Dorothea was born in Berlin in 1924. Her father was a Chemist and worked for a company that produced toothpaste and later poison gas. The family lived in a company owned flat. INT: Today is January the 22nd 2014 and I’m here to interview Dorothea Brander. Dorothea, can I begin by asking you where you … Read more
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
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
Alice talks about the kindness of Glasgow people and her happiness in Scotland. AM: So I have enjoyed my new country. INT: Yes. AM: I have never lost my foreign accent because when I was evacuated I was in with so many different accents I copied them all. In the end I stayed in Scotland … Read more
Alice explains how she came to live in Glasgow. She then talks about her career in nursing. Finally she describes meeting her husband and tells the interviewer about her family. AM: Well I stayed there in domestic service for a while. In that… during that time the people my mother was working for in Northwood, … Read more
Alice describes her education. Then she speaks about the difficulties she met because she was a Jewish Refugee. We learn about her experiences as a kitchen maid in a stately home. AM: So I went to school [in England]. I was not at school for very long, when the war broke out . In those … Read more