... As you know, Hermann Gutmann had been away (!), he returned last week Thursday, he caught an infection in one arm, the same arm that had suffered severe damage due to the cold and a few hours after he was back had to resort to hospital. Dr. X. was there immediately when he arrived. The matter looked bad. Dr. Z., who is now surgeon in L., immediately talked about the danger of amputation, which, to preserve the arm, was postponed, but nevertheless had to be carried out today.

In all this unfortunately it still cannot be foreseen whether the infection has passed into the body, the doctor immediately administered injections to counteract this, but in the last few days had to recognise that the body is utterly weakened and does not possess strong resistance. We hope that even as a cripple he will at least survive as a human being and father.

If I am writing to you now, it is with the plea that despite all difficulties you try to get the children Walter and Alfred from there to Holland. There is real urgency here, they are half-orphans for whom the possibility of being full orphans shortly is unfortunately rather close...

Letter from the Reichsvertretung der Juden in Deutschland of 3rd February 1939

... We learn that the circumstances in the case of the two children Walter and Alfred G. are particularly sad and recommend urgently the children are allowed to enter Holland as soon as possible.

The children’s mother died about two years ago, the father was engaged six months after his wife’s death to Fraulein A. and intended to marry her soon. He had to go away in November and on 30th December died in the hospital to which he had been admitted on 24th December as a result of a wound infection. During his absence his fiancée has been running the household and still does, since the 82-year-old grandmother is the only person in the house. The household is to be dispersed very shortly...