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Anna M. Rosner
even recalled feeling awkward after meeting with their relatives, who did not stand
a chance of mastering it. That was the case of a girl whose mother managed to leave
Germany in the summer of 1939, and was later employed at the school where the
girl was a pupil: “I was very embarrassed (...) about her accent” (Berghahn 2007:
114). However, many of the children focused on a different issue—their appear¬
ance, often described by their peers as “exotic”. In fact their appearance did not dif¬
fer in a significant way, often it did not differ at all, but the remarks had a stronger
influence then logical argument or even seeing a mirror reflection. The “exotic”
look was supposed to refer to the exotic origin of Jews, though none of the features
could be in fact considered exotic.
The authorities organising the programme did not have enough resources to
check on all of the foster families and lacked sufficient funds to make sure all of the
children’s needs were met. Many of the young refugees recall that although their
living conditions had improved compared to those they faced in Germany, they
recognised themselves as poor compared to their British peers. There are known
cases of Kindertransport children who felt they would abuse the kindness of their
guardians if they asked for new clothes (they usually wore clothing already used by
other children) or even for larger meals (Ibid.). They felt homesick and for many
of them being sent away meant tearing them out of the world they knew and
throwing them into the unknown. They usually needed more time than the adults
to recover after the relocation, more time to acclimatise and build up confidence.
For the adults—participants in the first project described—language appears to
have been one of the greatest problems. Few of the scholars employed by British
universities knew the language well enough to give lectures or hold classes. Many
had to devote their time to improving their language skills, as they had difficulties
understanding questions their students would ask. However, an issue that seems
to have been even more troublesome was accent. Interestingly, it played a much
more significant role in the personal lives of refugees than in the professional. Some
of the scientists and artists recall having problems when their new peers and col¬
leagues learnt that they spoke with a German accent. The immigrants would often
admit they were indeed German-Jewish, which led to hostility and suspicion. This
type of incident seems more common in smaller cities and among the less educated
British population; they also increased in frequency with the rise in support for
Sir Oswald Mosley," the British Union of Fascists and their ideals.
In September 1939 a new law was introduced, an act which many of the Ger¬
man-Jewish refugees recall as the biggest threat they had to face after the migration.
The British government based its statements on a regulation introduced during
WWI, which also existed as a draft during the interwar period. The act was called
11 Born 1896, died 1980, British politician, leader of the British fascist movement and member of parlia¬
ment 1918-1924 and 1926-1931.