Oldal 138 [138]
OCR
136 Anna M. Rosner In September 1939 thousands of refugees tried to enrol for National Service. Many besieged the recruiting offices, government bodies and professional organisations 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 uncertain—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’, ‘insufficiently 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 statements were based on documents filed during the migration process, containing such information as political beliefs of the immigrants, their occupation, education, everyday problems, and social status before and after migration. Organisations cooperated with the Home Office and the police to gain dossiers on the refugees (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 education, 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 industry (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 physiotherapists. 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 approximately 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.
