S6 History pupils Jill Kelly and Katie Dillon visited Auschwitz concentration camp in October as part of the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz Project’. This project aims to educate young people about the events of the Holocaust and consider lessons for today. Jill and Katie will share their experience with the whole school during Assemblies.
Here is Katie’s account of the girls’ experience at Auschwitz:
“On the 7th of October Jill Kelly and I were given the opportunity to go to Poland in order to visit Auschwitz. We had only a day to appreciate our surroundings but what we did see was truly harrowing. The conditions and constant fear of death the prisoners had to endure was absolutely horrifying and still plagues the atmosphere to this day.
One of the aspects that Jill and I, along with most others on the tour, found most upsetting was in the museum where we witnessed the vast amounts of personal belongings and even the hair of the victims. It demonstrated the sheer scale of the masses affected by this tragedy.
The experience was very upsetting but I’m glad that I had the opportunity to see this as it has forced me to reflect on the true horror of the Holocaust and has truly moved me.”