Mr Hollander began life in Breslau, Germany. After the second World War it became part of Poland and is now known as Wroclaw.

As a teenager John was sent to England to escape Nazi rule. He arrived in England with few possessions, apart from a violin. John was interned, and later sent to work on farms. Here, though living was difficult, he made some lasting friendships.

 

In that same year 1939, a 12 year old Edith Raphael also became a refugee from Germany and attended school in England.

After the war, both John & Edith were recruited by the Americans to return to Germany as translators, censoring German mail. It was here that couple met and were married. A marriage that lasted for almost 60 years.
In 1948 John and Edith returned to England and took up citizenship. They started with nothing but John worked hard to provide for his wife and family doing various jobs. He was asked by the Phillips Group to set up their new mail order system, in Kent, where he worked for many years.

In July 1977 John and Edith moved to Baydon and bought the Post Office & General Stores where they soon became respected and integral figures in the community. John was a great provider for his three children Sandra, David and Tony. He was also very creative making wooden toys and a crib used by each of his ten grand children as they were born.

John also designed their new home when the couple retired from the Post Office & General Stores and it was built by their son in the garden at the rear of the Post Office.

Increasing age dictated that they later moved to a bungalow in Marlborough. The last three years of John’s life was spent in care because of the onset of Alzheimers.

It was on the 14th May 2008 that John Hollander came home to Baydon to be laid to rest in St. Nicholas Churchyard.

 

The service was led by Rev Hayward Osbourne, Archbishop of Birmingham – John and Edith's son-in-law.