A. M. Priestley: copy transcript correspondence

Frederick Sittner came to Great Britain in the mid 1930s and became engaged in trying to persuade the US Food and Drug Administration to allow the marketing by his father of a rejuvenation potion. [His father was a pharmacist. It is thought that none of Sittner's family survived the war.] Frederick also taught German and studied English. He was swept up in the first wave of internments in 1939. The addressee, Mrs May Priestley, had become deeply involved in the activities of a local committee for the relief of refugees, during the course of which a close friendship had emerged between her and Frederick. The death of Frederick on the <em>Arandora Star</em>, mentioned in the last letter from Mrs Vina Schwab(-/6), profoundly affected Mrs Priestley. This collection of copy correspondence documents the experiences of a German Jewish refugee, Frederick Sittner, whilst held in Dixon's Interment Camp, Paignton, Devon. These surviving transcripts are a fraction of a much larger collection. In addition a subsequent deposit from the same source (Accession No. NB 281 ) comprises a letter with further background material on Friedrich Sittner and his relationship with Mrs Priestley [The letter also mentions that the original correspondence was deposited at the Imperial War Museum in 1994]; a copy extract from Sittner's 'instructions' re the disposal of his affects; and some photographs of Friedrich Sittner and Mrs Priestley. Open