Bob was born in Germany into a Polish Jewish family. They moved to France and then Italy after Hitler came to power in 1933. There, Bob helped his brother spy for France. His brother was caught but not Bob. He escaped as a tourist to England where he joined the army and became an interrogator … Read more
Bob talks of his own family in Glasgow and the importance of the wider Jewish community there INT1: One last question really about your time in Scotland. What were the high and lows for you? Obviously you got married, you had children BK: Yes. Well, obviously getting married was a high INT1: Mm BK: Um, … Read more
Bob explains how he met his wife, what kind of jobs he did as a civilian during the war and the restrictions which Jews and foreigners experienced at that time. INT1: How did you meet Barbara? BK: Well, I was acquainted by then with a guy called Sidney Shear He plays the piano at the, … Read more
In this section Bob describes his first jobs in Britain when he left the army after the war. He also talks of his time before that as a soldier in the British army. INT1: Did you work when, when you arrived here? BK: Yes, I started out as a small time commercial traveler. Working for … Read more
In this section Bob explains how he came to Scotland and what his initial experiences of life in Britain were. INT1: When did you arrive in Scotland and how old were you then? BK: As I said, I estimate I arrived in Scotland about forty nine. 1949. And how old was I? Well you again … Read more
In this section Bob gives details of his brother’s work as a French spy and of his own efforts to get out of Italy and reach Britain. INT1: You were in Milan BK: Yea, this is the, the high and low point of our family life really. Um my brother got himself sort of conscripted. … Read more
In this section Bob describes his childhood. He was born in Germany into a Polish-Jewish family. The family moved to France and then to Italy when Hitler came to power in 1933. INT2: When were you born and what was your name when you were born? BK: My name was Norbert Kutner, and I was … Read more