ProvenanceThis identification permit belonged to Arie Stiermann while he was held as a prisoner in Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar during World War II. Arie was taken from Rotterdam to work in the camp until liberation in April, 1945. Soon after liberation before the occupation of Weimar by the Soviet Union, Arie fell in love with and married his wife. They left Weimar for Rotterdam in a hurry by train fearing Soviet arrival and were only able to communicate their departure through to her parents through a neighbor who by coincidence was also at the train station. They were not reunited until 15 years later in East Germany.
While Arie did not speak about his time in Buchenwald, he recalled being permitted to loot Weimar within restricted hours. Arie spoke of the time he and a friend broke into the office of a Burgmaster and stole a copy of Mein Kampf and carved deer. He later exchanged the book with a Jewish newsagent for a soccer magazine.
In 1963 Arie migrated from the Netherlands to Australia at age 41 along with his family including wife and children by boat. This decision was prompted by the prejudice the family faced given Arie’s wife was German. The family first arrived in Port Melbourne before promptly leaving by train for Adelaide. The Stiermann family stayed in the Glenelg Migrant Hostel off Warren Avenue for several months before briefly renting in Glenelg. The family then moved to their longtime family home in Christies Beach where the couple raised their son and three daughters. Arie passed away in 2020.SignificanceThese documents relate to the experiences of Dutch migrants to South Australia in the post-World War II period. The permit card illustrates the challenges in finding and making a home in a new place and how prejudice caused families to seek a new life. The documents also relate to the Gustloff-Werke, a Nazi company founded by Fritz Sauckel to force internees to make rifles and artillery components.DescriptionPermit identification card belonging to Arie Stiermann. The paper card has a photograph affixed to the bottom left corner and features Arie chest up standing in front of a wall. Above the photo is a small yellow paper reading “kameradschaft überwindet alles!” which loosely translates to “comradeship conquers all”. Stamped below Arie’s name in black ink is “WERKE / WERK” indicating he may have been involved in forced factory work. On the lower right side are the number “719 003” printed in blue ink. In the top right corner is the logo of the Gustloff-Werke company. On the reverse are conditions and rules the carrier must adhere to. The card is encased between two plastic sleeves and is stitched together with a textile binding.Creator (person)Creator (organisation)AcknowledgementDate of Usage15/07/1937 - 11/04/1945MaterialPolymer, plastic - unspecified
|Paper - photographic
|Paper - unspecified
|Art medium - paint, unspecified
|Adhesive - glue, unspecified
|Textile - synthetic, unspecified
|Textile - thread, unspecified Accession NumberHT 2024.0175
Image FilenameHT2024-0175_CI65855.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South Australia LicenseCC-0PhotographerGabriella Centofanti - History Trust of South Australia
Image Credits
Image FilenameHT2024-0175_CI65854.jpgCopyrightHistory Trust of South AustraliaLicenseCC-0PhotographerGabriella Centofanti - History Trust of South Australia
