Heinz Altschul – Georg Auer – Arthur West

After the end of World War II, many of the “Dunera Boys” helped build democratic societies in their home countries and prevent the resurgence of fascism. This was the goal of many exiled communists, some of whom had been active in the resistance and imprisoned in concentration camps before emigrating. Many of those deported by the British to Australia in fwal1940 supported the common cause of the Allies after their internment, serving as soldiers in unarmed engineering units of the British or Australian armies. The Dunera Boys Heinz Altschul, Georg Auer, and Arthur West (née Rosenthal) worked as journalists in Austria after their return. They reunited on the editorial staff of the *Volksstimme*, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ). This second point of intersection in the biographies of the three Dunera Boys was interesting enough to merit a story.

Peter Dehn, October 2026.

Three from the “Volksstimme”

Heinz Altschul: “In a sense, drawn into politics”

Heinz Altschul, the oldest member of the “Volksstimme” trio known as the Dunera Boys, was born on December 11, 1920, to Arthur Altschul, an engineer, and Hilde (née Schmidt). His father ran an electrical supply store on Liechtensteinstraße. His parents raised him in a Jewish and social democratic household. “So, in a sense, I had a taste of politics,” recalled Heinz Altschul[7] „Ein österreichischer Publizist im Widerstand“ (An Austrian Journalist in Resistance) in „Erinnerungen“ Vol. 5 Published by Renate S. Meissner for the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-9504794-8-5, p. 274. The text reproduced there is an adaptation of the interview from the ‘Projekt Oral Video History’ series by Klaus Hübner and Lukas Ressl, University of Vienna, 1992. Accessed on June 16, 2026..

He had his first political experiences as early as age 12 or 13: From 1934 to 1938, Austria was ruled by Kurt Schuschnigg as an Austro-Fascist dictatorship (“Ständestaat”). Partly due to the economic decline, there was strong resistance from Social Democrats, Communists, and other political forces against this government and the authoritarian form of government inspired by National Socialism and Italian Fascism. Heinz became involved with the youth organizations of the two left-wing parties, distributed leaflets with them, and took part in demonstrations. In 1936, he was arrested during a meeting of Communist youths and detained for several days[8] Ibid, p. 275.. This caused him problems at the “Imperial and Royal State Trade School for Chemical and Technical Studies,” which he was attending at the time.

“I was arrested[11] "Erinnerungen" op.cit. p. 274. on November 10, 1938 (“Reichskristallnacht”) and taken to Police and SS Precinct 9 on Pramergasse, where I was beaten and battered. On November 11, I was released thanks to a stroke of luck (one of the SS men was a former schoolmate and helped me). After that, I no longer slept at home but stayed with friends. I then managed to emigrate to England in March 1939 using a fake passport.”

Armed with a school friend’s Czech passport—complete with a forged photo—Heinz arrived in Prague in March 1939. But just a few days later, the Wehrmacht marched into Prague as well. A chance encounter with another friend provided him with a travel document, and after passing through Vienna and saying goodbye to his parents, he arrived in England. There, he told his story and was sentenced to four weeks in prison for the forged passport. However, he had to spend two and a half months in jail while the matter was being resolved. He avoided deportation thanks to the support of refugee organizations.

“When my father fled Austria, he wasn’t even 18 yet! I can’t imagine my son having to leave at 18! Besides, his parents didn’t know if they’d ever see him again. He didn’t know either. That must have been a tremendous burden.” (Susanne Altschul[12] Etschmaier, Kainz, op.cit., 2018)

He was given housing[13] Home Office, index cards: Heinz Altschul. Via Ancestry. Accessed on April 17, 2025 in Willesden in northwest London and became an apprentice at the firm H. Weiss & Co in London. Then came the hearings before the tribunals. As an “enemy alien” who had entered the country with a forged document, he was immediately interned[14] „Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p 278.. “It didn’t matter whether you were an anti-fascist or anything else; it was purely a bureaucratic matter.”

On November 8, 1939, the following was noted on his Home Office index cards: “Internment until further notice.” The notation “Interned by S of S”[15] The abbreviation ‘S of S’ stands for ‘Secretary of State’, i.e. an unspecified British ministry. refers to a corresponding directive from a ministry. Heinz was subsequently detained for two months at Warner’s Holiday Camp in Seaton (Devon). Altschul recalled that 90 percent of the inmates there were Nazis, and there were “really serious fights[16] „Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p 278..” Once free again, he lived and worked in London and made contact with the nonpartisan exile organization “Young Austria.”

Interment and Deportation

Heinz Altschul’s military file contains a note dated December 18, 1944: The local police alleged that he had “maliciously damaged” a railroad company’s wooden chest[30] Militäry files H. Altschul, Service and Casualty Form, in NAA_ItemNumber6238805. in Tocumwal and ordered him to pay 5 pounds in damages.

“… ways and means …”

While still serving in the army, Heinz married[34] Military files H. Altschul, op.cit., entry from August 29, 1945. Elizabeth Kemp Kewish (1918–1989) in Melbourne on August 22, 1945. Heinz was discharged from the army on January 11, 1946.

No thought of staying

Staying in Australia was “somehow completely out of the question for my father,” recalled his daughter Susanne[35] Etschmaier, Kainz op.cit.. “He didn’t talk about it much, and I don’t even know how much he really embraced life in Australia.”

“My mother agreed to return with him to bombed-out Vienna. Because for my father, staying in Australia was never an option. He definitely wanted to go back to Austria—where his parents had perished in a concentration camp.”

Back in destroyed Vienna

In August 1946, Heinz and Elisabeth Altschul arrived in Vienna. They were deeply shaken by the destruction caused by the war. He became politically active in the nonpartisan “Free Austrian Youth” and wrote for its publications. Elisabeth worked as a translator for English and French.

