What stories do you have regarding your parents?

My mum was born of Czech parents that moved to Germany during the occupation of Moravia. She was born in Mettman Germany. At school she was bullied by both teachers and pupils alike because she was 'foreign' and was beating regularly by the teachers.....

Mum grew-up in a small hamlet in Diepenseipen Germany. The whole family struggled to survive during WWII and the Nazi's had taken all the family food stock including their guard dog.

Mum was taken to work in a munitions factory at the age of 14. She had to wear a uniform with the Swastika emblem on her cap. There is a photo of her where she scribbled the Swastika out....anyway I digress. She ran away (home) and was later picked-up by the SS (Nazi Police) and imprisioned for 6 months.

Can you imagine that...14 and in prision. I'm not sure where she was imprisioned. Seems so harsh.

Then Mum met Dad and they married....poor Mum was subjected to all sorts of medical examinations by British Army doctors to make sure she was 'clean'....

Then she was sent to England (to meet up with my Dad) alone on a rickety old aeroplane (that she thought was going to crash) and couldn't speak a word of English. Apparently an older couple took her under their wing and reasured her that everything was ok.

On arrival in England, Dad was no-where to be seen.....not sure where this was, how late he was or exactly what happened. I only know that my Mum told me that when he did eventually turn-up, it was like the movies.......she ran into his arms and her umbrella blew away!

Being a 'German' in England just after WWII was hard for my Mum....not only for her but also for her children, meaning myself and my brothers...We were offspring from an 'enermy' that had copulated with an Englishman and therefore were filth.

My Mum and Dad had a really hard time because they loved each other. They were together for 56 years until my Mum's death in 2002.....

War is never a good thing but in my case, my Mum and Dad would never had met if WWII hadn't happened.

There are loads more stories that my parents have told us over the years. I'm going to make sure these stories don't die with them......

Hope you enjoy this group and share your stories....

Ursula :-)

I am adding these stories to my family history book otherwise they will be lost.