Completed Search : Thea Leonora GRAHAM nee LOW (LOWOVA)

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Mrs Thea Leonora GRAHAM (Maiden name LOW) who in about 1947 married Neville GRAHAM – in Huddersfield, England.

Daughter of Oskar and Charlotte Gertrud LOW. Thea’s father was an industrial chemist

The information we have about Thea is as follows:

Date of birth about 1925

Went to Huddersfield Technical College 1941-1942. (1940-1941 Commerce course, 1941-1942 Matriculation)

Thea helped the RAF to listen to and translate the radio conversations of German pilots when RAF bombing raids occurred over Europe. They lived at Cambridge Rd, Huddersfield.
The LOW house was a large house, located on the corner of Cambridge Road and what was then the start of a planned, but not, built new road. (This was diagonally across from the Cambridge Road Baths (Kirklees swimming pool and dance hall etc. which was demolished a couple of years ago.)

In 1946 Thea Graham lived at 22 Cambridge Road, Huddesrfield.

Thea had an aunt and uncle who lived in Huddersfield – we do not know their names.
Thea’s only sibling, a brother, Peter Klaus LOW, died on 25 July 1944 aged 17. He was buried in the United Hebrew Congregation Jewish cemetery on the Huddersfield Road, Leeds.

Neville GRAHAM Also in the same class as Thea at the Huddersfield Technical College 1941-1942 Neville Graham's family were in the quarry business in the 1940s.

Other class mates at the college at that time were:
Malcolm Lees whose family owned a secretarial school in Huddersfield and he went to Sedbergh.
Colin Muscroft went to Leeds University.
David Pickup, possibly was a midshipman on an Elder & Fyffe's banana boat during the war.
Donald Gowing – with whom we have contact.

During the course of the search the following has emerged:

1. 25 Jan 1964 Dr Oskar LOW died in Leeds. He is buried at the UHC cemetery on the Huddersfield Road, Leeds. On the grave stone he is “mourned by wife, daughter and granddaughter"

2. The family was living at 30 Wellhouse Avenue, Leeds. They were members of the Belgrave Street Synagogue in Leeds – now incorporated into the United Hebrew Congregation.

3. 22 Jul 1980 Gertrude Charlotte LOW died at the Morris Feinmann Home in Didsbury. She too is buried at the UHC cemetery in Leeds. On her stone only the granddaughter is mentioned. The Morris Feinmann Home does not have the 20-year old records any more.

4. The last will and Testament of Gertude LOW (dated 2 Nov 1959) speaks of her daughter Thea Leonora GAUTSCHI. (In other words Thea remarried an unknown Mr GAUTSCHI some time between 1951 and 1959).

5. The „Grant of Probate“ from the High Court of Justice in Leeds (dated 25 Sep 1980) notes that Thea had died before her mother (i.e. between 1959 and 1980)

6. The will leaves Gertrude’s property to „any surviving grandchild“ – or in the event that no grandchild survived, to the RSPCA. The will is dated 2 Nov 1959.

7. The RSPCA has found no record of a bequest from Gertrude LOW.

In other words – Thea had a daughter – name and whereabouts UNKNOWN. Can you help us find her?

Genealogy:

Thea Leonora ex GRAHAM then GAUTSCHI nee LOW

daughter of
Charlotte Gertrud Low nee KAPPER born 28.11.1898
and
Oskar Lowe

Granddaughter of
Arnostka KAPPER nee WEINEROVA born 1 Apr 1875 in Dobris, "transported" 30 Jul 1945 & Richard KAPPER, born 21 Sep 1863
and of
Julie and Adolf WIENER

Do you have any information which may help us trace any family member or heirs?

Please e-mail us at searchandunite [at] lewinsdlondon [dot] org [dot] uk if you can help in any way

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