A Stanmore war survivor who is also thought to be the last man alive to have tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler has had a documentary made about his exploits.
Henry Wermuth, 94, was a 19-year-old inmate at a labour camp in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1942, when he set upon himself to attempt to change the course of history.
Having found out Hitler was to travel by train through a village near to the Klaj ammunition camp where he was prisoner, Henry set about escaping and made his way to the train tracks where he piled logs and stones hoping this would derail the locomotive.
Ultimately the assassination attempt proved unsuccessful; however, Henry survived the war, despite being prisoner at nine Nazi concentration camps, including the infamous Auschwitz and now resides in Stanmore.
His daughter, Iiana Metzger, has been inspired by her father’s war experiences and has produced a documentary which she hopes will “inspire people not to hate irrationally” and will educate others about the war.
The documentary, which is called Breathe Deeply My Son, launched in November 2017 and has received positive feedback from the select screenings it has had so far. It is available for schools to access and will be entered into film festival competitions, such is the powerful response it has had from viewers.
Speaking to MyStanmoreNews, Ilana explained what impact the war had on her family and why it inspired her to produce a documentary.
She said: “”It’s called Breathe Deeply My Son as it is the words my grandfather said to my father when they stood outside the gas chambers in Auschwitz expecting to be gassed.
“Luckily they were spared as they made good slave labour but my father’s sister and mother were less fortunate, as they were murdered at Belzec Camp.
“My father is probably the last man alive who tried to assassinate Hitler and was presented with a hero’s medal for the attempt in 1995. He survived nine Nazi concentration camps and weighed 33kgs when he was liberated from Mauthausen, so almost a skeleton.
“My father used to conduct talks all around the UK but is unable to do so now, and I thought it would be good to continue his story with a documentary in which he features.
“I want others to see what irrational hatred can do. I know I won’t be able to stop another Hitler coming along but if I can help teach others about the dangers of hatred then I will be happy.
“At the end of the film the words ‘never again’ appear and I hope this documentary plays a part in making sure that is the case.”
The documentary is available for schools as an educational tool but will not be available for the wider public until after it has been entered into film festivals, as conditions of entry mean they require exclusivity.
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