00:00I am honoured to join you today to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to remember
00:06the millions murdered during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides.
00:11We also remember those survivors who have lived with the scars both mental
00:17and physical. Their bravery in sharing with us the most harrowing moments of
00:24their lives are extremely powerful and ensure we never forget. I assure them we
00:32never will. On this, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we also
00:41recall those who risked their own lives to help and save others. They risked
00:47death, torture and persecution to defy the aggressors. I was recently reminded
00:54of my great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who lived in Athens during
01:00the Second World War. This is an extract from the book Heroes of the Holocaust.
01:08In the early days of German occupation, conditions deteriorated rapidly as food
01:14ran out when an estimated 300,000 people died. Conditions were particularly
01:20severe in Athens and its port, Piraeus. Alice worked tirelessly for the Red
01:27Cross, helping to organize soup kitchens, opening shelters for orphaned children
01:33and setting up a nursing system for poor areas of the city. It was at this time
01:40that Princess Alice gave refuge to a Jewish widow, Rachel Cohen, and two of her
01:46five children to save them from deportation to the death camps. This was
01:52an extremely risky undertaking in the close-packed streets of Athens, where
01:57there was always the danger of spies and gossip. On the 15th of October 1943,
02:04Rachel Cohen and Tilda moved into Alice's home. The staff were told that
02:09Mrs. Cohen was the former governess to her children. Michelle, the youngest of
02:15the four brothers, joined them about a month later. There were great risks, not
02:20least the position of the house. The front door faced the residence of the
02:24local archbishop, which always had a German guard on duty outside. She was
02:30sometimes interviewed by the Gestapo and used her deafness to an advantage,
02:36pretending not to understand their questions or what they were talking
02:39about. It worked and they soon gave up. Thanks to her, the entire Cohen family
02:47survived the war. It's been a great honor for Catherine and I to join you all today.
03:06And the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we see.
03:23Oh, I won't be afraid. Oh, I won't be afraid.
03:39Just as long as you stand by me.
03:48So darling, darling, stand by me.
03:56Stand by me. Stand by me.
04:05Stand by me. Stand by me.
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