Leopold Weiss

Private Leopold Weiss was an Austrian Jewish refugee who arrived in Liverpool in 1939. Initially interned as an "enemy alien" on the Isle of Man, he was released and joined the Pioneer Corps — the only unit initially open to foreign nationals. The Pioneer Corps performed vital construction, logistics, and labour tasks. Leopold served in Normandy and through the advance into Germany. When his unit helped liberate a concentration camp, he discovered that his parents and sister had perished in Auschwitz. He remained in Liverpool, where he became a teacher and dedicated his life to Holocaust education.