>>>>My mother left Germany at 7 on the Kindertransport. When she started school in England, the teacher (!) made fun of her because she didn't speak English. She decided on the spot to learn English as fast as she could and to forget German. (And, amazingly, at 77, still tells this story--obviously, it made a deep impression.)
>>>
>>>Kindertransport, had to google that one: http://www.kindertransport.org/history.html
>>>
>>>An excerpt of it: Many of the children were well-treated, developing close bonds with their British hosts; however, others were mistreated or abused. A number of the older children joined the British or Australian armed forces as soon as they reached 18, and joined the fight against the Nazis. Most of the children never saw their parents again.
>>>
>>>Especially that last sentence... Did your mother see her parents again?
>>
>>No. However, all four of her siblings also survived.
>
>Sorry I have to check: Her parents were killed by the Germans?

Yes, they were taken first to a transit camp in France, and eventually transported to Auschwitz, where they were killed on arrival. My grandfather was a World War I veteran with a wooden leg, which is no doubt what determined he'd be executed rather than put to work.

Tamar