A new oral history published by the Leo Baeck Institute London records the experiences of a man who left Czechoslovakia as a young child in 1939 and grew up in wartime Britain.
Through written recollections, photographs and selected audio extracts, he reflects on his family’s flight from Nazi persecution, his arrival in Britain on his fourth birthday, and the challenges of beginning a new life in a country where he initially spoke no English.
He remembers the air raids over York, learning English, attending a Czechoslovak boarding school and gradually developing a sense of belonging in Britain. His recollections bring together the wider history of exile with the details of everyday life: travelling by train and boat, exploring the countryside with farm dogs and discovering a fascination with aircraft.
The interview also follows his life beyond childhood. He describes his time in the Air Scouts, his studies in chemical engineering at University College London and a career that took him across Europe and the wider world. His later experiences in German-speaking countries brought him back into contact with his family’s history and with the language he had worked to retain.
In the final section, he reflects on memory, identity and temperament. Although displacement shaped the circumstances of his early life, he does not see himself as defined by trauma. Instead, he emphasises the curiosity and ambition that led him to seek out what lay “around the next corner”.
This personal testimony offers a valuable perspective on childhood exile and the ways in which memory changes over time. Experiences only dimly understood in childhood can acquire new meaning in later life, as family history and personal recollection come together.
The interviewee has asked to remain anonymous. Read the full oral history interview, including photographs and selected audio extracts.
