Eric Erber collection
Biographical History
Eric (Erich) Erber (1924-2017) was a Viennese Kindertransportee who came to Britain in 1938. He became an architect and settled in the UK.
His father Robert (1895-1978) was an active member of the Austrian socialist movement who worked for the Viennese tram company between the wars; after an unsuccessful escape attempt through Switzerland, he made his way to Britain via Germany and France. He returned to Vienna in 1947, where he became a prominent local politician.
Eric’s mother Anna (1901-1956) left Austria for England on the same train and ship as Eric to take up a domestic service position in London; she returned to Austria with Robert.
Scope/Content
The collection contains the personal papers of Eric, Robert and Anna, in particular vital records and identity documents. Eric’s papers include the materials he collected in seeking compensation for a property owned by his mother’s family. Robert’s papers contain materials on his dismissal from the Viennese tram company because of the Nazi race laws and a letter from the foreign representatives of the Austrian socialists offering Robert support as a political refugee.
The collection also includes Robert’s correspondence with various institutions on the whereabouts of his brother Ernst, who escaped Vienna for Saratov in the early 1940s.