A happier Stolperstein Sunday entry this week!
Alexander Nisselowitsch was born in Minsk in 1899 but moved with his mother to Berlin in 1916 to stay with his grandparents as Belarus was on the front lines of the Eastern Front during the First World War.
Alexander wasn’t able to secure German citizenship, and he became stateless when the Soviet Union was founded. In 1926 he registered as a refugee, and during his time in Berlin he was able to study at the Technische Üniversität. Afterwards he worked as an engineer for Siemens.
Despite the establishment of the Nazi regime, Alexander’s position at Siemens was initially secure due to the importance of his work. However, only a few days after Kristallnacht he was suddenly dismissed (without severance pay) from Siemens.
Alexander decided to emigrate.
On the 12th of June 1939 Alexander left Germany, and he eventually reached the UK where he was housed with four thousand other Germans and Austrians in Kitchener Camp near Dover.
Alexander survived the war, his degree was recognised in the UK, and in 1947 he even obtained British citizenship. He anglicised his name to Alexander Nicolls and lived in London until his death in 1957.
For Alexander’s story (in German) visit his entry on the Stolpersteine homepage.
(This is a repost from Instagram from March 31st, 2024)