He will be sadly missed

A concentration camp survivor who made his home in Solihull and campaigned to ensure the horrors of the Holocaust never became a forgotten piece of history has died at the age of 78.

German-born Paul Oppenheimer visited nearly 900 schools, colleges and community groups to give talks about his terrible experiences during the Second World War and also wrote a book about his life. In a newspaper interview three years ago, he said: "During my talks with students, I ask them whether or not they think that a situation similar to the Holocaust could happen in Britain today, by linking it with the BNP and asylum seekers. It's all about raising awareness."

In the wake of the Nazis taking power, Mr Oppenheimer's Jewish family left Berlin in 1936 to settle in Holland, in the hope of escaping persecution. But after the German invasion four years later, they were detained and spent time in a Dutch transit camp before being transported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Mr Oppenheimer and his brother and sister, Rudi and Eve, survived but their parents died.

As the Allies advanced into Germany in the spring of 1945, the three children together with other inmates were put on a train travelling east - apparently to another camp - but were freed by the Russian Army. Mr Oppenheimer emigrated to Britain later that year and after training as an engineer spent much of his working life at Lucas Girling in Birmingham.

He became a world expert on braking systems and was awarded the MBE for his services to the motor industry in 1990. His autobiography five years later, was called From Belsen to Buckingham Palace. He took part in Solihull's first Holocaust Memorial Day in 2004.

Mr Oppenheimer, who lived in Riverside Drive, Solihull, died last Thursday, leaving a widow, Corinne, three children and seven grandchildren. Mrs Oppenheimer said: "He will be sadly missed by us, his family, but also by many other people. He was a wonderful man. For 40 years Paul didn't talk about his wartime experiences. But then he decided that people - particularly younger people - should know exactly what happened during the Holocaust. It was a cathartic experience for him, telling his story, and his talks became a kind of second career."

icSolihull