Malka Sternberg - January 31, 2008
Arriving in England
Did you know any of the other children on the train?
Well, my cousin was on the same tra...same compartment because it was in alphabetical order. She was in the same compartment and other children I didn't know. Not enough of us to--trip afterwards that came and other transports.
And were there adult chaperones on the...
Apparently there were because Miss ??? that I told you about her mother came on--she managed to get on. My mother tried her very, very best to get on as a chaperone. She didn't want ??? anything just let her go but she didn't, she wasn't lucky. So we came to England and there was a big stage in London at Liverpool Street Station--a big stage and all the children were on there with their cases and people came and picked a child--just chose a child. I was scared stiff that they'd choose my brother because he was beautiful and he was so little so I told him, "Hold on to me," and I think underneath the skirt--the pleated skirt he was holding on dear--for dear life onto my leg and he didn't want to look out. He was frightened they would choose him. It was Shabbos and so my family was very late because they walked from Hampstead all the way to Liverpool Street--it's a long, long way--oh, it's miles and uh, when everybody came so they weren't there. We were one of the last children to go. I used to laugh at that story when I told it and then I had a neighbor who was living in our house who turned out he was also a child from Kindertransport and he told me that he came to England with two brothers and on that stage--they were all sitting by their ca...on their cases. He had to go to the toilet so he told his brothers to take care of his case. He went to the toilet and when he came back there were no brothers and no cases--only his case was standing there. He never saw them for two years. So it wasn't such a bad idea that I told him to hold on underneath and I covered him with my skirt.
But your family was there.
My fam...part of my family, not all family. The rich uncle was there and the youngest uncle to whom we were very much attached afterwards. He was the youngest uncle was also very well off and he was the one who financed all our stay in England. The money came from him.
And they showed up at the Liverpool Street Station.
Yes, they showed up at that the Liverpool--not the old, not, not the old uncle--the youngest uncle and another uncle whose daughter was there--my cousin, her father came--and I think another cousin came. And they showed up and we were all still there, none of us had been chosen.
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