Edith Rothschild (born 1925) and her sister Trude (born 1924) grew up in Frankfurt am Main. They were the children of Gustav Rothschild (1879-1957), a merchant of musical instruments, and his wife Martha (née Lindheimer, 1898-c1942). Gustav was arrested in 1939 and released from concentration camp provided that he emigrated within 10 days. The family tried in vain to obtain visas to emigrate to the United States where they had a cousin, Anna Lindheimer, who provided an affidavit of support. In the end, travel permits were obtained for the daughters to go to England on a Kindertransport. Gustav also managed to flee the country and go to England where he was interned at Onchan internment camp on the Isle of Man in 1940/1941. His wife was to follow him but war broke out making any further emigrations impossible. Martha Rothschild was deported to a concentration camp in Poland in 1942 and perished. Trude started suffering from mental health problems since hearing about the fate of her mother, from which she never recovered. Edith trained as a dressmaker after she finished school.
From the guide to the Edith Rothschild: family papers, 1938-1977, (Wiener Library)
