Denis Avey

Denis Avey (11 January 1919 – 16 July 2015) was a British veteran of the Second World War who was held as a prisoner of war at E715, a subcamp of Auschwitz. While there he saved the life of a Jewish prisoner, Ernst Lobethal, by smuggling cigarettes to him. For that he was made a British Hero of the Holocaust in 2010.

Denis Avey
Born(1919-01-11)11 January 1919
Essex, England
Died16 July 2015(2015-07-16) (aged 96)
Bakewell, Derbyshire, England
Buried
St. Barnabas Church, Bradwell, Derbyshire, England
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1939−
UnitRifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
Battles/warsSecond World War
  • Western Desert campaign
  • Prisoner of war at E 715
AwardsBritish Hero of the Holocaust
Other workEngineer
author

Another matter is that Avey said that he exchanged uniforms with a Jewish prisoner and smuggled himself into Auschwitz to witness the treatment of Jewish inmates, whose camp was separate from but adjoined that of British POWs. His claim has been challenged. His memoir The Man who Broke into Auschwitz, written with Rob Broomby, was published in 2011.

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