Heinz and Thea Skyte

Personal papers of Holocaust survivors Heinz Skyte MBE (born Heinrich Scheidt, 1920-2020) and Thea Skyte (née Ephraim, 1923-2005) who came to England separately as refugees in 1939, met in Leeds, and were married in 1945. Both Heinz and Thea were active members of HSFA, holding multiple voluntary roles, including Heinz as Secretary.
Some of the records were created and collected for HSFA’s ‘Making A New Life’ (2004-2007) and ‘Building Bridges’ (2007-2009) projects, and some from 2018 onwards. There are recordings, digitised photographs and digitised documents.
The recorded testimonies comprise: two audio (2007, 2008) and two filmed (2009, 2018) recordings with Heinz. In these testimonies Heinz relates his life-story, including his: Jewish childhood in Germany; family's experience of growing antisemitism and the November 1938 pogrom (Kristallnacht); internment as an 'enemy alien' in England and Canada; post-war career and voluntary life. He also relates some of Thea's early life-story, including her experience of the Kindertransport scheme.
The digitised records include: family photos and papers relating to the Skyte, Scheidt, Gutmann and Ephraim families; 'Family History Books' about Thea's relatives, [created by Thea]; two articles by Heinz (c2010).
See also Max Kingsley’s papers (HCN/1/MKK) which contain ‘Between two worlds’ (Random Acts Music Theatre, 2002), a booklet co-created with Thea and other HSFA members. There are also records about Heinz’s internment in Canada in Elly and Ernest Millet’s papers (HCN/1/EM).

• Skyte, Heinz
• Skyte, Thea

Open, subject to conditions. Please contact Holocaust Centre North's Collections team for more information about access and use.