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The person in question has given us the following information: I lived in a yellow star house when I received an order to go to dig trenches on 20th October 1944. On 17th November they had me discharged, as one younger than 17 years. Some days later I got into a protected house, then to the children’s home of the Red Cross at 6 Zoltán Street. On 14th December, the warden warned me benevolently of the imminent raid and advised me to leave the children’s home, since it was made for children younger than 14 years. That time similar children’s homes in Baross Street and Munkácsy Street had gone through such raids and the Arrow Cross men took away those whom they suspected to be older than 14 years. So I did not dare to stay there any longer, thus I went to a house at 14 Váci Street. An officer of the national guard acquired identity papers of the national guard for me. At 5 o’clock next afternoon, on the 13th, two men dressed in Arrow Cross uniforms with armbands appeared. This happened because my friend, who was also hiding there pretending to be a levente sergeant, had been reported to them. To my bad luck I was also there when they took him away and they also found me suspicious, so they took us together to the "House of the Working Nation Corporation” at 1 Sas Street. The same two Arrow Cross men interrogated us immediately and we underwent a biological examination, while they were beating us cruelly. They had us escorted to the House of Loyalty at 60 Andrássy Avenue still in the same evening. “Brother in chief” Trucka received us there. He had lived in the house since 1938, in the beginning as a doorman, later he became the personal guard of Málnási and Omelka; finally he became the warden of 60 Andrássy Avenue. Trucka interrogated us, while another henchman took the minutes, since Trucka cannot write. They beat us up again and took us down to the cellar. My friend and I stayed in the cellar till the next evening. We did not get anything to eat during that time. In the evening they brought us up again and led us to Trucka. He said to the Arrow Cross men in the room: “You can beat them again for the last time”. Following his order one of the Arrow Cross hangmen jumped at me and beat me so much that I lost consciousness and regained it again only when they took me out of the house. They put us in a car. They took us through Dózsa György Road, to that part of Révész Street which is on the bank of the Danube, there we stopped. They told us to get off and move forward, then, from a distance of 2-3 meters they shot after us. After that they jumped in the car again and sped away. It was late in the evening and the city was blacked out completely. My friend lost consciousness and he never recovered again. With waning strength I began shouting with my last effort. After much shouting a police officer passing by noticed us. He ran to call for the ambulance and they took us to Weiss Alice Hospital. Since my arrival, 14th December, I was lying unconscious for two weeks. I am in possession of the following certificate issued by the ambulance: “The Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Association. Hereby I certify that in the accident protocol of our Association dated 14th December 1944, the following note can be found under registration number 24: The time of notification of accident is 22:40, place: 13th district, Révész Street. Gunshot. The casualty is István Glasner, 16 years old, student at the school of commerce, born in Budapest, address: 20 Károly Boulevard. As stated, unknown perpetrators displaced him and shot at him. Unconscious. Paleness, enfeeblement. Inlet opening around the 6th vertebra. Therapy: bandage with iodine. Physician in charge: Dr. Lajos Fonódi. Policeman present: Dr. Andor Balla, assistant draftsman of the police. We took the casualty to Weiss Alice Hospital. 21st May 1945. Illegible signature, hospital superintendent.” Regarding my stay in hospital I also have to tell the following: Around 11 o’clock in the evening of 2nd January, Arrow Cross militiamen with armbands, whose coming had already been anticipated and feared in the hospital, appeared and said that they wanted to check the identity of the people taking refuge in there. About 300 ill people were staying there including myself. Different rumours had it that Physician General Dr Bíró, who had been taken to hospital after he had attempted suicide, was reported against, that is why the Arrow Cross men appeared. Everybody in the hospital, including the doctors and the nursing staff was called to the basement. After a long explanation they told us that they would not take everybody away, as they had originally intended, only those, who are obviously not seriously ill and do not have to stay in bed. Yet, eventually they did select people at random, altogether 34 men and women, among them four nurses. One or two days later, I cannot remember exactly when, a woman from among those people who had been dragged away came back and said that they had taken the group to the bank of the Danube and she was the only one who had been able to escape. This part of the capital was liberated on 13th January and I left hospital on 15th. I have gone through five operations since then. One bullet had already been removed, at another operation two of my ribs were removed, then another operation followed when another two of my ribs were taken out. My friend Tibor Réti never regained his consciousness and he died of his serious injuries (gunshot in both cerebral hemispheres and bruise of the optic nerve) on the morning following his arrival at the hospital.

Labour Service