Francis Deutsch was an outstanding radical lawyer and a pioneer of legal policy
RosWollen
Mon 22 Feb 2021 06.25 EST
Last modified on Fri 2 Apr 2021 14.04 EDT
My foster brother, Francis Deutsch, has died aged 94 from Covid-19, following a short illness. He was an outstanding radical lawyer and a pioneer of legal policy, whose life was driven by a sense of justice, belief in democracy and commitment to support the most vulnerable in society.
Francis came to the UK from Austria on the Kindertransport at the age of 13, arriving in Harwich, Essex, speaking no English. He was fostered by my father, Leslie Wollen, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Hilda
CALLS for compassion and moving stories of those who escaped genocide filled this year s Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony. The restrictions caused by the pandemic did not stop the annual remembrance event that has been held in Swindon for 20 years from going ahead. Though this year, councillors, MPs, community representatives and Swindonians gathered in a Zoom meeting rather than in person. Matt Holland organised the virtual ceremony, which began with the midday bells of the town centre clock echoing through the speakers of the 51 people in attendance and a performance from cellist Debbie Jennings. He spoke of this year s theme, being a light in the darkness, which encourages people to help others who face prejudice and persecution, and resist the spread of misinformation and divisive talk of us and them .