Judith describes her joyful early years in Hungary and then her growing awareness that life was changing in a frightening way.INT: Today is the 5th of May 2013 and we’re here to interview Judith Rosenberg. Judith, can I start by asking you where you were born, when you were born and what was your name… Continue Reading Judith Rosenberg – Life Before The War
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… Continue Reading John Subak Sharpe – Reflection On Life
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… Continue Reading John Subak Sharpe – Settling In
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.… Continue Reading John Subak Sharpe – Immigration
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… Continue Reading John Subak Sharpe – Life During 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… Continue Reading John Subak Sharpe – Life Before The War
Joe talks about his feelings about identity – Jewish, Polish and Scottish. He discusses family and, finally, his enthusiasm for the Citroen 2CV. INT: Of course. I wondered…you were obviously separated from the Jewish world very early on. J.C: Yes. INT: Did you ever come back towards it? J.C: Yes I did when my father… Continue Reading Joe Cent – Reflection On Life
Joe tells the interviewer what he discovered about the rest of his parents’ family. He mentions continuing anti-Semitism in Europe. Then he describes his last, and favourite, career change. J.C: [Joe is asked about the fate of the rest of his family]. …because I found letters. I’ve got a lot of letters that I’m going… Continue Reading Joe Cent – Integration
Joe talks about his early life in Scotland and his mother’s desire ‘to blend in’. He also describes his education and varied career. INT: You wouldn’t have had any contact with other Jewish families would you? J.C: No, not much. No, no. INT: I see that’s very interesting. And then what happened? You were educated… Continue Reading Joe Cent – Settling In
Joe talks about his father’s military career. He explains why a chance encounter brought him and his mother to Scotland. INT: So how was it you came here to Scotland? What happened? J.C: My father had been in the military cadets which was part of university life in Warsaw during the 1921 attacks by the… Continue Reading Joe Cent – Life During The War