The Holocaust Educational Trust is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Martin Bennett.
Born on 25th December 1925 in Izbica Kujawska, Poland, Martin had six brothers and two sisters, and lived with his mother and father.
Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, he was sent to a forced labour camp in Poznań. He was told that he would be able to work and earn money to send back to his family, so he was happy to go. It was only once he arrived at the camp that he realised that this was not the case.
From Poznań, Martin was later deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he was reunited with one of his brothers. As he was so young, his brother told him to say he was older and that he was a cabinet maker, which allowed him to survive the selection. The brothers were able to see the remainder of the war out together, and Martin credits his brother with his survival.
After the war Martin learned that the rest of his family had not survived, and his parents had been killed at Chełmno extermination camp. With no family left in Poland, Martin came to Britain. In the meantime, his brother had met his future wife and moved to Israel.
Martin arrived in Britain on 5th November 1947. Here he met his wife, Priscilla. Initially, Martin worked for a tailor, but eventually he and Priscilla were able to buy their own clothes shop. They have been married for more than 60 years and have two daughters, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Martin regularly shared his testimony in schools through the Trust's Outreach programme, meetings thousands of students all across the country.