The Varied and Colourful Life of
Henry Barclay (Z′′L)

There are VAJEX members who can tell intriguing tales about their life and experiences, but very few can top the varied and unusual twists and turns of life compared to Henry Barclay.

His optimistic and positive outlook on life is like a breath of fresh air, and when talking to him, the enthusiasm he radiates is like a strong life force, illuminating the room he sits in.

Born in Lwow, Poland on 11th September 1914 as Henry Burzynka, he grew up in a traditional, secular Jewish home.  Finishing his studies in a gymnasium in his home town, he was very aware of anti-Semitism and prejudice through his school years.  “Insults and physical threats were part and parcel of my school years, being both short in stature and Jewish, but I was a fast runner, so usually got away before anything too unpleasant happened to me,” Henry says to me with a grin.

As the situation because more unpleasant, he decided that enough was enough, and it was time to leave Poland, and he left in 1935, emigrating to France.  “As I did not speak French when I arrived, I set out to learn as quickly as possible.” Enrolling in the Insitut de Chimie in Caen, he graduated with a Diploma in Chemical Engineering in 1939.

After completing his Diploma, he obtained a position managing a sugar factory for a few months, and later volunteered for the French army, but not being a French citizen, finished up in the Foreign Legion.  The possible option was to serve in Northern France or Indo-China, but he found himself shipped to Morocco.  While his ambition was to drive tanks, in good old army fashion was assigned to the cavalry instead.  Assigned a horse, Henry says, “I don’t know who got the bigger fright, the horse or me.”

After serving three years, at the fall of continental France to the Germans, his unit was demobilised and he was assigned to work on the Trans-Sahara Railway where he learnt a new skill using a pneumatic drill to break up rocks.  Several months later he was sent back to Vichy France, but as a returned French soldier, his Jewishness did not pose any serious problems.

He obtained a position as an industrial chemist masking beauty products, including hair creams, and even black boot polish that was sold to the German army. As the war progressed and Vichy France came increasingly under Nazi influence, Henry decided it was prudent to move on, and escaped across the Pyrenees to Spain.  Caught crossing the border, he was arrested and sent to the Miranda de Ebro Concentration Camp.  Never one to take things lying down, he staged a seven day hunger strike protesting against the poor living conditions.

Released in May 1943, he went to Madrid where he learned Spanish and worked in a dry cleaning plant.  A few months later he was sent to Portugal, then Gibraltar and a few months later was shipped to England.

Arriving in Scotland, it was suggested that it would be beneficial to change his name to one that would blend in the new environment.  This led to his transformation to Henry Barclay.  Resuming his military career, he joined the Free Polish Army, but through a series of misadventures, was arrested as a suspect spy.  Taken to London for intensive interrogation, his innocence was established and he left the army in October 1943, joining the work force once again in his field as an industrial chemist.

He met his future wife, Charlotte, they married and his son Michael was born in 1945.  In his spare time he became involved in the Scouting movement, a connection that would last for many decades.

Another chapter was opened in Henry’s life in 1956 when he decided to pull up stakes and emigrate “Down Under”.  On arrival he found a position with Fibre makers in Bayswater, initially as an industrial chemist, and later manager of the nylon plant.  In 1975 he retired after 19 years.  Not one to sit idly around, he joined a family firm of Roger David as a salesman, also became a Mason joining the Lodge of Tradition.

But his many other activities have kept him fully occupied over the years and brought him many accolades for selfless service.

Back in 1959, he and Harold Nathan formed the 24th Camberwell Scout Group, under the auspices of the Leo Baeck Centre, the first Jewish Scout Group in the Eastern suburbs.  One interesting sidelight was the ecumenical spirit at its opening, when Rabbis Jacob Danglow and Herman Sanger jointly officially participated at the formal opening.  This was the first time such a ceremony was performed jointly by a Liberal and Orthodox Rabbi.

Henry served as Group Scout Master for 15 years and on retiring was given the singular honour of being presented with a Medal of Merit by the then Victorian Governor, Sir Rohan Delacombe.  Adding to his multi-faceted talents, Henry began oil painting as a hobby and joined the Malvern Arts Society.  As well as this, he took up the hobby of collecting clocks.

Sadly, in the year of his and Charlotte’s Golden Wedding Anniversary, Charlotte died, leaving Henry devastated.  A few years later he met Bella Szmerling and they married in 1994, starting a new and happy chapter of his eventful life.

He took up further education learning new languages and skills, and he now speaks Polish, English, French, Spanish and Hebrew.

Henry is a born optimist and takes life’s hurdles in his stride.  His philosophy can be encapsulated by one of his quotes: “Digging the Trans-Sahara Railway, while everyone around me was complaining, I saw it as an experience.  I always try to make the most of any situation that I find and make life enjoyable.

A committee member of VAJEX since 1996, Henry is a true inspiration to everyone around him, and at 90 years young, continues to make travelling through life a positive and enjoyable journey.

