DLA163-0002  Transcription

The Rvd. Frederick Hankinson of 60 Haverstock Hill, Hampstead will prove:-

I am a Unitarian minister.

I have visited Hungary on various occasions, staying in Transylvania, where there is a large Unitarian community.

In this way, I have a special interest in Hungarians, and, since the war, in connection with the society, known as the Emergency Committee, for Befriending Austrians, Hungarians and Germans in distress. This Society is largely under the guidance of the Quaker community in this country, and many other people assisted it.

I am the Home Office visitor to the Internment camp at Islington. All the men interned at this camp have English-born wives.

I have known Mr. de Laszlo since the outbreak of the war. I have visited him at his house and his studio and have stayed with him at his country house in Surrey.

I have once or twice asked Mr. de Laszlo to help in the charitable work on which I was engaged, especially

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on behalf of a paralyzed child, the son of a Hungarian woman, and he has always been very generous, not only as regards the Hungarian work, but as regards many work connected with my church.

We have often, naturally, spoken about the War. Here he has always spoken in a thoroughly loyal way of England and the Allies, but like all naturalized persons, of whom I have met many, he has a special tenderness for the place of his birth. I have never heard him say anything as regards Hungary, which would be harmful to England.

I approached Mr. de Laszlo as regards helping poor Hungarians because this was the principle upon which I did my work generally. If I wanted money for poor Germans, I thought it was only natural to approach naturalized Germans, and the same principle applied as to people of other nationalities. I have never in any case asked for money for unnaturalized aliens.

I formed a very high opinion of Mr. de Laszlo’s character, and I consider him a very honourable and straightforward man.

His dominating characteristic appeared to be kind-heartedness and too lavish a generosity, out of the desire to help anybody who was suffering

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Re

DE LASZLO

STATEMENT

Of

THE REVD. FREDERICK HANKINSON

Mr J. Wylie [handwritten annotation]

23.6.19

Charles Russell & Co.,

37, Norfolk Street,

Strand,

W.C.2.

StdeL

07/11/2022