Prince William Honors Holocaust Hero Frank Foley

Frank Foley saved thousands during the Holocaust.

Great Britain's Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, revealed a statue depicting Frank Foley, a British spy noted for helping thousands of Jews to escape the Nazis at the time of the Holocaust[/tweetit]. The statue was installed during the third week of September in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Foley passed away in Stourbridge in 1958.

Prince William Honors Holocaust Hero Frank Foley[/tweetthis]

The sculpture of Foley in the middle of Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge is appropriate for the man who was the original inspiration for the bust. He was an extremely low key person and extremely quiet. He was so discreet that he was unknown to even those who he saved from a certain death. The statue consists of Foley quietly sitting on a park bench. A briefcase is with him.

The extent to which Foley contributed towards saving thousands of Jews during that time was explained by Michael Mamelok. He was one of the many Jewish survivors who got out of Berlin just in time solely due to the mechanisms initiated by Foley. Foley was a director of the British passport office stationed in Berlin. He handed out visas without much standard filtering to German Jews. He also sheltered a number of them in his home. When asked, Mamelok said he was honored to be there.

Privileged to have met and spoken to Prince William this afternoon at the unveiling of a statue of Frank Foley, who saved around 10,000 Jewish people during the Holocaust #RoyalVisitStourbridge pic.twitter.com/FldsOf7lrc

— Imogen Dalziel (@imogendl) September 18, 2018

For those who knew him, Foley was a typical British civil servant. During the 1930s, he had already reached middle-age and was recognized by his round, owlish glasses. The affable Foley was the Chief of British intelligence in Germany prior to the declaration of the Second World War. He headed the then MI6 branch in Berlin.

Foley did not hesitate to exercise his influence and power as a passport control officer of the United Kingdom to assist Jews holding German nationality to immigrate to the United Kingdom and its colonies during that time. Sitting at his office desk in Berlin, he helped thousands of Jews to the land which would ultimately become the independent country of Israel. The Israelis recognized his contribution and awarded him the honor of Righteous Among the Nations. The honor is given to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews at the time of the Holocaust. Tel Aviv posthumously awarded him in 1999.

Resources

• The Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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