12cm (4.7in) x 8cm (3.1in) x 3cm (1.1in)
Veined marble fragment from Hitler’s new Reich Chancellery, Berlin, mounted into a wooden plinth with applied brass plaque inscribed 'Marble from the floor of Hitler Audience Chamber / Blitzed Reichchancellery Berlin 1945 / Taken by actress Beatrice Greek. Given to Victor Croxford / when performing together 1972. BBC recording Chekov ‘On the High Road’’.
The new Reich Chancellery, which formed an integral part of Hitler’s Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germania) was designed by Albert Speer and built in record time between January 1938 and January 1939. It was the representational epicentre of Hitler’s power, and, as one of the very few Speer designs actually completed, it enjoyed a particular pre-eminence among the architectural initiatives of the Nazi Party. Given the relic’s reddish hue and ‘Audience Chamber’ attribution, it was possibly removed from the ruins of the so-called Mosaic Hall - the colossal chamber used for the funeral of SS-General Reinhard Heydrich. It was also the scene of Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday celebrations in 1939.
Beatrice Greeke (1890-1977) was an American born model, stage, film and TV actress. Her connection with the present relic no doubt relates to her wartime role as ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) performer. ENSA (aka Every Night Something Awful) was active in Berlin in 1945 entertaining British troops at Christmas. Beatrice later gifted the relic to fellow thesp Victor Croxford (1907-1987) whose screen appearances include ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) and the POW movie ‘The Password is Courage’ (1962) starring Dirk Bogarde. In the latter Croxford could call upon his real life experiences in Stalag VIIIB where he edited a popular news sheet, the ‘Daily Louse’, offering a mix of humour, practical advice and camp gossip (cf. ‘One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military during World War II’, 2004).
Actor Victor Croxford chatting with Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski at their wedding reception held at the London Playboy Club on January 20th, 1968.