In 1950, Heinz attended an international peace congress in Vienna. Despite limited travel options, 2,000 participants from all over the world had gathered. In 1952, his party sent him to the Austrian Peace Council, where he served as secretary from 1954 to 1968 and was responsible, among other things, for its publications. This organization saw itself as the national representative of the World Peace Council[39] Wikipedia on World Peace Council, Accessed July 20, 2026., which during the Cold War was broadly classified by the West as being under communist control.

Heinz Altschul served as an editor at the Austrian Press Agency (APA) from 1969 to 1988, becoming managing editor in 1982 and deputy editor-in-chief in 1985. One of his initiatives for the APA was the establishment of a network of correspondents in neighboring Eastern European countries. He retired in 1988 but remained active with the APA—among other things, he reported on the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“With dignity” unacceptable

In 1998, he made headlines himself: “With dignity[49] Sepp Astner in „Kleine Zeitung“ from March  6, 1998 (Family Archive Altschul).,” he returned the Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich[50] Wikipedia on the Ehrenzeichen, accessed on July 15, 2026. (Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria) for services to the Republic of Austria. At that time, Robert Haider[51] Wikipedia on Robert Haider (German).  Accessed July 15, 2026., the father of former right winged FPÖ leader Jörg Haider, had received this country’s highest honor. As a member of the banned paramilitary terrorist organization of the Austrian Nazis, the “Austrian Legion[52] Wikipedia on Österreichische Legion. Accessed in July 15, 2026.,” he actively worked from Bavaria beginning in 1933 to “undermining of the Republic of Austria, which was still independent at the time.” “It is therefore impossible for me to retain possession of even a similar award,” Heinz Altschul explained, justifying the return of the order[53] Newspaper „Der Standard“, Wien, Orbituary for Heinz Altschul (German). Accessed on May 10, 2026.. Incidentally, he would have shared[54] Wikipedia: List of recipients of the Ehrenzeichen. Accessed on July 15, 2026. this view with Hans Globke; the co-author of the Nuremberg Race Laws had risen to become State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery and Adenauer’s “gray eminence[55] Wikipedia about Hans Globke, the „Mann behind Adenauer“ (German), retrieved Aug 1, 2024.”.

Obituaries

Heinz Altschul passed away on April 19, 2011, in Vienna; he is survived by his daughters Susanne (b. 1951) and Margarete (1947–2025). His former colleagues at the APA and others paid tribute to him in obituaries[56] "Der Standard“, Vienna, Orbituary op.cit. :

The journalist Georg Tillner[57] Georg Tillner „Orbitury for Heinz Altschul“ (German). Accessed on May 10, 2026. wrote: “I know that he was one of those who, drawing on his own experience and his deep empathy for the world’s cruelties and horrors, did not succumb to selfishness or bitterness. Instead, he drew from them a combative, uncompromising humanism. (…) We need women and men like him who drive all the small and large cogs that make up society, and who do not look away, who do not turn countless small compromises into a great denial.”

“My father survived under difficult circumstances, and it was always a close call. He could have been caught at any moment while fleeing or trying to escape. I owe my life to his escape, if you will.” (…) “To me, this shows how closely luck and misfortune lie side by side. That’s always the case, but even more so in such extreme times. It also shows that people do not flee of their own free will—something we should remind ourselves of time and again, even today.” (Susanne Altschul[58] Etschmaier, Kainz op.cit.)

Georg Auer: “I have one more question: first …, second …, third …”

Georg Auer was born on August 4, 1922[59] Wikipedia on Georg Auer. Accessed May 12, 2026., in Vienna into the Jewish family of Robert (1873–1942) and Ernestine, known as Erna (née Rubinova, 1885–1942). They had married in 1919. Robert[60] Martin Auer „Steine der Erinnerung: Robert und Erna Auer“, online. In addition to a detailed biography of the parents, it also contains letters to Georg and Emil in Australia and to Hugo and Hilde in the USA. Retrieved on 25 July 2026. was a bank clerk and headed the office of the General Directorate of the Wiener Bankverein.

“Left-laning, like his parents”

Robert Auer was sympathetic to social democracy. However, his own experiences of political events may also have shaped his son Georg at an early age: During the Social Democratic uprising of February 1934[61] Wikipedia on the February Uprising. Accessed July 19, 2026. against the Austrofascist dictatorship, government troops fired on the Karl-Marx-Hof workers’ housing complex in Vienna with cannons that had been set up near his parents’ apartment.

Kindertransport to England

Immediately after Austria’s annexation into the “Greater German” Reich, the Nazis unleashed a wave of anti-Semitic violence. The fact that Jews in Vienna were forced to sweep the sidewalks[64] Wikipedia on the “Reibpartie”. Accessed on March 10, 2026. was the least of it. Of the 542,000 Jews still living in Hitler’s Reich, 192,000 were Austrians; in Vienna, they made up nine percent of the population. Austrian Nazis attempted to bring Jewish businesses into their posession through uncontrolled “Aryanization”[65] An example of ‘rampant Aryanisation’ is the story of Sigmund Berger and his chemist’s shop. and present German profiteers with a fait accompli[66] See Wikipedia on the November pogroms of 1938. Accessed on March 10, 2026.. Georg and his cousin Emil—who was also born in 1922 and was a few weeks younger—were lucky in their misfortune. In December 1938, they were able to escape to England on a Kindertransport[67] Wikipedia on the Kindertransporte. Accessed on July 10, 2026. organized by the Quakers, thus putting them out of the Nazis’ reach. Martin Auer[68] Martin Auer, ‘Erinnerungen …’ op.cit.:

“Those who stay here and those who leave know deep in their hearts that only a miracle can reunite them: the Kindertransport—a program to send non-observant Jewish children, classified as Jewish under the Nuremberg Race Laws, to England. Our young man, now officially a chaperone because he’s just over 16 years old, is among them. He’d actually need a chaperone himself rather than being one right now. So now he leads his little group of wretches to the train—and drags along his own suitcase full of misery.”

