People from Kutenholz helped to launch Remembrance and Reconciliation at Edinburgh Napier University
A group of dedicated volunteers from a small German village hope a remembrance exhibition held at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) will help trace relatives of a Leith-born soldier who died in the Second World War.
Residents from Kutenholz, near Hamburg in lower Saxony, have travelled to ENU’s Craiglockhart campus for the launch of Remembrance and Reconciliation. It tells the story of their effort to connect with the families of those who lost their lives there during the Second World War.
The group of locals, led by Debbie Bülau, have sought to keep their memories alive by identifying remains, establishing memorials and contacting families of those killed in the area.
That endeavour to bring families closure has reached across continents, to England, France, Australia, Canada, Singapore – and Scotland.
In 2022, memorial stones were unveiled in the village to commemorate those who lost their lives, and earlier this year Debbie was awarded a Medal of the British Empire for her efforts.
Their search is continuing too, as they hope to find relatives of a Leith-born soldier. Donald Cameron was killed by an explosion near Kutenholz in April 1945.
Donald died alongside fellow member of the Royal Horse Guards Lieutenant Robin Tudsbery from Edinburgh, whose descendants have already formed a lasting bond with the people of Kutenholz. He is commemorated in his home city by the Robin Chapel, which was built by his parents in his honour.
Descendants of Lieutenant Tudsbery, representatives from the Robin Chapel, and the German Consulate General of Edinburgh were among those present at the launch of Remembrance and Reconciliation, which is on display in the Craiglockhart campus chapel until Thursday 13 November.
Craiglockhart is a fitting setting for the exhibition, given its previous use as a hospital for soldiers returning from the First World War. It is known as the place where poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon recovered from their trauma.
The campus is also home to ENU’s Centre for Military Education, Research and Public Engagement, which has led policy-shaping research into life for military personnel and veterans, and hosted the first conference to be centred around the role of the armed forces in Scottish society.
Debbie Bülau from the Kutenholz Memorial Group, said: “In 2022, we began researching victims of the Nazis in our home community, so we began extensive research into the deceased victims.
“Many of the families did not know what had happened to their loved ones or where their graves were located. Today, they know where their loved ones are buried and have places to remember them and mourn their loss.
“We now see ourselves as one large international family.
“In Edinburgh, from the very beginning, we have been welcomed and accepted with open arms. This special friendship shows that reconciliation and healing are possible, even after so many years.
“Many hours of preparation have now gone into this project, and we hope that many people will take an interest in our special commemorative work.”
Professor Sue Rigby, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “We are deeply proud to host this exhibition.
“Through years of patient research and quiet determination, the people of Kutenholz have uncovered the stories of those whose voices were silenced by war, who lost their lives far from home.
“From that tragedy, something profoundly human and hopeful has emerged.
“The exhibition gives voice to these stories - stories of suffering, yes, but also of healing, courage, and connection. It reminds us that history is not distant. It is deeply personal. It lives in families, in communities, and in the small acts of remembrance that bring us closer together.”
Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith, Director of ENU’s Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement, said: “Remembrance is never passive. What Debbie Bülau and the Kutenholz community have done, patiently restoring identities and reaching across borders embodies reconciliation in action.
“Here at Craiglockhart, a place shaped by recovery, we’re honoured to host their exhibition and to support the search for relatives of Leith-born soldier Donald Cameron. If this work reconnects even one family with their history, it will have transformed loss into lasting human connection.”
Christiane Hullman, German Consul General in Edinburgh, said: “I am delighted that we could bring this special exhibition to Edinburgh.
“The exhibition is about the work of local volunteers from Kutenholz, thanks to whom we now know the exact circumstances of the deaths of British soldiers who lost their lives at the end of the Second World War in that area.
“What makes this exhibition so powerful is that it shows how friendship can grow between peoples who were once enemies through the shared act of remembrance.”
The search for relatives of Leith-born soldier Donald Cameron
The Kutenholz Memorial Group, let by Debbie Bülau, have been able to establish some of the family background of the soldier Donald Cameron, whose relatives they are hoping to find.
Donald Cameron was born on 1 July 1911 in Leith, the son of Donald Archie Cameron and his wife Annie May Cameron, née Spence. Donald senior and Annie May married on 5 March 1908.
Donald grew up with his older sister Mary and his younger sister Jessie, who was born in 1922 and married George Stewart in 1947. Jessie died in 2003.
Mary was unmarried and died in 1970 at the age of 61. Mary was born on 6 October 1908.
Their father, Donald Archie Cameron, worked as a bus driver. Annie May was a housewife. The family lived at 34 Balfour Street in Leith at the time.
On 10 November 1944, Donald Cameron and Catherine Flanagan were married at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Edinburgh. The short marriage remained childless.
Catherine worked as a rubber worker at the North British Rubber Company. During the war, the factory produced rubber boots, gas masks and tyres for army vehicles, among other things. She died in Leith in 1976, and did not remarry after her husband's death.
Anyone with information about the family, can contact Debbie Bülau via info@gedenkorte-kutenholz-und-umgebung.de.
Pictures (from top): The Kutenholz Memorial Group, Debbie Bülau speaking at Craiglockhart during the launch of the exhibition, a portrait of a soldier at the exhibition, a tobacco tin featured in the exhibition