Charles Fulton Collection
Biographical History
Charles Fulton (formerly Kurt Fuld) was a German Jewish Refugee, who became a member of the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, which took part in the latter stages of the Italian campaign during WWII.
Charles Fulton (1920-1982), formerly Kurt Fuld, was born in Westerburg, Rhineland Palatinate, the youngest of four children of Joseph Fuld and his wife, Rosa née Gottlob. He grew up in a traditional Jewish rural environment. After the Nazi take over of power, Kurt joined a Haschara movement with a view to emigrating to Palestine. It was here that he met his future wife, Gerda Grunewald. Charles was incarcerated in several concentration camps including Buchenwald in the aftermath of Kristallnacht. As an 18 year old he then fled to Scotland just before the outbreak of World War II. Gerda Grunewald also managed to escape to Great Britain and the two were married in March 1941.
In January 1945 Charles joined the Jewish Brigade, a voluntary unit within the British army. This is when he also anglicized his name. By the time he left the British army, he was a lance-corporal in the Highland Light Infantry in 1947. His father survived Terezin but sadly died before he could be reunited. His mother had already died and his siblings had managed to escape to Shanghai.
