I was born around the start of WW2, on 1 May 1939, in the East End of London. By the time of my first memories, my father, Jacob ('Jack') was already an airman - mid-upper gunner in Lancasters with 166 Squadron - but sadly he did not survive the war, being killed in action in the last stages of the war in Europe, on 16 March 1945. This is the background to my interest in the 大象传媒 WW2 People's War project.
A few years after the end of the war, my mother married again, which gave some stability and security to the lives of me and my older sister, and then my half-brother. I was fortunate to come from a Jewish culture which values education as a means of social improvement, and I had the post-war motivation to take advantage of the opportunities which Britain offers all its citizens.
As a result I was able to build a very successful and fulfilling career and family life right up to and beyond my retirement in August 2004. My war-time memories may be few and vague, but the impact on my life of WW2 has been profound.
My late father's youngest brother, Ron Goldstein, has been a major contributor to the People's War project, and has been a role model for me. My contributions to the project will be far, far less significant, but I hope they will, in their own small way, add to understanding of the 20th Century's greatest tragedy.
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