Location
Christinenstr. 23
District
Prenzlauer Berg
Stone was laid
14 June 2018
Born
21 September 1929 in Berlin
Escape
1939 Kindertransport England
Survived
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Familie Klainberg (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear -
Siegmar Klainberg / Sid Kaye in Uniform der Royal Air Force (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear
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Siegmar Klainberg / Sid Kaye kurz nach seiner Ankunft in England (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear
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Siegmar Klainberg / Sid Kaye kurz nach seiner Ankunft in England (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear
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Siegmar Klainberg / Sid Kaye mit seiner Frau und seinen Kindern (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear
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Schlama und Ettel Klainberg mit Sohn Siegmar als Baby (c) Helen Harvey, Simon Kaye, Sarah Goodyear
Siegmar Joseph Klainberg (Kleinberg) was born in Berlin at the Israelitisches Krankenheim at 08.15 on September 21st, 1929. He was the only child of Schlama Klainberg and his wife Ettel (Edith) nee Feldt. He lived first at Strassburger Strasse 20 and then at Christinenstrasse 23. His father - a shoemaker - was deported to Bentschen/Zbaszyn in the “Polenaktion” on 28th October 1938.
On 11th May 1939 Siegmar escaped the Nazis on a Kindertransport with three cousins (Leo, Siggy and Anne) and came to live in London, initially with his aunt Bertha, and then with his mother’s younger sister Regina Zeluck – who also escaped from Berlin – she always said she was on the last train out of Berlin before the war began. His father was possibly moved to the Lodz ghetto where nothing is known about him after 1944. Also his mother’s fate is unknown.
Siegmar went to Bec School in Tooting and in October 1948 he became naturalised as a UK citizen. He studied English at Exeter University from 1948 - 1951 and also represented them at rugby. After university he completed his national service in the RAF (1951-1953) at Padgate, Warrington where he met his future wife – Margaret Houghton. He changed his name in 1952 to Sidney Joseph Kaye. Sid and Margaret married on 26th July 1958 and made their home in Warrington in the North of England where they had thee children – Simon, Helen and Sarah.
Sid went on train as a teacher at Chester College and then worked for many years as a high school English and PE teacher. In later life he ran his own house conveyancing business. He was a great sportsman – playing hockey as goal-keeper for Northern Counties and had an England trial. Later he was a county hockey umpire and was the president of Lancashire Hockey Association.
Sid never returned to Berlin after the war. He had tried to find information about his parents at the Yad Vashem archive during a trip to Israel in 1986 but there were no records at the time.
He died, aged 64, on 27.11.1993 immediately after umpiring a hockey match.
On 11th May 1939 Siegmar escaped the Nazis on a Kindertransport with three cousins (Leo, Siggy and Anne) and came to live in London, initially with his aunt Bertha, and then with his mother’s younger sister Regina Zeluck – who also escaped from Berlin – she always said she was on the last train out of Berlin before the war began. His father was possibly moved to the Lodz ghetto where nothing is known about him after 1944. Also his mother’s fate is unknown.
Siegmar went to Bec School in Tooting and in October 1948 he became naturalised as a UK citizen. He studied English at Exeter University from 1948 - 1951 and also represented them at rugby. After university he completed his national service in the RAF (1951-1953) at Padgate, Warrington where he met his future wife – Margaret Houghton. He changed his name in 1952 to Sidney Joseph Kaye. Sid and Margaret married on 26th July 1958 and made their home in Warrington in the North of England where they had thee children – Simon, Helen and Sarah.
Sid went on train as a teacher at Chester College and then worked for many years as a high school English and PE teacher. In later life he ran his own house conveyancing business. He was a great sportsman – playing hockey as goal-keeper for Northern Counties and had an England trial. Later he was a county hockey umpire and was the president of Lancashire Hockey Association.
Sid never returned to Berlin after the war. He had tried to find information about his parents at the Yad Vashem archive during a trip to Israel in 1986 but there were no records at the time.
He died, aged 64, on 27.11.1993 immediately after umpiring a hockey match.