Unearthing Southport's jewish WW2 history

ALMOST 50 years ago, Helen Connolly discovered an old diary buried amongst items in preparation for a jumble sale.
What looked like an battered homework book for children was actually a journal, penned when 20 young girls fled from the Nazis in 1938.
Amongst the pages were accounts of fond memories that the girls had all shared while growing up together in Southport.

After years of apprehension about what to do with the diary, Helen decided to donate it to the Manchester Jewish Museum.
The remarkable story was then told in a Yorkshire TV documentary, in which she re-enacted the moment she recovered it, and also featured in the emotional reunion which saw nine of the girls meeting for the first time since going their separate ways.
It was that initial discovery by Helen that eventually led to the reunion.
Reminiscing of the shock at finding such a priceless memoir, Helen told LookBack: "I couldn't believe it when I found out what it was, it could've easily made it into the rubbish bin when it looked like such a tatty old thing.
"I was very concerned about doing anything with the diary at first, I wasn't sure if it should be publicised as it's such a sensitive and emotional issue."
Helen found herself wondering what happened to the girls after their stay in Southport.
She later discovered that a few of them moved on to a hostel in Manchester, while some moved to places such as Austria, Israel, Vancouver, New York and Brazil.
A couple of the girls who stayed in England ended up with high-flying careers for organisations such as the BBC and the Commonwealth of Nations.
But the thought of the girls being reunited again was the driving force behind Helen's decision to reveal the diary.
And the occasion dissolved any doubts that she originally had: "I have absolutely no regrets now as it was amazing to see all the girls together.
"It was the first time after so many years and they all really enjoyed being in the company of eachother again. They were very thankful to me and even bought me flowers and a card."