The Forgotten Holocaust: a Gypsy's Journey from Auschwitz to Freedom by Caroline P Cooper

The holocaust story that history swept under the carpet … Can you ever truly escape past nightmares that dog your footsteps? Or do you confront them head on, so that you can live the rest of your life in peace? Auschwitz prisoner Gil Webb suffers the unremitting brutal terror of the purpose-built Gypsy Camp, the Zigeunerlager, where thousands of his fellow Romanies are indiscriminately annihilated in World War Two. Rescued at the end of the war and returned to his English homeland to recuperate, Gil and his new wife sail to a fresh life overseas, hoping to escape his past memories and the depression of post-war Europe. But, on disembarking, Gil is convinced he sees his Auschwitz captor Obersturmfuhrer Oskar Krauss ahead of him in the crowds, disappearing into the city streets. His nightmare has travelled on the ship with him. Worse is to come when his granddaughter, Lily, unaware of her Romani heritage, falls in love with a young man, until she learns the truth of his family. As the facts reveal themselves, Gil’s emotional turmoil and Lily’s own attempts to come to terms with her Romani heritage, form the backdrop to this powerful novel. The Forgotten Holocaust, a story of the forgotten Romani holocaust, encompasses a rich cast of characters, both Romani and Gadje (non-Romani), set over three generations, stretching from England, Holland and Poland to life in a new world.