The British government spared no expense in rescuing the children. On the contrary: A guarantee of 50 pounds sterling was required for each child so that the government would not have to finance their subsequent remigration, which it deemed desirable.

Emil’s parents, Hugo and Hilda, were among the lucky ones who were able to flee in time and go to the United States.

“Like the first white people …”

In England, Georg and Emil[70] Georg Auer, Emil Auer, Home Office index cards, via Ancestry. lived on a farm in Trimley (Suffolk). The Home Office listed Georg as an apprentice in furniture joinery at a company in nearby Felixtown. The British tribunals ruled that Georg and Emil were “exempt from internment.” Half a year later, however, this ruling was rendered meaningless due to British fears of a Nazi invasion. Thousands of refugees and a handful of Nazis were arrested in their homes or at their workplaces as potential members of the Nazi “fifth column” and sent to internment camps. Georg was sent to Huyton near Liverpool, while Emil fared much worse in the worst camp Warth Mills[71] Georg Auer, Emil Auer; personnel records held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA). near Bury in Lancaster.

More than 2,000 victims of Nazi persecution, including Georg and Emil, were taken to Liverpool on July 10, 1940, aboard the military transport ship HMT Dunera and shipped to Australia. Georg Auer[72] Auer in Makomaski op.cit. later commented:

“So I arrived in Australia, as one should—just like the first white settlers, on a ship carrying convicts.”

A Delayed Release

After the Dunera docked in Sydney, 2,000 internees were transported to Hay (New South Wales). There were two camps built specifically for this purpose, separated only by a road. Georg and Emil were housed behind barbed wire in Camp 8[73] Georg Auer, Emil Auer; personnel records held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA). near Hay. The Hay internees were transferred in May 1941 to camps in the Tatura area (Victoria), where the climate was more bearable.

The British orders regarding Emil’s and Georg’s release are dated January 25, 1941. Due to Australian objections, their release was granted only on British soil. Anyone who wished to be released had to volunteer for the British engineering corps. The journey depended on available transportation. In addition, there was a great danger from submarine attacks, which had sunk two ships carrying internees—the Abosso and the Waroonga.

Georg, Emil, and hundreds of other internees decided otherwise. The two had to spend another 14 months behind bars. After the Japanese air raids in early 1942, every available hand was needed in the economy. Only then did Australia change its xenophobic policy and offer naturalization or a right of residence to internees who volunteered[74] Cf. Note from the Adjudant-General to the Australian Parliament, March 29, 1946. National Archives of Australia (NAA), NAA_ItemNumber4938132, sheet 28, paragraph d. for the army. In April 1942, Georg and Emil were among the first to enlist in the 8th Employment Company. “I thought it would help in the war against Hitler,” Georg Auer[75] Manfred Bobrowsky, video “Georg Auer spricht über Exiljournalismus” (talks about journalism in exile)  as part of the University of Vienna’s "Oral Video History Project” series. Accessed June 16, 2026. recalled of that decision.

Georg wrote articles for the monthly magazine of the exile organization “Friends of Democratic Austria[79] Maria Bianca Fanta, Short biography of G. Auer in ‘Die Arbeiter der Feder. Journalisten der kommunistischen Parteizeitung “Österreichische Volksstimme” und die Zäsuren ihrer Lebensgeschichten (1945–1956)’; doctoral thesis, p. 131. Accessed on March 10, 2026.”.

“Every article is always reviewed by a communist, a socialist, a conservative Catholic, a devout Catholic, and a devout Jew. (…) That was a good learning experience for me at the ‘Volksstimme’.”

Among other things, one of Thomas Mann’s radio appeals was translated and published. For radio stations, German broadcasts were monitored for a fee, and the texts were translated into English. “I had no journalistic ambitions back then,” Georg Auer emphasized. His goal was to “spread political views[80] Manfred Bobrowsky, video, op.cit. among the people.” Georg Auer joined the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) in Australia in 1943.

After his military service ended, Georg and his cousin Emil went their separate ways. Emil had already been discharged in June 1945, married an Australian woman that same year, and became a naturalized citizen in 1947. His marriage to Hazel Doreen ended in divorce in 1952. In 1955, Emil moved to New York, where his parents, Hugo and Hilda, lived.

Back in England

Georg decided to return to England. Immediately after completing his military service on January 10, 1946, he embarked on this journey on February 23 aboard the Athlone Castle. Among the passengers were Franz Stampfl from Vienna—who would later become a highly successful track and field coach—as well as the communists from Berlin: Heinrich Eggebrecht (“Piepel”), Albert Kleeberg, Paul Friedländer (“Bonzo”), Klaus Wilzcynski, and other former internees. All of them had served in the 8th Employment Company.

In a separate case, Georg Auer was convicted in 1958 of an alleged “defamation of character.” As a result, Georg Auer was sentenced in 1958 to four weeks in prison for “defamation of character.” He was sentenced to “one month of confinement, compounded by one week of hard bed” for an article written by a colleague at the “Volksstimme”, because he was, at the time, “responsible editor[85] Wikipedia describes the position of “responsible editor” (German) as a consequence of press censorship during the Weimar Republic. Wikipedia quotes the following from B. Traven’s 1929 novel "The White Rose": “Socialist and communist newspapers sometimes have so-called ‘resident editors’ who must serve out, in one form or another, all penalties imposed on the newspapers, so that the newspaper’s more valuable staff members are spared.” This is also consistent with postwar Austrian press law. Retrieved on October 7, 2026.” (Sitzredakteur) under press law. The ruling—which was widely criticized as biased and politically motivated in the context of the Cold War—was intended to harm the “Volksstimme” and the Communists. Even the Association of Newspaper Publishers had described this ruling as a threat to freedom of the press. Auer’s editorial team called it “an overt intervention in the political struggle.”

