Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) invites us to pause, reflect, and recommit ourselves to remembrance. Each year on 27 January - the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau - we honour the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of others persecuted under Nazi rule and in subsequent genocides.

The theme for HMD 2026, “Bridging Generations,” is a call-to-action. It reminds us that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with those who survived. It lives on through their children, their grandchildren, and through all of us. This theme encourages active engagement with the past: to listen, to learn, and to carry those lessons forward. In doing so, we build a bridge between memory and action, between history and hope.

As the years pass, we grow more distant from the Holocaust and from the more recent genocides commemorated on HMD. With distance comes risk - memories fade, realities blur, and the truth becomes vulnerable to distortion or denial. Bridging Generations highlights the vital role of younger generations in preserving memory and ensuring that the stories of survivors continue to resonate.

Within our own community, we reflect on the light that emerged from profound darkness through the inspirational life and career of OS Professor Otto Hutter (SHb, 1939–42), who arrived at the College via the Kindertransport evacuations of 1938.

A Journey of Courage and Renewal

In the wake of Kristallnacht in November 1938, a 14-year-old Otto Hutter made a life‑altering decision. On 4 December 1938, without consulting his parents, he signed himself up as the 359th of 360 Kindertransport children registered at the Hotel Metropole in Vienna that day. He remained eternally grateful to be included in the earliest evacuations, those that did not require guarantors and allowed older boys like himself to escape.

Professor Hutter's Kinderstransport overcoat is included within the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum

Upon arriving in England, Otto was fostered by the Essex family of OS A. Blaxill (SHa, 1913–17). Deeply moved by the plight of Jewish children, the Blaxills appealed to the Old Stortfordian community through the OS Magazine, asking: “What can Stortford do?”

The response was swift and compassionate. Old Stortfordians rallied to fund Otto’s boarding education at the College, enabling him to thrive academically, particularly in biology and chemistry, and to enjoy holidays with the Blaxill family and his College friends. His time at Stortford became the foundation upon which he built a remarkable life.

A Life of Scholarship, Innovation and Service

Honouring his father’s wish that he continue his education, Otto left the College in 1942 to work in research laboratories in Beckenham, Kent. After the war, he attended University College London, where he embarked on a pioneering career in physiology. His research contributed to the development of the first pacemakers, an achievement that has saved countless lives.

Otto later won a Rockefeller Travelling Fellowship, lived and worked in the United States, and ultimately became Emeritus Professor at Glasgow University. Alongside his scientific contributions, he remained active in the Jewish community in Bournemouth and conducted extensive research into the Kindertransport and the Holocaust, ensuring that the history he had lived through would not be forgotten.

In 2018 the College were honoured to welcome Professor Hutter to address the Sixth Form and to plant an oak tree in recognition of the 80th Anniverary of his arrival in England. 

Carrying the Legacy Forward

Holocaust Memorial Day enables us to remember, for a purpose. It calls on each of us to work for a safer, better future. By using our talents to challenge prejudice, discrimination, and intolerance wherever we encounter them, we honour the memory of those like OS Professor Hutter, whose life stands as a testament to resilience, compassion, and the transformative power of education.

The story of Professor Hutter is a bridge between generations: from the Old Stortfordians who asked “What can Stortford do?” to the students and alumni who continue to uphold those values today. His legacy reminds us that our lights shine brightest when we work together.

For more information about Professor Hutter’s life and legacy—including his inclusion in the Imperial War Museum’s Holocaust exhibition, please visit this past article: https://stortfordiancommunity.org/news/os-news/109/109-Holocaust-Memorial-Day-

In respectful memory of Professor Otto Hutter (SHb, 39-42) (1924–2020). May peace be upon him.