In the summer of 2020, Suffolk Archives were offered a copy of a memoir written by Fritz Ball, a lawyer and musician who had been forced to flee from his native Berlin in 1939 by Nazi persecution. Separated from their three young sons, Fritz and his wife Eva travelled to England and eventually were housed in Newmarket, in a hostel provided at Palace House stables by the owner Anthony de Rothschild.
Palace House stables is now the National Horseracing Museum.
Fritz and Eva lived with other Jewish refugees who had also sought refuge in the UK. The arrival of Fritz’s memoir began a project to research and share the stories of the refugees. Suffolk Archives worked with the National Horseracing Museum and Orchestras Live to stage an exhibition, theatre, music and dance to bring these stories to life. All the partners were very grateful to Fritz Ball’s granddaughter Sandra Ball, who shared her family memories and Fritz’s memoir with us.
Following the successes of 2022, we are very excited to announce that the exhibition ‘We Have to Move on’ is now able to go on tour. The touring show opened at The Hold in Ipswich to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day and was installed with help from Ipswich’s community. An updated version of the exhibition that was first shown in Newmarket last year, the displays incorporate new material that has been donated to Suffolk Archives through the project. It includes a new interactive exhibit designed and produced by Chronicle Digital Storytelling.
The exhibit combines images, extracts from Fritz Ball’s diary and music performed by local school children and Britten Sinfonia from ‘We Have to Move On’ performances. Visitors can see and hear the stories of the refuges who found safety in Newmarket during the Second World War.
‘We Have to Move On’ is on display at The Hold until February 26th. Thereafter anyone wishing to borrow the display can contact the National Horseracing Museum on info@nhrm.co.uk