It is possible that the verdict also reflected a desire on the part of the government. The then Chancellor Julius Raab[86] Wikipedia on Julius Raab. Accessed on July 7, 2026. (1891–1964) and other ministers of the Österreichische Volkspartei[87] Wikipedia on the ÖVP . Accessed on July 16, 2026. (ÖVP, Austrian People’s Party) had taken their first political steps—as functionaries of Starhemberg’s paramilitary groups—by destroying Austrian democracy. The “Ostmärkische Sturmscharen,” led at the time by Raab, had also made the “autonomous elimination of Jewish dominance” their rallying cry—a stance they later, of course, denied any connection to. Raab had, among other things, appointed former Nazis as ministers. Was the aim now to silence critics?

Georg Auer served as an editor at the “Volksstimme” for 23 years. Together with Ernst Fettner, he headed the social policy editorial department for many years. He founded and oversaw the automotive section. In 1970, he left the KPÖ “due to internal party differences[88] Auer in Makomaski op.cit.” over the suppression of the “Prague Spring” and was consequently forced to leave the editorial staff of the party newspaper.

“Schurl,” the “noble pen”

He initially worked as a taxi driver and freelance journalist, then as a motor journalist for the “Wochenpresse” and trade journals. “Georg ‘Schurl’ Auer was a star writer for ‘Auto Information’—who still remembers his weekly ‘Spectator’?” wrote the magazine “Auto & Wirtschaft[89] „Auto & Wirtschaft“ online from March 15, 2022. Accessed on June 8, 2026..” Even in retirement, Georg Auer remained active in this field. He was likely “the world’s oldest active automotive journalist[90] Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit.,” his son Martin surmised.

Georg had married Gertrude[91] Benedikt Narodoslawsky „Als das Rote Wien die Arbeiterfamilie Sokopp aus dem Elend holte“ (When ‘Red Vienna’ lifted the Sokopp working-class family out of poverty). In „Der Standard“ online from April 16, 2025. Accessed on July 15, 2026. (née Sokopp), who came from a Viennese working-class family. Her father Jakob[92] Report in „Die Arbeit“ from January 9, 1886, p. 3, und obituary from „Arbeiter-Zeitung“ from October 7, 1925, p. 4. Accessed on July 20, 2026. (1855–1925) was a co-founder of the first metalworkers’ union and served as its chairman until 1896. Gertrude’s sister Oswalda[93] A short biography of Oswalda Tonka in Friedensatlas Online (German). Accessed on July 14, 2026. (married name Tonka, 1923–1999) fought against the Nazis in the resistance and alongside Slovenian partisans.

“Marx and Engels are just as little to blame for the misinterpretations[94] Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit. of their correct insights as Christ is for those of his. That does not make these teachings any less correct.”

“Since I’m not good at anything, I became a journalist.” And: “When I stop working, I’ll probably drop dead,” Georg Auer summed up[95] Michael Völker „Ich arbeite, bis ich umfall“ in Der Standard from May 2, 2001. Accessed on June 17, 2026. his life.

Georg Auer died on October 22, 2004, in Vienna. He is survived by his sons Martin[96] Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit. (born 1951) an Michael and daughter Marianne.

From an obituary

“‘Schurli,’ as he was also known, wrote for renowned publications such as PS-Report, Automotive News, and the Swiss Automobil Revue. The widely respected expert[97] Neue Reifenzeitung online on October  26, 2004. Accessed on July 20, 2026. in the automotive industry gained fame for his “three questions”—delivered in a strikingly deep voice—during press conferences: ‘I have one more question: first …, second …, third …’

Arthur West: “…the Earth perhaps a little less hellish”

Arthur was born Arthur Rosenthal[98] Arthur Rosenthal: Home Office records via Ancestry, personnel files from the National Archives of Australia (NAA_ItemNumber8618173, NAA_ItemNumber9906992). Accessed June 3, 2026. on August 24, 1922, into a Jewish family in Vienna. His parents were Wilhelm, known as Willi, Rosenthal (1895–1981) and Elisabeth Rausnitz (1896–1983).

The Family

Immediately after their marriage in 1920, Arthur’s parents had moved to Palestine. Willi—now Uri Nadav[99] Records on Arthur Rosenthal in NAA_ItemNumber9906992; family tree Wilhelm Uri Rosenthal (Nadav) via ancestry.de; Uri Nadav in Enzyklopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel. Accessed on July 7, 2026.—was active in the Zionist sports movement there, just as he had been in Vienna. During the war, he served as an officer in the Royal Army Service Corps. In Palestine, he became known as a leading member of the Maccabi movement.

Elisabeth contracted typhus while pregnant with Arthur and returned to Vienna to receive better medical care. She remained there by Arthur’s side until she knew he was free in 1938. She then went to stay with relatives in Zagreb, where she joined the Yugoslav partisans[100] Wikipedia on Arthur West (German). Accessed on June 20, 2026. during the war. One of her brothers was murdered there by Ustasha fascists. After the victory in Yugoslavia, Elisabeth joined the British Army, according to her grandson Paul West. Elisabeth later moved back to Vienna. She entered into a marriage of convenience with Johann Blühweiss but lived with her brother Rudolf Rausnitz[101] Telephone calls with Hans West on March 19, and July 27, 2026..

