Norman Keith Holloway photograph

Norman Keith Holloway was born on April 10, 1926, to Harry George and Mary Barrie Holloway in Heasley Mill, England. Harry was a blacksmith, born in 1894 in North Molton. Mary was born in Lanark, Scotland. The family lived with their children in North Molton. Norman was one of seven children: George Robert, Victor Ian, Douglas Roy, Jean, Beryl, and Hector. When he was six years old, Norman immigrated to the United States with his mother and siblings on June 23, 1932, joining his father and grandmother, Agnes Barrie, in New York. On December 11, 1941, the US declared war on Germany. Norman enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 6th Armored Division. By March 1945, the unit, which had landed in Normandy in July 1944, was advancing into central Germany. Norman, with his division, had reached Weimar, Germany by April 9, 1945. On April 11th, the Super Sixth liberated Buchenwald concentration camp and Norman was with the troops that entered the camp that day. The SS guards had fled and the prisoners were in charge of the camp, which held 21,000 survivors. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. The 6th Armored Division was placed on occupational duty in Germany. The division was inactivated and the troops returned home on September 18, 1945. Norman married Jean Marie Ferris. The couple had two sons and two daughters. Norman continued his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam wars. After his retirement, Norman joined the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department in 1979, serving as the department’s president and commissioner. Norman, age 85, died on April 16, 2011.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Annmarie Ekey

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

The photograph was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Annmarie Ekey, the daughter of Norman Keith Holloway.