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Anna M. Rosner
In September 1939 thousands of refugees tried to enrol for National Service.
Many besieged the recruiting offices, government bodies and professional organi¬
sations to offer their services. Ihe majority of them were turned down and given
enemy alien status, increasing the feeling of rejection and leaving their future un¬
certain—they could have been deported at any time or allowed to stay in Great
Britain and work as they wished. Because of their status they needed letters of
recommendation and legal agreement to work for the state no matter what sort
of service they applied for. Authorities asked the refugee organisations to create
lists of the immigrants who were registered and known to various committees and
departments. Then the applicants were to be listed as ‘known to be reliable’, ‘insuf¬
ficiently known’, or ‘suspected of being unreliable’. Organisations shortly became
overwhelmed by requests, and not having enough personnel to do a thorough job,
they based their opinions on earlier information on the immigrants. Their state¬
ments were based on documents filed during the migration process, containing
such information as political beliefs of the immigrants, their occupation, educa¬
tion, everyday problems, and social status before and after migration. Organisa¬
tions cooperated with the Home Office and the police to gain dossiers on the refu¬
gees (Kapp & Mynatt 1997: 76-77). In the autumn of 1939 there were so many
requests that it quickly became clear that one had to wait weeks if not months to
receive full documentation and opinion. This also applied to the people already
arrested or interned, who needed to wait in internment camps.
Those who gained permission to work for the state were directed to various
positions. Minors were usually forced to stay at home and continue their educa¬
tion, but those living in larger cities and not sent to the countryside!’ would often
volunteer in fire brigades or other civil services. It was their duty to warn people
of air raids, lead them to shelters, and help put out fires or search for the injured
after air raids. Others helped in hospitals or factories supporting the defence indus¬
try (including production of uniforms, tents, bandages, or weaponry). Adults had
more opportunities; some could join the army, others used their professional skills
to help in other ways. Among the German-Jewish immigrants there were those
who mastered several languages and could work as interpreters; there were also
doctors, who were usually directed to military hospitals together with physiothera¬
pists. Others were experts on military engineering, aviation, or even nutrition (who
helped create rations for the troops).'> Many of those whose professions were of
4 "The Government Evacuation Scheme was created in 1938 and implemented by the Ministry of Health.
It divided Great Britain into zones classified as reception, neutral and evacuation, and aimed at moving
civilians away from endangered areas (large cities and military zones) to safer ground, mainly small towns
and agricultural areas. The effectiveness of the plan was reduced by the government recognising other
expenditure as more necessary. During WWII nearly 1.5 million people were evacuated, including ap¬
proximately 15% of the children living in endangered areas.
'S For more information see the Parkes Archive, Britain and the Refugee Crisis 1933-1947, University
of Southampton in Great Britain.