As it was for all Jews, the Nazi Wehrmacht’s invasion of Austria (“Anschluss”) in March 1938 marked a turning point for Arthur as well. The 15-year-old was expelled from school. The next major milestone in his life was his escape to Great Britain, arranged by a relief organization. “I was allowed to enter England because someone had assumed ‘selection liability’—that is, provided this guarantee.” Arthur’s statement[102] Manfred Bobrowsky, video „Arthur West. Literat, Journalist“; „Projekt Oral Video History“ Uni Wien, accessed on June 6, 15, 2026. And Phne Calls op.cit. refers to his escape via a Kindertransport. He had been able to take part in it together with his cousin Edith Nachod[103] Email from Paul West dated October 2, 2026.. The British government required the host families of Jewish children from Germany and Austria to provide a guarantee of 50 £[104] Wikipedia on Kindertransporte op.cit.. In today’s terms, that amounts to about 1,500 euros or 2,460 AUD, though purchasing power was significantly higher back then.

Even before the war ended, Elisabeth had tried to find out what had become of Arthur and Edith. A letter[105] Letter from the Metropolitan Police, March 1945. Paul West Archive. informed her that both were now married and that Arthur had taken his wife’s name and was serving in the intelligence section of the 3rd Battalion of the Monmouth Regiment.

Exile in London

Internment and Deportation

Having been branded as suspected Nazi sympathizers, Arthur Rosenthal and his fellow sufferers were particularly “suitable” for internment and subsequent deportation overseas. He was arrested at his workplace on May 16, 1940; this was shortly before his weekly wages were to be paid, so he had hardly any cash[109] Ibid. on him. He was interned at the Kempton Park camp near London. This camp, located on a horse racing track with a railroad connection, was “unsuitable[110] Minutes of the House of Commons, August 20, 1940, speech by Anthony Eden. The debate subsequently turned, amongst other things, to the repatriation of ‘deportees’ from Canada; the Dunera was still at sea. Accessed on May 10, 2026. for many of the internees temporarily housed there” due to its completely inadequate facilities. The British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden[111] Wikipedia on Anthony Eden, Accessed on May 10, 2026. (1897–1977) had to admit in the House of Commons on August 20, 1940. The independent Member of Parliament Eleanor Rathbone[112] Wikipedia about Eleanor Rathbone, accessed September 10, 2025. (1872–1946), who was deeply committed to the cause of the internees, asked Eden[113] House of Commons Minutes, op. cit., speech by Eleanor Rathbone.:

“Is the Representative not aware that there was neither a bed nor a sleeping mat nor a chair there, so that the sick and elderly internees had to sleep on the bare floor; and why was the facility reported as ready, even though it was by no means ready?”

On July 10, 1940, Arthur was deported to Australia on the fifth and final transport aboard the HMT Dunera. His name appears, like that of Heinz Altschul, on list no. 12[115] HMT Dunera, "Embarkation List no.12" in NAA_ItemNumber657104. of the Nominal Roll. The Dunera, with 2,500 prisoners on board, did not arrive in Australia until early September 1940. Arthur Rosenthal was housed (along with Heinz Altschul and Georg Auer) in Internment Camp No. 8[116] Personnel file for Arthur Rosenthal, NAA_ItemNumber9906992, op.cit. near Hay (New South Wales).

Release and Return to England

With “Young Austria” and as a British soldier

Return to Vienna

In 1946, Edith and Arthur returned to Vienna, Arthur’s hometown, with their first son, Hans (b. 1946). Their second son, Paul, was born in 1948.

Since the Nazis had prevented him from graduating from high school and formal vocational training had not been possible in exile, his relationship with the language was Arthur’s sole point of reference. The Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) employed him as an editor at its Vienna-based Globus Publishing House until 1958; afterward, he worked as a proofreader at the party’s printing plant. Between about 1958 and 1964, he also led a group within the KPÖ’s children’s organization, the “Junge Garde,” of which Paul and Hans were also members. From 1967 until his retirement in 1982, he served as culture editor of the party newspaper *Volksstimme* and, beginning in 1969, as head of that department. Unlike the Dunera Boys and editorial colleagues Heinz Altschul and Georg Auer, Arthur was among the party members who supported the suppression of the “Prague Spring” in 1968.

At the annual “Volksstimme” festival in Vienna’s Prater, Arthur was one of the initiators and organizers of “Das Linke Wort[125] Wikipedia on „Das Linke Wort“, accessed on June 10, 2026..” Since 1975, this event has served as a platform for readings and debates on the development of Austrian literature. Prominent authors such as Helmut Zenker[126] Wikipedia über Helmut Zenker (German) became known to German TV viewers as the writer of the satirical crime series ‘Kottan ermittelt’. Accessed on June, 10, 2026. (1949–2003), Peter Turrini[127] Wikipedia on Peter Turrini, whose six-part “Alpensaga” was broadcast on ZDF in 1976 in Germany. Accessed on June 10, 2026., and the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Elfriede Jelinek[128] Wikipedia on Elfriede Jelinek (Germas), accessed on June 10, 2026. took part and became friends with Arthur and Edith.

Arthur West

“was not only a long-time member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, but also wrote remarkable poetry and turned the arts section of the party’s official press organ Die Volksstimme into a quasi-liberal cultural section,”

emphasized an author from the newspaper Der Standard[129] Ronald Pohl „Was ist vom Kommunismus ‚made in Austria‘ zu halten?“ (What are we to make of ‘made in Austria’ communism?)  in Der Standard online, October 2, 2021..

