Dr. Kurt Glauber was a young attorney in Vienna, Austria, when the Nazis took over Austria and made life for Jews impossible. Fleeing to the United Kingdom, he found sanctuary in Ipswich, England. As did many of the Jewish refugees, Glauber wanted to get back at the Nazis and volunteered for the Pioneer Corps. When the opportunity arose, he quickly enlisted in the regular army, becoming a sergeant of the Royal Artillery.
His focused dedication and fervent desire to help Britain defeat the Nazis was recognized. Understanding full well what the Nazis would do to him if captured, Glauber volunteered for the exceptionally dangerous assignment as a British MI6 secret agent. Because of his Austrian-accented German, and fluidity in the culture, he was parachuted into Austria. His mission was to radio back to London German war dispositions and, in particular, be on the lookout for Nazi nuclear-weapons developments.
Glauber was betrayed by a German-British double agent. The Gestapo brutally attempted to force Glauber to betray his contacts and radio codes. Glauber never did. He was taken to the Mauthausen Concentration camp and murdered. His body was burned per Hitler’s instructions. He had no gravesite.
The memorial stone’s text:
Dr. KURT ERICH GLAUBER
1902-1945
In Memorium
Austrian Born, Jewish, British Military Volunteer, MI6 Secret Agent, World War II.
King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct
1944-45, while investigating and reporting on factories where Nazis were thought to be developing nuclear weapons, he was betrayed.
He was harshly treated for being a British Agent and a Jew.
Glauber was killed in Mauthausen, Concentration Camp
Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, U.K. Branch
AJEX
The dedication and memorial unveiling ceremony for Dr. Kurt Eric Glauber will take place on Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. at Ipswich Old Cemetery.
Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman, of the Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Synagogue, is officiating.
The ceremony will be held in the presence of His Excellency H.E. Bernhard Wrabetz, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk, the Mayor of Ipswich, the (Glauber) Japhet family and other distinguished guests. This event will be held under the auspices of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation – JASHP, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women – AJEX and the Ipswich War Memorial Project – IWMP.
Following the ceremony by kind invitation of the Mayor of Ipswich, Cllr. Lynn Mortimer, a reception will be held at the Mayor’s Parlour, Town Hall, IP1 1DH.
Please RSVP with your availability to the unveiling and the reception, or with any questions, by Sept. 8 via ipswichwarmemorial@gmail.com or mobile: 07873782079.
To find out more about Kurt’s life, visit: www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/kurt-erich-glauber/