(This article was written in 2004.  Henry passed away 22nd February 2009.  May his dear soul rest in peace.)

Leo Max – a Dunera Boy (written by his Son Dennis Max)

The ship HMT Dunera (hired military transport) has been the subject of at least three books and one full length feature film and I do not intend to provide a summarized version of them in this brief article. For specific references I have relied on the excellent work “The Dunera Affair” by Paul Bartrop and Gabrielle Eisen published in 1990. If readers want to learn more they can refer to the abovementioned or a summary entry in Wikepedia.

Leo Max was born in the village of Kobersdorf in southern Austria on 29th October 1910. It was one of seven Jewish communities in Burgenland, Austria, and each had its own synagogue. He was one of seven siblings. After his schooling he went to Vienna to apprentice as a master tailor and lived in an apartment with an aunt in the second district, which had a large Jewish population.

In March 1938 Nazi Germany unified Austria to itself in what is referred to as the Anschluss. Life soon became more difficult for the Jews of Austria. A friend in his apartment building learned that the Jews at their address were to be arrested the following morning, and without any planning they immediately went to the railway station and caught a train in order to escape. They continued to travel by train across Germany with the intention of crossing the border into Belgium.

They left from their rail journey at a station close to the border and proceeded on foot, where they were apprehended by German soldiers and taken back to a guard house. Eventually an officer arrived and asked who they were and where they were going. They admitted that they were Austrian Jews attempting to cross into Belgium. The officer seemed sympathetic and offered to release them at the border that night. At the border they were told to run, and they zig-zagged through the trees fearing they would be used for target practice, but fortunately there was no shooting. They were caught by the Belgian border guards and eventually interned in a refugee camp with other German and Austrian escapees.

After Germany invaded Poland on 1st September 1939 and Britain declared war, the British recognised they had a shortage of various professions key to the war effort an issued requests for plumbers, carpenters, electricians, medical staff and TAILORS. Leo seized the opportunity and volunteered and was transported to England. He worked in a uniform factory in Slough, west of London.

Once the Low Countries were invaded in early 1940 panic emerged in Britain that some of the refugees might be fifth columnists and on 12th May an order was issued to either have Austrians and Germans report to police weekly, or to round up and intern “enemy aliens” between 16 and 60, depending on how they were categorized according to threat level. About 4000 were interned in Kitchener Camp in Kent. The objective was to transport these people to Canada, but after one of the ships – Arandora Star was torpedoed shortly after leaving Liverpool with the loss of many lives, and some survivors. Australia was then asked, and agreed to take up to 6000 refugees. The Dunera left Liverpool on 10th July. 1940 carrying over 2000 refugees. The conditions were appalling and the treatment meted out by the 141 British crew and guards was cruel, and subsequently senior officers were reprimanded and NCO’s were reduced in rank.

The Dunera arrived in Sydney 0n 6th September 1940 and the refugees were transported by train to two internment camps in Hay, NSW. After their arrival relatives and friends of the refugees still in Britain began to lobby the British Government over the status of the deportees and the Prime Minister Winston Churchill regretted the decision to send them away. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour the prisoners were reclassified as friendly aliens and Released by the Australian Government. About 1000 volunteerd to join the Australian Military forces, and most of the rest went back to Britain to serve in their military.

Leo Max volunteered to remain in Australia, and like many of his colleagues joined the 8th Employment Company at Camp Pell, located on Flemington Road North Melbourne, where the Royal Childrens’ Hospital now stands.

He was a Private and worked in the Tailoring Unit, making uniforms for officers. After having located there for several months he realized that there were other Jews living in the immediate vicinity who had migrated to Australia prior to the war commencing. On his weekends he started offering his tailoring services to some of these people.

On one occasion he was conducting a fitting for one such gentleman and he noticed a young woman there was measuring up the man’s wife for a dress. She was originally from Germany and had arrived in Melbourne 2 years earlier and was living in Flemington Road, almost opposite Camp Pell. They started dating. Her name was Anneliese Meyer.

A couple of months later when he arrived to take her out the noticed he had a new chevron on his sleeve. “What is that?” she asked. He replied “Because I am a good tailor they have promoted me to Lance Corporal”. About two months later when he arrived to take her out and he had 2 chevrons. “And what is that?” she asked. He replied “Because I am a Master Tailor they have promoted me to full Corporal”. And about a month later he had 3 chevrons. “What is that?” she asked. “Because I am their best tailor I have been promoted to Sargeant and I am now in charge of all tailoring at Camp Pell.” He answered.

In 1943 Leo married Anneliese at Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.

Leo was de-mobbed at the beginning of 1946. He and Anne (Anneliese) lived at 205 Flemington Road until 1954 when they purchased a house in McKinnon. They had 2 sons – Dennis and Gary and eventually 5 grand children.

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