The writer Gerald Grassl also recalls a cultural-political aspect[130] Gerald Grassl, „Zwei Leben für die Literatur“ (Two Lives Devoted to Literature) in Mitteilungen der Alfred Klahr Gesellschaft 3/2022, pp. 24f. Accessed on June 10, 2026. of Arthur West’s editorial work:

“Under his leadership, the *Volksstimme* was the first daily newspaper in Austria, and for many years it remained the only one to provide detailed coverage of every children’s and youth theater event and every new children’s and youth film.”

In addition to his work as an editor, he became known in Austria for his plays, poetry, prose, essays, cultural-political and political writings, and translations. He had already published his first works in 1943 through an exile publishing house in England. In 1961, his play “Frühling[131] Selma Steinmetz „Arthur Wests ‚Frühling‘ in „Der neue Mahnruf“ Nr. 6/1961, Seite 5 via Anno. Abgerufen am 20.7.2026.,” about the resistance in Austria, won first prize at the Vienna Theater of Courage. The play was performed that same year at the Vienna Festival.

Arthur was active in the Jura Soyfer[132] Wikipedia on the Austrian writer, murdered by the Nazis, an the Jura Soyfer-Gesellschaft (German). Society, which honors the memory of the writer who died of typhus at the age of 26 in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Belated Official Recognition

About Edith West

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Videos featuring the three journalists

The three journalists answered questions from Viennese students about their lives: Heinz Altschul, Georg Auer, and Arthur West (from left to right). The videos were produced as part of the “Oral Video History” project, which ran from 1988 to 1996 at the Institute for Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Vienna under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manfred Bobrowsky. Clicking on a screenshot opens the corresponding video in a new window. Screenshots: dunera.de.

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Please note: dunera.de would like to thank the children of the three journalists—Susanne Altschul, Martin Auer, Paul and Hans West—for their assistance with the research and for providing photos and documents, as well as Manfred Murgauer (KPÖ Archives) for granting copyright permissions.

