Finally Geraldine reflects on her parents’ lives and her own. She considers whether the world has learnt from the lessons of the Holocaust. INT: It’s a hard thing to know your mother suffered. GS: Very hard, but as children, we knew we weren’t allowed to leave anything on our plates; no food was to be … Read more
Geraldine talks about life in Glasgow; growing up as a child of two survivors and about her mother’s role as a minister’s wife. GS: And in the autumn of 1951, my mum and my grandma came to Glasgow and they were married in London and their life began. INT: And your father was a minister … Read more
Geraldine explains why her mother and grandmother went to Sweden after the war. She describes their life there. She then explains the unusual way her mother met the young man, who became her husband. INT: And then your mother, you told us this before, ended up in Sweden, with her mother? GS: She did, she … Read more
Geraldine talks about the increasing difficulties facing her mother and her grandmother as the war progressed. She describes their time in Theresienstadt and then in Auschwitz where her mother’s skills saved her life, when she was forced to draw for the notorious Dr Mengele. INT: That’s interesting. And life obviously changed very significantly for your … Read more
INT: Today is 25th of November 2015, and I’m here to speak with Geraldine Shenkin, who is going to tell me a little about her mother, Mrs Marianne Grant. Geraldine describes her mother’s background in Czechoslovakia by reading from Marianne Grant’s autobiography. She goes on to talk about her mother’s great love for drawing and … Read more
Marianne talks about the effect her experiences have had on her. She explains why she is glad she came to Scotland and did not go to America, as her sisters did. Finally Marianne explains why she is now finally free of ‘her Holocaust’. INT: That’s a lovely story. And looking back over your life are … Read more
Marianne describes her first jobs. Then she goes on to talk about arriving in Edinburgh where her three children were born. She explains that she loved Edinburgh from the start and thought it was ‘something out of this world’. She talks about the historic links between Scotland and Hungary and her children’s integration into Scottish … Read more
Marianne gives a vivid description of leaving Hungary without passports and just the clothes that she and her husband were wearing. She explains what happened to them when they arrived in Austria and why they were given permission to come to Britain. Her positive feelings on arrival in Britain are clearly evident. ML: And then … Read more
Marianne discusses how her life returned to something closer to normal. She describes her education both at school and at university. She then goes on to speak about the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and the decision that she and her new husband made to leave Hungary. INT: How long did it take until you got … Read more
Marianne describes the arrival of the Red Army and the flight of the German guards. She explains that her father then decided to bring the family home to Hungary. They returned, dirty and covered in fleas to find their house looted and empty. They began to rebuild their lives. INT: Tell me about the liberation … Read more