Eli Prins (Jewish Refugee WWII)

 

A Literary Gift from Bath to Alkmaar

Inside the cover of a four-volume set of The Elizabethan Stage, a  powerful testament to post-war solidarity unfolds. The bookplate, adorned with the Bath city crest and the Latin motto Floreat Bathon (“Let Bath flourish”), reads simply:

“This book is a gift from the City of Bath.”

Beside it, a typed note echoes the sentiment:

“A gift from Bath to Alkmaar” Help Holland Council"

This modest inscription marks a moment of international goodwill forged in the aftermath of World War II when the English city of Bath reached across borders to support the Dutch city of Alkmaar during one of its darkest chapters.

 

The Hunger Winter and a Call to Action

In the winter of 1944–45, Alkmaar, like much of the Netherlands, endured the brutal Hunger Winter, a period of famine and deprivation under Nazi occupation. Food and supplies were scarce, and the suffering was acute especially among children.

Moved by the plight of Alkmaar’s citizens, Bath’s civic leaders and residents rallied to help. The effort was spearheaded by Eli Prins, a Dutch Jewish refugee who had escaped to Bath, and Jimmie Wills, secretary of the Bath Rotary Club. Together, they galvanized the community, raising funds and collecting donations of food, clothing, and books.

One of the most memorable fundraising efforts involved a street organ tour, which raised £1,000 a considerable sum at the time. The organ, painted in Dutch colors and wheeled through Bath’s streets, became a symbol of the city’s compassion and creativity.

 

Books as Bridges

Among the donations were books, including this set of The Elizabethan Stage. These volumes were not just educational resources they were symbols of cultural exchange and friendship, gifted through the Help Holland Council, a British relief initiative that coordinated aid to Dutch cities.

The choice of literary works reflected a desire to share knowledge, beauty, and intellectual nourishment with a city recovering from war. It was a gesture that said: “We see you, we care, and we want to help you rebuild.”

 

A Friendship That Endures

The bond between Bath and Alkmaar didn’t end with the war. The initial act of generosity blossomed into a formal twinning association, one of the oldest of its kind. Over the decades, the two cities have exchanged students, musicians, athletes, and civic leaders, celebrating a relationship rooted in empathy and shared values.

 

A Book’s Journey Continues

Stamped at the top of the right-hand page, a mark reveals that these books later found a new home in the library of De Vluchthoef, an asylum seekers’ center in Alkmaar. Decades after their donation, they continued to serve those in need offering knowledge, comfort, and continuity.

From Bath’s cobbled streets to Alkmaar’s canals, this literary gift tells a story of resilience, generosity, and enduring human connection.