Footnotes

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• [1]↑Wikipedia on Austrofaschism and Ständestaat (German). Accessed April 10, 2026.
• [2]↑Wikipedia on the „Anschluss“, accessed on April 20, 2025.
• [3]↑Maria Fanta, „Geflüchtet, heimgekehrt, erschüttert“ (Fled, returned home, shaken) on science orf.at. Accessed on March 15, 2026.
• [4]↑Ibid.
• [5]↑Wikipedia on „Volksstimme“ (German). Accessed on March 15, 2026.
• [6]↑Wikipedia über das Volksstimmefest. Abgerufen am 15.3.2026.
• [7]↑„Ein österreichischer Publizist im Widerstand“ (An Austrian Journalist in Resistance) in „Erinnerungen“ Vol. 5 Published by Renate S. Meissner for the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-9504794-8-5, p. 274. The text reproduced there is an adaptation of the interview from the ‘Projekt Oral Video History’ series by Klaus Hübner and Lukas Ressl, University of Vienna, 1992. Accessed on June 16, 2026.
• [8]↑Ibid, p. 275.
• [9]↑Ibid, p.275/276.
• [10]↑Saskia Etschmaier, Carina Kainz, ‘It was always hanging by a thread’. ORF interview with Susanne Altschul, November 23, 2018. The file contains a transcript and videos of the conversation. Accessed on March 22 , 2026.
• [11]↑"Erinnerungen" op.cit. p. 274.
• [12]↑Etschmaier, Kainz, op.cit.
• [13]↑Home Office, index cards: Heinz Altschul. Via Ancestry. Accessed on April 17, 2025
• [14]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p 278.
• [15]↑The abbreviation ‘S of S’ stands for ‘Secretary of State’, i.e. an unspecified British ministry.
• [16]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p 278.
• [17]↑Home Office, index cards H. Altschul op.cit.
• [18]↑Wikipedia on British internment camps during the Second World War. Accessed on February 30, 2024.
• [19]↑Files for Heinz Altschul, National Archives of Australia (NAA), NAA_ItemNumber9905538. Accessed on April 17, 2025.
• [20]↑Complete Nominal Roll of Internees ex „DUNERA“, NAA_ItemNumber657104. Accessed on August 10, 2023.
• [21]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 279.
• [22]↑Ibid., p. 279.
• [23]↑Home Office, index cards H. Altschul op.cit.
• [24]↑This condition hindered the internees because they first had to be transported to Great Britain in order to gain their freedom. During the war, this could only be done at the risk of their lives. The Australian Menzies government wanted to keep internees out of the country.
• [25]↑Carol Bunyan „Ships on which Dunera internees returned tp Britain , 1941 – 1945“ in „Dunera Lives. A Visual History“, p. 518.
• [26]↑Wikipedia on the air raids on Australia, accessed on 25 August 2025.
• [27]↑Quoted from June Factor, *Soldiers and Aliens*, Melbourne 2022, ISBN 9780522878585, p. 34.
• [28]↑Cf. Minute of the General-Adjudant to Australian Parliarment from 29.3.1946. NAA_ItemNumber4938132, page 28, point d.
• [29]↑Newsam (Home Office) am 7.7.1942 an den britischen Beauftragten für die Internierten Julian Layton. In NAA_ItemNumber216018.
• [30]↑Militäry files H. Altschul, Service and Casualty Form, in NAA_ItemNumber6238805.
• [31]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 280.
• [32]↑Ibid., p.282.
• [33]↑Georg Auer „Down Under - ganz unten drunter …“ (German), in Medien&Zeit 1/88, p 25. Accessed on July 10, 2026.
• [34]↑Military files H. Altschul, op.cit., entry from August 29, 1945.
• [35]↑Etschmaier, Kainz op.cit.
• [36]↑Home Office, index cards H. Altschul op.cit.
• [37]↑Passenger list via Ancestry. Accessed March 17, 2024.
• [38]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 285.
• [39]↑Wikipedia on World Peace Council, Accessed July 20, 2026.
• [40]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 296.
• [41]↑Wikipedia on the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament amd Easter Marchs, organised for the first time 1958 in UK.
• [42]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 297.
• [43]↑M. Massiani „Charlie Chaplin gives Abbe Pierre Part of Communist Sponsored Prize“ in „The Catholic Standard and Times“, Volume 60, Number 4, October 22, 1954. Accessed May 15, 2026.
• [44]↑“Large number of entries in the Chaplin Peace Fund competition”, in Österreichische Zeitung, February 18, 1955, page 6, in the ANNO Archive. Accessed on July 20, 2026.
• [45]↑Wikipedia on Bertha von Suttner. Accessed on July 20, 2026.
• [46]↑“No space yet for a Bertha von Suttner monument”, in Österreichische Zeitung, January 20, 1954, page 3, in the Anno Archive. Accessed July 20, 2026.
• [47]↑„Erinnerungen“ op.cit., p. 297.
• [48]↑Ibid.
• [49]↑Sepp Astner in „Kleine Zeitung“ from March  6, 1998 (Family Archive Altschul).
• [50]↑Wikipedia on the Ehrenzeichen, accessed on July 15, 2026.
• [51]↑Wikipedia on Robert Haider (German).  Accessed July 15, 2026.
• [52]↑Wikipedia on Österreichische Legion. Accessed in July 15, 2026.
• [53]↑Newspaper „Der Standard“, Wien, Orbituary for Heinz Altschul (German). Accessed on May 10, 2026.
• [54]↑Wikipedia: List of recipients of the Ehrenzeichen. Accessed on July 15, 2026.
• [55]↑Wikipedia about Hans Globke, the „Mann behind Adenauer“ (German), retrieved Aug 1, 2024.
• [56]↑"Der Standard“, Vienna, Orbituary op.cit. 
• [57]↑Georg Tillner „Orbitury for Heinz Altschul“ (German). Accessed on May 10, 2026.
• [58]↑Etschmaier, Kainz op.cit.
• [59]↑Wikipedia on Georg Auer. Accessed May 12, 2026.
• [60]↑Martin Auer „Steine der Erinnerung: Robert und Erna Auer“, online. In addition to a detailed biography of the parents, it also contains letters to Georg and Emil in Australia and to Hugo and Hilde in the USA. Retrieved on 25 July 2026.
• [61]↑Wikipedia on the February Uprising. Accessed July 19, 2026.
• [62]↑Georg Auer in Erich Makomaski (ed.), “Freie Österreichische Jugend”, pp. 32–33; KPÖ Styria online. Accessed June 20, 2026.
• [63]↑Martin Auer, “Erinnerungen an den 13. März 1938” (Memories of 13 March 1938), published on March 13, 2026 on the blog section of the newspaper "Der Standard". Accessed on June 15, 2026.
• [64]↑Wikipedia on the “Reibpartie”. Accessed on March 10, 2026.
• [65]↑An example of ‘rampant Aryanisation’ is the story of Sigmund Berger and his chemist’s shop.
• [66]↑See Wikipedia on the November pogroms of 1938. Accessed on March 10, 2026.
• [67]↑Wikipedia on the Kindertransporte. Accessed on July 10, 2026.
• [68]↑Martin Auer, ‘Erinnerungen …’ op.cit.
• [69]↑Martin Auer „Steine der Erinnerung: …“ op.cit.
• [70]↑Georg Auer, Emil Auer, Home Office index cards, via Ancestry.
• [71]↑Georg Auer, Emil Auer; personnel records held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA).
