In order to escape the Holocaust, many Jews attempted to get to Palestine on ships and enter illegally. By 1940, the British authorities considered many deterrent measures, including deportation to a remote British colony, such as Mauritius. In September, 1940, about 3,600 refugees left from Bratislava on river steamers. At the Romanian port of Tuleca, they transferred to three Greek cargo ships as follows: 700 on the Milos; 1,000 on the Pacific; and 1,900 on the Atlantic. In early October, the British authorities became aware of the ships and began to make arrangements to ship a significant number of these potential refugees to Mauritius. In early November, the first two ships, Milos and the Atlantic were apprehended by the British and taken to Haifa. After being kept on board for two weeks, these passengers were transferred to another ship, the Patria, for transport to Mauritius. On November 24, the Atlantic was diverted to Haifa. That evening some of the passengers from the Atlantic were brought aboard the Patria. During the morning of November 25, the Haganah planted explosive devices on the ship which were meant to prevent the ship from departing. Unfortunately, they miscalculated the amount of the explosives needed and a large hole was opened, and within minutes, the ship was on its side. Over 250 persons were killed. As a result of international protests, the surviving refugees on the Patria were permitted to stay in Palestine.
On December 9, The remaining passengers on the Atlantic, about 1,600 men, women, and children, were transported to Mauritius on two Dutch passenger ships and arrived at Port Louis on December 27. They were placed in a camp at Beau Bassin. Initially, Men and women were segregated. Ultimately, many of the inmates found work. After the war was over, the refugees from Mauritius were permitted to leave for Palestine. On August 26, 1945, about 1,300 persons arrived in Haifa. Of the original deportees, 124 died there and 212 had volunteered for service in the Allied forces.
Mail was permitted without limitations. All mail to and from the detainees used the same address, P.O.B. 1000. The mail was highly censored and bore triangular censor markings.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of four covers from detainees on Mauritius. The first is postmarked May, 1943, from a detainee with the last name of Wellisch to a relative in Buenos Aires. The cover bears an arrival postmark dated September 14, 1943. The second is from a detainee, Dr. Otto Neumann, to the Red Cross is Geneva, Switzerland. The third is from a detainee, Perla Kupfermann, to a relative in New York City. The fourth is a registered cover postmarked July 17, 1941, from a detainee, Ernestine Zeisel, to a relative in Jerusalem. The cover bears an arrival postmark dated September 25, 1941. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Covers 1-4" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three more covers from Mauritius. The first is postmarked February 5, 1941, from a detainee, Arthur Lindemann to Tel Aviv. The cover bears censor marks from Mauritius and South Africa. The second is a registered cover postmarked February 17, 1943, from a detainee, Marie Gluckselig, to Palestine. The cover bears a Haifa arrival postmark dated April 18, 1943. The third is postmarked January 23, 1941, from a detainee, Osias Feuerstein, to Tel Aviv. The cover bears censor marks from Mauritius, South Africa, and Palestine. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Covers 5-7" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three covers to detainees at Mauritius. The first is from an inmate at Theresienstadt, Jula Spitz, postmarked January 19, 1943, addressed to a detainee at Mauritius, Oskar Maier. The cover bears a Cairo transit postmark dated March 11, 1943. The second is from Prague postmarked June 16, 1941, addressed to a detainee at Mauritius, Paul Steinhauer. The third is from Vienna postmarked February 18, 1942, addressed to a detainee at Mauritius, Fritz Heller. The cover was received in Mauritius on July 2, 1942. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Covers 8-10" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three covers to detainees at Mauritius. The first is from Prague postmarked February 6, 1942, to a detainee at Mauritius, Hans Grabscheid. The second is from Montevideo, Uruguay, postmarked June 17, 1944, to a detainee on Mauritius, Josef Hillel. The third is from Beroun, Bohemia & Moravia, postmarked August, 1941, to a detainee at Mauritius, Anton Steiner. The cover was received in Mauritius in January, 1942. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Covers 11-13" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of four covers to detainees at Mauritius. The first is a small cover mailed in Mauritius postmarked December 21, 1943, containing a greeting card addressed to a Papa Kass c/o the Commandant of the camp. The second is a registered cover from Argentina postmarked April 11, 1945, addressed to a detainee at Mauritius, Blanka Metzger. The third and fourth are registered covers from Mauritius postmarked August 3, 1945, and August 6, 1945, respectively, to a detainee at Mauritus, Marie Ehrenfest. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Covers 14-17" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of an unopened folded air letter from England postmarked July 31, 1945, to a detainee at Mauritius, Benno Forster. By the time the letter reached Mauritius, he must have already departed for Palestine, since the letter was forwarded to the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Folded Letter" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three postcards. The first is postmarked July 31, 1941, from a detainee at Mauritius, Siegfried Klatzko, to a relative in London. The second is dated May 10, 1941, from a detainee at Mauritius, Emil Wellisch, to relative in Buenos Aires. The third is postmarked October 19, 1943, from a prisoner of war in Germany (Stalag VIIIB) to a detainee at Mauritius, Rosy Lang. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Postcards" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of two Red Cross letters from detainees at Mauritius. The first is from detainee, Leo Leschner dated August 22, 1941, to Betty Leschner in Bruenn, Bohemia & Moravia. The response is dated February 12, 1942, and bears a German Red Cross cachet dated February 17, 1942. The second is from detainee Arnold Treger dated August 7, 1941, to Adolf Treger in Brunn, Bohemia & Moravia. The response is dated February 20, 1942, and bears a German Red Cross cachet dated February 24, 1942. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Red Cross Letters" in the left frame to return.
Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a telegram to a detainee at Mauritius, Else Kohn, registered at Mauritius on December 23, 1941. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Telegram" in the left frame to return.
Gutman, Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, P. 943-44
The Holy Land Philatelist, August-September 81/82 P. 1596-97
Emil Weitz, The Israel Philatelist, Vol XI No. 5, January, 1960, P. 121-22
Copyright © 2005 Edward Victor