大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Radio Berkshire on behalf of Ernest Mann and has been added to the site with his/her permission. Earnest Mann fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was born in Breslav which was in Germany at the time. I had to leave as I was Jewish by birth. I came to England in August 1939 to join my mother and I came on a children鈥檚 passport on a two week pleasure visit and I鈥檓 still here.

I was evacuated from London to a place called Cuffley in Hertfordshire and on Sunday morning on the 3rd of September 1939 we all listened to Chamberlain making his famous broadcast. I learnt English very quickly.

The family I was evacuated to told us to put on our gas masks because they were expecting the worst. Then I came back to London in 1939 to be with my mother and to live in Hampstead.

I went on to Hamstead Heath with a friend of mine. I looked up and there was a fleet of bombers above me. We thought they were British planes, but when they started diving on the city and bombing around St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral It was terrifying. It was like watching a film. We just looked on in amazement.

The very first doodlebug flew over our house in Hamstead. We were having a dinner party at my mums house. I said to my mother this was something different. It was a strange motor. It didn鈥檛 sound like an ordinary plane. Suddenly over our house it cut out and then it dived down and crashed on Hamstead Heath not on a house.

My mother ran a hostel for Jewish refugees in Belsize Park in London and she started a British Restaurant to provide workers with cheap food and it became famous because of the German cooks. People came from all over. She also opened a coffee bar next to the restaurant. The idea was that people could talk and chat in the coffee bar. Lord Woolton asked her to organise British restaurants for the whole of Britain, but she didn鈥檛 go as she wanted to stay in London.

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