Marching orders for National Trust Nazis
A JEWISH attendee at an event held at a National Trust property last Sunday has described her “shock” at seeing Nazi memorabilia being sold and people parading in Nazi uniforms, and has called on the Trust to donate proceeds to UK Holocaust charities.
Amanda, from North London, was in Wiltshire with her partner when they decided to visit Lacock Abbey and arrived to find a “living history day” being held.
“There was a sign saying ‘£4 from every car is donated to the National Trust’, someone came up to our window and took £4,” she said.
“We went inside and paid £3 to enter. Then we spotted a number of men dressed in [Second World War] German soldiers’ uniforms with swastikas on and original weaponry.
“I was obviously quite shocked at the sight but the whole set-up of the event made me question myself and my judgment. My partner and I both tried to make sense of it and of the fact that no one else seemed to be shocked.
“I found it really hard to look at these men. There were four in Nazi uniform with the third Reich eagle emblem. It was an authentic uniform and it fitted them perfectly.
They were standing around chatting, not really engaging with members of the public… there was no sort of sense of re-enactment.”
Amanda said she had “felt quite Bad sign: A German Luftwaffe helmet on display at a separate event near Leicester
uncomfortable, but I also thought, ‘maybe you don’t know the intent here, maybe just give it a little longer.
“As I moved around, I saw there were other types of Nazi uniforms. There were people who had stalls selling memorabilia. I came across a black SS beret with the skull in front. At that point, I was really beginning to feel quite sick.
“Then I saw in someone’s cabinet was a Jewish Star of David on an armband, displayed next to other things like Nazi stationery. It was someone’s personal collection that they’d put on display.
“It felt a bit like going into the attic of a very strange person, the whole thing felt quite sinister.
“So I decided that we should leave. I was feeling very uneasy. As we left, I
saw two men strutting into the event in what appeared to be full black SS officer uniforms. That was the moment when I physically couldn’t stand up any more and I had to sit on the floor.
“I burst into tears. These guys had this expression of complete smugness, and I got this real feeling about them, that they didn’t get to wear this very often but they were really loving the fact they were wearing it that day. I just don’t know what would possess someone to put that on and walk about with such a swagger.”
Amanda said she had written to the National Trust about the event, but “They haven’t responded to me, which I think is really shocking.”
But, in a statement, the National Trust said: “We are aware of concerns raised over a ‘living history’ event at Lacock over the weekend and have contacted the organisers for an urgent explanation.
“The event was organised by the Military Vehicle Trust and included uniforms and materials, which understandably caused distress and led to a complaint.
“We will make it very clear to the MVT that these displays were insensitive, unacceptable and should not be repeated.”
Amanda is now calling for the National Trust to donate its profits from the event to UK Holocaust charities.
“Although it was a third-party event, it was a National Trust site and they were clearly profiting from every car in that car park, of which there were so many that they had to open their overflow one.
“I want the money from that event to be donated by the National Trust to the Holocaust Educational Trust, for an apology to be made — and for these events to be shut down,” she said.