In the shadow of one of history’s darkest chapters, a spark of hope ignited a romance that would span decades. Edith “Eci” Steiner, a young Jewish woman who endured the unimaginable horrors of Auschwitz, and John Mackay, the brave Scottish soldier who helped free her, found in each other not just survival, but a profound partnership. Married on July 17, 1946, their union was a testament to resilience, romance, and the quiet power of human kindness. Though both have since passed, their story—timeless and touching—continues to inspire, reminding us that even amid devastation, love can bloom and endure.
A Nightmare Interrupted: The Rescue in 1944
Born in 1925 in the Székesfehérvár region of Hungary, Edith Steiner was just 19 when her world shattered. Like so many Jewish families, hers was torn apart by the Nazi regime’s machinery of death. Deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, Edith and her mother survived six grueling weeks in the camp, where an estimated 1.1 million people—mostly Jews—were murdered. Tragically, Edith lost 39 immediate family members, including aunts, uncles, and siblings, to the Holocaust’s relentless cruelty.
As the Allies advanced in the war’s final months, the Nazis forced survivors on death marches toward other camps, including the notorious Bergen-Belsen. Edith and her mother were among a column of emaciated prisoners trudging through the Polish countryside, guarded by SS officers who shot stragglers without mercy. It was here, in early 1945, that fate intervened.
John Mackay, a 23-year-old commando with the London Scottish 1st Battalion, was part of a unit that ambushed the convoy. Born in Glasgow in 1921 and raised partly in Brighton, John had his own wartime scars: he’d escaped an Italian POW camp in Tobruk, Libya, by disguising himself as an Italian soldier. His squad’s bold action liberated dozens, including Edith, from certain death. For Edith, it was a miracle; for John, it was duty laced with destiny.
A Dance That Changed Everything
Freedom brought not just relief, but an unexpected celebration. Allied forces organized a dance for the liberated prisoners and soldiers—a rare moment of joy amid the rubble of war. Spotting the poised 20-year-old Edith across the room, John felt an instant pull. Shy at first, he sent a friend to ask her to dance. Edith, ever the picture of quiet strength, politely declined: “Tell him to ask me himself.”
John mustered his courage, approached her, and they swayed to the music. What began as a single dance blossomed into deep affection. As the war wound down, John proposed on the back of a three-ton truck—an unromantic setting, perhaps, but one Edith accepted with grace. With no passport or nationality to her name, John even secured special permission from Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to wed.
On July 17, 1946—just over a year after VE Day—they married in Scotland. It was the start of a life rebuilt from ashes.
Building a Legacy Together
The couple settled into post-war Britain, channeling their energy into new beginnings. John’s family had purchased the Atholl Arms Hotel in Pitlochry, Perthshire, which they ran successfully for 30 years. John also served as a local Conservative councillor, chairing economic development committees and the Pitlochry Festival Theatre board—the longest-serving chairman in its history. In 1997, they retired to a care home in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, where they doted on each other until the end.
Their family grew to include two children, Sharon and Peter Mackay; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Even in later years, they called each other “sweetheart” daily, their advice for a happy marriage simple: “Be romantic every day—not just on Valentine’s.”
Edith rarely spoke of Auschwitz, haunted by nightmares and what experts today might diagnose as PTSD. Yet, in February 2017, a miracle of reconnection: long-lost cousins from Brazil, also Holocaust survivors, reached out, mending a fragment of her shattered family tree.
A Love That Outlasted the Darkness
The Mackays’ story captured hearts worldwide in 2017, when photos of them celebrating their 71st Valentine’s Day went viral. Just months later, on June 26, Edith passed away at 92 from pneumonia, with 96-year-old John by her side—three weeks shy of their 71st wedding anniversary. John, awarded an MBE in 2000 for his service to Pitlochry, followed her on April 30, 2019, at 98, utterly devoted to the end.
In 2025, their wedding anniversary falls on July 17—78 years since that fateful union. Though they won’t celebrate it together in life, their legacy endures in family stories, viral posts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit threads that keep resurfacing their photo, often with updated anniversary counts. (Note: Some online versions tweak the math for the current year, but the facts remain rooted in 1946.)
Edith and John’s tale isn’t just a fairy-tale romance; it’s a beacon of healing after horror. In a world still grappling with division and loss, their story whispers: From the depths of despair, extraordinary bonds can form—and love, once kindled, burns eternal.
If this inspires you, explore more at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum or share your own family histories of resilience. What’s a love story from your life that defies the odds? Drop it in the comments—let’s celebrate the human spirit together.
