Kindertransport alumna

As part of their GCSE History course, students today heard from an alumna who arrived in England on the Kindertransport, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Ann Kirk and her husband Bob grew up in Jewish families in Germany during the 1930s, arriving in England on the Kindertransport aged just 11 years old, shortly before the outbreak of the war. Ann attended South Hampstead and was evacuated to Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire until 1944. On her return to school in Hampstead during the last year of the war, she recalls hearing air raid sirens while in lessons. “When the siren went off during an exam, we were absolutely forbidden to talk when we went into the shelter that had been constructed in the playground,” Ann told the students. “Luckily for us, it also gave us extra time to think about answers to the exam questions!”

As well as sharing their experiences of the war and starting a new life in London, Ann and Bob also spoke about what we can learn from history in today’s society. “Remember to see refugees as individuals with their own hopes, aspirations and fears, ” said Bob as he re-iterated how he felt when he first arrived in a new country. “Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”