The Memory of Belsen

This article was written by John J. Crosbie (known as Jack) in March 1964. Jack was born in Girvan in 1915 and after the war he lived in Giffnock with his wife and two sons until his death in 1995. During the war, Jack was a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and was haunted by … Read more

John Subak Sharpe – Reflection On Life

INT: Can I ask you a little about your experience as a refugee? When you came up to Glasgow did you mix with other people who had escaped Germany? BSS: Yes INT: Or even before that did you…? JSS: You mean when I first came up? INT: Well you were only here for 6 weeks … Read more

John Subak Sharpe – Settling In

JSS: When I got to Birmingham University, as I said, the first years had to be shared but I got lectures from a brilliant lecturer, a not very pleasant man, but a brilliant lecturer in genetics. And I decided when he asked me to go into the first year in genetics which would be the … Read more

John Subak Sharpe – Immigration

INT: Good. When did you arrive here in Scotland and how old were you when you came? JSS: Well, first of all I did not arrive initially in Scotland but in England on the Kindertransport. I had been working for quite some time in agriculture as a farm labourer or farm pupil, whatever you like. … Read more

John Subak Sharpe – Life During The War

JSS: I ran away from that farm, I didn’t tell you this before. INT: Ah so you came over to stay with the…? BSS: Peskins JSS: Peskins INT: The Peskins… JSS: Until about May INT: So only for a very, very short time. JSS: A very short time. INT: And then what happened? JSS: I … Read more

John Subak Sharpe – Life Before The War

John Herbert Subak-Sharpe (1924- ) was Professor of Virology and Honorary Director of the Medical Research Council Virology Unit from 1968 to 1994. Born in Vienna, Subak-Sharp was brought to Britain by the Kindertransport mission in 1939 and was a farm pupil from 1939 to 1944, before serving in the Parachute Regiment. He graduated with … Read more