Middleton Road

The Boys were teenage and child-Holocaust survivors, who were brought to the UK after the war for rest and rehabilitation.

The Boys had survived the Holocaust as slave labourers in the Nazi concentration camp system, in hiding and by living alone. 

After arrival in the UK, members of the Boys spent time in the reception centres before being moved to children’s homes known as hostels. Others were sent direct to boarding school or yeshivas, and those who were sick spent time in sanatoriums.

Some of the members of the Boys were lucky enough to find relatives or were taken in by foster families but the majority were moved to hostels.

Middleton Road was one of these hostels.

Overview

Middleton Road is in Manchester in the north-west of England. Manchester was an important hub for Jewish refugees who came to the UK. In the 1930s almost 8,000 Jewish refugees arrived in the city. The hostel was run by the Manchester Jewish Refugees Committee. Its chairman was Rachel Barash.

The Middleton Road Story
In September 1945, 15 Boys from Windermere arrived in the hostel. Jacob Ajsenberg, who was one of the Boys, recalled they were given free entrance to the local cinemas, which helped them learn the language.

Sam Laskier recalled lessons in English and other subjects. “Those were very happy times,” he said, “friendships made then remain to this day.”

The Boys at Middleton Road moved to another hostel nearby on Singleton Road.