My Voice: Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines

Lady Milena was born Milena Fleischmann in 1929 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Living with her socialist-leaning grandparents, Milena was exposed to anti-Nazi ideology. Her father organised papers that would allow Thomas Mann, a renowned writer who had been cast out of Germany, to obtain honorary Czech citizenship.

In March 1939, life changed when Milena’s father Rudolf was warned of his impending arrest for being both a Jew and a supporter of Thomas Mann.

In March 1939, after being baptised for ‘safety’, Milena and her sister Eva were sent on the last Kindertransport train to England, where they were taken in as foster children.

Through music, art and education Milena has ensured that a part of the Czech Holocaust is not forgotten. She was proud to be depicted in the 2023 film ‘One Life’ starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. Milena has used her voice to promote knowledge of the Holocaust and its subsequent power to ensure that this dark period of history is not repeated.

Lady Milena's book is part of the My Voice book collection, a stand-alone project of The Fed, the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi persecution who settled in the UK. The oral history, which is recorded and transcribed, captures their entire lives from before, during and after the war years. The books are written in the words of the survivor so that future generations can always hear their voice. The My Voice book collection is a valuable resource for Holocaust awareness and education.