Bob MacKenzie Facebook Interview
On Sunday 26th April, Holocaust survivor Bob MacKenzie participated in a live phonecall interview on Facebook Live with Laura Pasternak, a Holocaust Educational Trust Regional Ambassador for Scotland.
Mackenzie
Bob Mackenzie – Reflection on Life
Bob talks about the reasons he sees himself as Scottish and reflects on his good fortune in life. INT: You sound so much like just an average Scots person, you really do. Do you think of yourself at all as German anymore? BM: No INT: Not at all? BM: Not a bit. INT: When did … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Discovering Sarok and Bob’s Return to his Childhood Home
In 1990, near the end of my service, I was working on a contract in the Outer Hebrides when I saw a letter in The Sunday Post asking if anyone knew anything about the Kindertransport to contact the person below. Coming home for the weekend, I phoned the number listed and spoke to Dorrith Sim. … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Integration
Bob starts work and moves to Renfrew as an apprentice mechanical engineer. He changes his name to Mackenzie to thank the family who rescued his sister and him. He learns about the survival of his parents and the death of his grandfather. He marries and then joins the RAF. He describes his mother’s first visit … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Life During the War
Bob loses his German but becomes proficient in English. BM:Once the war started we were only allowed to write twenty-five words per month through the Red Cross. When war broke out Janet joined the Land Army and Jessie looked after the house. So over the years one can say that Jessie virtually brought us up. … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Settling In
Bob describes his new family, the Mackenzies, and their efforts to get his parents out of Germany. BM: Mr Mackenzie’s house consisted of the main house and a small attached cottage. The Mackenzie family were made up of Granny Mackenzie, Mr Mackenzie (a widower) and three daughters; Agnes, Janet and Jessie. The family lived in … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Immigration
Bob mentions what he can remember of his journey to Britain and his arrival in Selkirk. He goes on to describe his first introduction to the Mackenzie family of Forres. BM: I’m not sure where we joined the train and to this day I have never found out. Unfortunately there is a complete blank from … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Life Before the War
I was born in the town of Chemnitz in South East Germany. I do not recollect my very early years but in 1933 my father lost his job in Chemnitz and we moved to a small town called Neukirchen, about five miles from Chemnitz. My parents bought a semi-detached house with a large piece of … Read more
Bob Mackenzie – Background
BM: This is the 18th of March 2014. Bob explains the origin of the Kindertransport Movement The British Parliament was approached by the ‘Movement for the Care of Children of Germany’ to hasten the travel permits. The movement promised to fund the whole of the operation and stated that they would not be a drain … Read more