Transport R from Plzen, Plzen, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia to Theresienstadt, Ghetto, Czechoslovakia on 18/01/1942

Transport R left Plzen for the Theresienstadt Ghetto on January 18, 1942. It was the first of three big transports that left Plzen for the Ghetto, which had been established in November 1941. The transport consisted of 1000 Jews, residents from Plzen as well as from towns and villages in the region, among them Kralovice (Kraltowitz), Blovice (Blowitz), Radnice (Radnitz) and Rokycany (Rokitzan). The deportees were assembled at the local Sokol building (a national gymnastics organization), which served as a collection point. Prior to the train’s departure, several staff members of the Prague Jewish community Transports Department arrived in Plzen to carry out administrative measures according to the orders they received from the Central Office for Jewish Immigration. They prepared a list of deportees, registered Jewish property, issued notices regarding the date of deportation, and assisted in packing and carrying luggage. The Jews were transferred from the Sokol building to the train station and put on a train. Upon arrival in Bohusovice, the deportees had to disembark and were forced to march the remaining 3 km to Theresienstadt....