The Kindertransport: Stories of movement and re-emigration

Abstract

This thesis is a history of the Kindertransport, particularly of movement and re-emigration. The Kindertransport brought approximately 10,000 unaccompanied mainly Jewish children (Kinder) from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Their admittance to the UK was initially as transmigrants, with the expectation that they would either re-emigrate or return home; however, the temporary nature of their stay was never enforced and has become obscured in the dominant narrative. This thesis focuses on the movement that Kinder undertook before their departure on a Kindertransport, their departure to the UK, their continued displacement in the UK and their later, complex, migrations. Popular commemoration of the Kindertransport in the UK focuses on the rescue of the Kinder and their time in the UK. In other nations where Kinder settled, the focus is split between their original migration and where they settled. Re-migrations, which were what was intended, are frequently disregarded. These lacunae do not accurately represent the global reach of the Kindertransport and the impact of re-emigration on Kinder. This study challenges the UK-centrism within Kindertransport narratives. It argues that movement is an integral part of the Kindertransport narrative. This thesis first considers the displacement Kinder experienced before their departure on a Kindertransport and the preparations for re-emigration. It then examines both the displacement in the UK and the desire to re-emigrate. It also charts the migration of Kinder, which saw them dispersed across the globe. To provide a more comprehensive view, this thesis will examine oral histories, memoirs, newspapers and archival material, and by juxtaposing contemporary with memory sources provides a multi-layered reading of the movement. This will be achieved through following the lives of thirty individuals. This thesis includes other marginalised narratives within the Kindertransport experience, including gender, internment, disability and mental health. As Kindertransport studies develops in an increasingly nuanced direction, this thesis adds to this new historiography, especially focusing on it as a truly global movement.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Nicola Mary Woodhead: orcid.org/0000-0003-2115-2508

Catalogue record

Export record