• [72]↑Auer in Makomaski op.cit.
• [73]↑Georg Auer, Emil Auer; personnel records held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA).
• [74]↑Cf. Note from the Adjudant-General to the Australian Parliament, March 29, 1946. National Archives of Australia (NAA), NAA_ItemNumber4938132, sheet 28, paragraph d.
• [75]↑Manfred Bobrowsky, video “Georg Auer spricht über Exiljournalismus” (talks about journalism in exile)  as part of the University of Vienna’s "Oral Video History Project” series. Accessed June 16, 2026.
• [76]↑KPD: Communist Party of Germany, KPÖ: Communist Party of Austria.
• [77]↑Auer in Makomaski op.cit.
• [78]↑Georg Auer, ‘Down under – ganz unten drunter  …’ in Medien & Zeit (German) No. 1/88, p. 24. Accessed on July 20, 2026.
• [79]↑Maria Bianca Fanta, Short biography of G. Auer in ‘Die Arbeiter der Feder. Journalisten der kommunistischen Parteizeitung “Österreichische Volksstimme” und die Zäsuren ihrer Lebensgeschichten (1945–1956)’; doctoral thesis, p. 131. Accessed on March 10, 2026.
• [80]↑Manfred Bobrowsky, video, op.cit.
• [81]↑„Freie Österreichische Jugend“ op.cit.
• [82]↑Wikipedia on Starhemberg. Accessed on July 8, 2026.
• [83]↑Anna Maria Sigmund „Für oder gegen die Nazis“, Austria Forum online (German). Accessed on May 15, 2026.
• [84]↑Wikipedia on Free France.  Accessed on June 6, 2026.
• [85]↑Wikipedia describes the position of “responsible editor” (German) as a consequence of press censorship during the Weimar Republic. Wikipedia quotes the following from B. Traven’s 1929 novel "The White Rose": “Socialist and communist newspapers sometimes have so-called ‘resident editors’ who must serve out, in one form or another, all penalties imposed on the newspapers, so that the newspaper’s more valuable staff members are spared.” This is also consistent with postwar Austrian press law. Retrieved on October 7, 2026.
• [86]↑Wikipedia on Julius Raab. Accessed on July 7, 2026.
• [87]↑Wikipedia on the ÖVP . Accessed on July 16, 2026.
• [88]↑Auer in Makomaski op.cit.
• [89]↑„Auto & Wirtschaft“ online from March 15, 2022. Accessed on June 8, 2026.
• [90]↑Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit.
• [91]↑Benedikt Narodoslawsky „Als das Rote Wien die Arbeiterfamilie Sokopp aus dem Elend holte“ (When ‘Red Vienna’ lifted the Sokopp working-class family out of poverty). In „Der Standard“ online from April 16, 2025. Accessed on July 15, 2026.
• [92]↑Report in „Die Arbeit“ from January 9, 1886, p. 3, und obituary from „Arbeiter-Zeitung“ from October 7, 1925, p. 4. Accessed on July 20, 2026.
• [93]↑A short biography of Oswalda Tonka in Friedensatlas Online (German). Accessed on July 14, 2026.
• [94]↑Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit.
• [95]↑Michael Völker „Ich arbeite, bis ich umfall“ in Der Standard from May 2, 2001. Accessed on June 17, 2026.
• [96]↑Martin Auer, „Erinnerungen …“, op.cit.
• [97]↑Neue Reifenzeitung online on October  26, 2004. Accessed on July 20, 2026.
• [98]↑Arthur Rosenthal: Home Office records via Ancestry, personnel files from the National Archives of Australia (NAA_ItemNumber8618173, NAA_ItemNumber9906992). Accessed June 3, 2026.
• [99]↑Records on Arthur Rosenthal in NAA_ItemNumber9906992; family tree Wilhelm Uri Rosenthal (Nadav) via ancestry.de; Uri Nadav in Enzyklopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel. Accessed on July 7, 2026.
• [100]↑Wikipedia on Arthur West (German). Accessed on June 20, 2026.
• [101]↑Telephone calls with Hans West on March 19, and July 27, 2026.
• [102]↑Manfred Bobrowsky, video „Arthur West. Literat, Journalist“; „Projekt Oral Video History“ Uni Wien, accessed on June 6, 15, 2026. And Phne Calls op.cit.
• [103]↑Email from Paul West dated October 2, 2026.
• [104]↑Wikipedia on Kindertransporte op.cit.
• [105]↑Letter from the Metropolitan Police, March 1945. Paul West Archive.
• [106]↑Bobrowsky, video, op.cit.
• [107]↑Home Office, file cards Arthur Rosenthal op.cit.
• [108]↑Bobrowsky, video op.cit.
• [109]↑Ibid.
• [110]↑Minutes of the House of Commons, August 20, 1940, speech by Anthony Eden. The debate subsequently turned, amongst other things, to the repatriation of ‘deportees’ from Canada; the Dunera was still at sea. Accessed on May 10, 2026.
• [111]↑Wikipedia on Anthony Eden, Accessed on May 10, 2026.
• [112]↑Wikipedia about Eleanor Rathbone, accessed September 10, 2025.
• [113]↑House of Commons Minutes, op. cit., speech by Eleanor Rathbone.
• [114]↑See Rachel Pistol, "Routes out of internment – a handy reference guide to White Paper categories" (7/2020). Accessed on July 5, 2026.
• [115]↑HMT Dunera, "Embarkation List no.12" in NAA_ItemNumber657104.
• [116]↑Personnel file for Arthur Rosenthal, NAA_ItemNumber9906992, op.cit.
• [117]↑Telefonate aao.
• [118]↑Personal records A. Rosenthal, NAA, op.cit.
• [119]↑Arthur Rosenthal, file cards op.cit.
• [120]↑Passenger list for the voyage via Ancestry, accessed on April 25, 2026.
• [121]↑Bobrowsky, video, op.cit.
• [122]↑Wikipedia on the unit, Accessed on June 30, 2026.
• [123]↑See photo caption “C.M.F. Arts Festival: Rome 1946”, Imperial War Museum NA 26726. Accessed June 12, 2026.
• [124]↑See Paul R. Bartrop and Gabrielle Eisen, "The Dunera Affair: A Documentary Resource Book", list of occupations of those interned in Australia, p 385f.
• [125]↑Wikipedia on „Das Linke Wort“, accessed on June 10, 2026.
• [126]↑Wikipedia über Helmut Zenker (German) became known to German TV viewers as the writer of the satirical crime series ‘Kottan ermittelt’. Accessed on June, 10, 2026.
• [127]↑Wikipedia on Peter Turrini, whose six-part “Alpensaga” was broadcast on ZDF in 1976 in Germany. Accessed on June 10, 2026.
• [128]↑Wikipedia on Elfriede Jelinek (Germas), accessed on June 10, 2026.
• [129]↑Ronald Pohl „Was ist vom Kommunismus ‚made in Austria‘ zu halten?“ (What are we to make of ‘made in Austria’ communism?)  in Der Standard online, October 2, 2021.
• [130]↑Gerald Grassl, „Zwei Leben für die Literatur“ (Two Lives Devoted to Literature) in Mitteilungen der Alfred Klahr Gesellschaft 3/2022, pp. 24f. Accessed on June 10, 2026.
• [131]↑Selma Steinmetz „Arthur Wests ‚Frühling‘ in „Der neue Mahnruf“ Nr. 6/1961, Seite 5 via Anno. Abgerufen am 20.7.2026.
• [132]↑Wikipedia on the Austrian writer, murdered by the Nazis, an the Jura Soyfer-Gesellschaft (German).
• [133]↑Obituary by the Vienna Communist Party (KPÖ) for Edith West dated August 8, 2022. Accessed June 10, 2026.
• [134]↑Gerald Grassl op.cit.