Concentration Camp Prisoner's Uniforms

[colt45]

prisoners hated the place and the clothes, why would they save them.. there was no value after they were free ?

[StefanM]

Some Holocuast exhibits of prisoner uniforms display donation credits to the original garment owners so they must have kept the clothing after they were freed to have been able to donate them? I guess they wanted to preserve the awful memories of these places for future generations....

[Dom]

prisoners hated the place and the clothes, why would they save them.. there was no value after they were free ?

Think again, I have known many former political deportee here in France who kept the clothes .

[CARL]

Generally, prisoners who were relatively healthy were able to leave the liberated camps shortly after they had regained their freedom, and begin their journey home. Some, evidently did this with the "clothes on their back", otherwise, as stated above, donations would not be possible. It is also true that many, many uniforms were destroyed at the camps, especially those Konzentrationslagers with a fully stocked Effektenkammer (store facility for prisoner's belongings, including clothes). Whenever possible, prisoners were clothed and the uniforms destroyed. Remember that we are talking about flea infested rotten clothing here, at locales were disease was rife. Although thousands of pieces were destroyed, many garments managed to survive.

Regards,

Carl

[CARL]

Two more images attached, to augment the earlier examples shown.

[StefanM]

Generally, prisoners who were relatively healthy were able to leave the liberated camps shortly after they had regained their freedom, and begin their journey home. Some, evidently did this with the "clothes on their back", otherwise, as stated above, donations would not be possible. It is also true that many, many uniforms were destroyed at the camps, especially those Konzentrationslagers with a fully stocked Effektenlager (store facility for prisoner's belongings, including clothes). Whenever possible, prisoners were clothed and the uniforms destroyed. Remember that we are talking about flea infested rotten clothing here, at locales were disease was rife. Although thousands of pieces were destroyed, many garments managed to survive.

Regards,

Carl

I think I still might have a photo from a former Polish inmate who kept his KL striped long coat and hat hanging from a peg in his house for the rest of his life. I will try and find the shot of the prison long coat hanging up at home and post it here. Sadly the younger generation of the family sold the coat, patch and hat etc when he died.

Meanwhile the first photo below shows someone who kept his inmate uniform for 31 years after liberation.



The second shows men in normal clothes and one man with inmate striped trousers shorty after liberation from camp in Leipzig, Germany.

[António Fragoeiro]

A few from Neuengamme.

Cheers.
Nuno

[Adrian]

A few from various museums/camps I've visited.

[Dom]

Adrian,

or is taken the first photo ( 45874 ) in France ??

Thanks

[Adrian]

Hi Dom,

The first two are from Sachsenhausen, the third and fourth from the museum at Omaha beach and the last three I don't remember but definitely from Normandy, possibly at Saint-Côme-du-Mont.