Thomas Beck escaped from a Nazi prison in 1944, leaving his love Edith Grieman behind. Picture: Susan Windmiller Leader

IN 1944 Thomas Beck, 15, escaped a Nazi internment camp in Budapest, leaving behind sweetheart Edith Greiman, 14. Sixty years later, he found her again in Australia.

Now the couple have blissfully set up home together in East St Kilda.

Four years ago, while retracing the terrible years surviving by his wits on the Eastern Front for a documentary, Mr Beck discovered Edith had also survived the Holocaust and sought a new life in Australia. And she was living in St Kilda, just 300m away from his son.

They rekindled a friendship by email at first. Love blossomed once again.

"We are together again four years now, and very happy," Mr Beck said.

"We are more than happy," Ms Greiman said.

"To find Thomas again has been wonderful. Who would have thought after all those decades, Thomas from the Budapest camp would be here in St Kilda?

"In our 80s we have found real happiness again. We love each other."

Mr Beck had been reluctant to do the film but

"I found my boyhood friend from Czechoslovakia, and through him I found Edith".

The day they were taken from their homes was "a very, very frightening time". "The camp had about 100 children, no adults," Ms Greiman said.

"I was a very frightened, lonely girl and Thomas became my turn-to person. I felt lucky to have him."

Mr Beck said his "big regret" was leaving Edith.

"I got a note one day to say scale the wall at a certain time on a certain night. And I did.

"I had an uncle and aunt in Budapest and I believe they bribed a few guards."

The One That Got Away, Jewish International Film Festival, Nov 7-25, at the Classic, Elsternwick.

Donna Carton

Source: heraldsun.com.au