only a few days, my great-uncle and I talked mainly about our current lives. Arthur also wanted to talk about Eugenie and learn more about his sister Emilie and her life in South Africa. The past and the hardships of the Nazi era were not discussed. The visit was a very special experience for Arthur and me alike, certainly inspired by the emotional connection between my great-uncle and his sister Emilie, my grandmother. I fondly remember both as being sympathetic, compassionate, non-judgmental, yet forthright."

The first sign of life after Nazi barbarism. It was not until May 1946 that Arthur had the opportunity to write a few lines to his sister Emilie. (Source: Private, family property).
(Quelle: Privat, Familienbesitz).

The new beginning

After a few years in their adopted home countries, most of Arthur's nephews started their own businesses, as did Henry's parents, Kate and Herbert. Businesses included: lampshade manufacturing (Fritz and Erich in Durban, South Africa), tie manufacturing (Werner in Sydney, Australia), plumbing (Heinz in Sydney, Australia), and a grocery/supermarket (Kate and Herbert in Johannesburg, South Africa). All these companies flourished and, in some cases, became important national and even international players. These economic activities required very hard work and significant sacrifices from their families.

Arthur's nephew Erwin and his two nieces Grete and Hilde earned their living as employees. Erwin worked for many decades as a senior expense accountant in Johannesburg, Grete held an administrative position in central London, while Hilde worked for many years as a maid and housekeeper for a Jewish family in London until her marriage.

The family today

After the war, the Samuel family had seven children, all born in the southern hemisphere, two in South Africa and five in Australia. This third generation had one less sibling than Arthur's generation and was half the size of the second generation which consisted of Arthur's nieces and nephews. This decline is not surprising given the deaths of so many loved ones and the traumatic aftermath of the Nazi era.

The fourth generation, consisting of the great-great-grandchildren of Arthur's sister Emilie and his brother Meinhard, includes twelve family members. Ten live in Australia, one in the USA and one in Europe.

Nearly a century after a generation that consisted of 14 family members, the number of descendants has decreased, and only one of them has returned to Europe.