evenings and concerts so time was really very pleasant there. And it also was one of those beautiful summers so we had a lot of time to spend on the beach. While we were at Dr Gibsons’ we were only there we both arrived in May (1939) and in May and in September of course war was declared and there were blackouts and we were very restricted in our movements. But I must say that all the people who came to the surgery or were connected with Dr Gibson were very friendly and nice to us – even although we were actually enemy aliens. In the evening when we went out just to see our friends and in the neighbourhood they were quite a few of other refugees. There was one couple about a quarter of an hour’s walk from us. The husband was in the army and the wife was at home with two children. She was absolutely delighted when we came in for an hour or so in the evening to keep her company.

## Pat Anson – Immigration

I went to Bradford first to secure the job. Irene’s papers weren’t quite ready so she came 6 weeks afterwards. I still remember, I had never crossed the Channel of course. I went with the train to Holland and then with the boat over to Dover, then to London. In London some of those committee ladies expected you (assembly of Jewish Refugees) and they would put you on the other train – well I was going to Bradford. She put me on the train to Bradford. I remember very vividly the man who usually waves the green flag came into my compartment and looked after me and brought me a cup of tea. Because I really was worried if my seventeen shillings which I had at that time (out of Germany – Nazis Bank Regulations) – that was all you could take with you – would pay for a cup of tea. But he really was very nice and he spent a lot of time. My English was not really all that good but I had some private lessons in Germany. I could understand but I couldn’t speak very well. Eventually I arrived in Bradford. The people who I went to was a Doctors house with four children. They all were very nice. The children were well behaved and we were treated very nicely, They always had two maids. So they got rid of their English maids and Irene and I moved in. When Irene arrived and we hardly knew it each other, we hit it off straight away and we have been friends ever since. I think Irene I would say is the closest friend I ever had. We never had any arguments and also we both stayed together for almost 7 years day and night. One of my cousin’s (Hilde) went to Manchester and she was there in a household. Occasionally we would go over to Manchester and visit her, it was a nice day out. And we kept contact with all our other cousins – in Israel, South Africa, because those were the only people we had. The mail from Germany was difficult. It was all very well until war broke out and then of course we could not write any more. We wrote to somebody in Holland and the person in Holland forwarded the letters to Germany and also Augsburg and vice versa so were at least in touch with each other, and also we could send some Red Cross messages (maximum) 25 words. I think it was about a year that Irene and Hans were courting when they got married and Irene and I went down to London for the wedding because Hans had an aunt in London who arranged the wedding. We had a very nice time. Unfortunately after the wedding Hans was straight away posted to India, which was good for me because I didn’t lose the company of Irene and she was glad still to have my company. So very little changed in our life even although Irene was married.