INT: Ok. So I spoke to you just before we turned the tape on and I was going to say when did you first come to Scotland? But you told me that you came to England first
IW: That’s right
INT: So how old were you when you came over?
IW: I was exactly, I had just turned fifteen
INT: And why did you go to England?
IW: To England? Because a family by the name of Dixon; Mr. and Mrs. Dixon guaranteed for me and they lived in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The Dixons were Christadelphians and there was quite a group of Christadelphians in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and they took in children younger than me and they were very good.
INT: Your family knew this family?
IW: No we didn’t
INT: So how did you have contact with them?
IW: It was all through Kinder Transport. It was arranged. We eventually, although I grew up in Dortmund, eventually my parents thought it would be easier to find immigration in Hamburg where we had a lot of family. My parents came originally from Schleswig-Holstein – very near the Danish border.
INT: Ok, so this was arranged through the Kindertransport?
IW: It was all arranged through Kindertransport which happened to be very active in Hamburg.
INT: And you were just, how old? Just under fifteen?
IW: Just fifteen. I had just turned fifteen
INT: Just turned fifteen. Who, who were in your family unit then? Who did you live with before you came over? When you were at home?
IW: My parents, I just lived with my parents in Hamburg
INT: Just you on your own?
IW: Yes I am an only child
INT: Ah right Ok
IW: I have no brothers or sisters
INT: Ok so they found out through the Kindertransport
IW: That’s right
INT: And you could come to England
IW: That’s right
INT: How did you get over then? How did you travel?
IW: By train to the coast in Holland and then by boat over to Harwich and then to London where not the Dixons but somebody else from the organization, the Christadelphians, a Mr. Overton found me in Liverpool Street Station where we all arrived.
INT: When you were travelling did you know any of the others?
IW: I didn’t know anybody and it was very hard. I’m sure I’m not the only one who says that. To say goodbye to your parents at the station in Hamburg… I will never, never forget waving goodbye to my parents when I was on the train and they were on the platform running along.
INT: What year was this then?
IW: That was 1939
INT: So it was 1939 then
IW: Yes it was the 4th of July 1939
INT: Ok so just a couple of months before the war broke out
IW: That’s right