Lenore Davies - “I could so easily have disappeared.”

In March 1938 I woke up and found myself a non person. With the confidence of youth, I believed in a positive future; and yet, I could so easily have disappeared. My great good fortune was that The Society of Friends realised that I was one of a considerable number of “secular Jews”, non believers, if you like, but regarded as Jews by the National Socialists..

The Kindertransport was designed for Jewish children and the Quakers added Roman Catholic children and children like me. Inevitably there were priorities for selection and because my father had been arrested and sent to Dachau after Kristallnacht and because my school reports were good, I fulfilled some criteria. (My father was released just before I left Vienna and both my parents escaped to Venezuela)

We had no relations in England who would send me a permit, but the Friends included me and guaranteed my upkeep. I arrived at Liverpool Street station with a label around my neck and was handed to a lady. By great misfortune she kept kennels and I had always been afraid of dogs. It was to be foreseen that we had very little in common and the arrangement lasted only 3 weeks.

Under the leadership of the Chaplain of Dulwich College Chapel a group of people from his congregation in Dulwich Village opened a refugee hostel. A refugee housekeeper couple had just been appointed when I became the first resident in February 1939. In due course other young refugee couples joined us and one of them had a daughter who was my age; she and I shared a room. The Rev Roy McKay became my unofficial guardian. One of the Committee members, Miss Alice Ashley, was the Headmistress of Honor Oak, an LCC Grammar School and the school was near enough for me to join it. In September 1939 I was evacuated with the school. The committee provided me with a small amount of pocket money, for which I was accountable.

As soon as my parents were established in Caracas, Venezuela, they wanted me to join them. However, the war had started and ships and visas for places en route were difficult. I needed a chaperone, as I was under 18 and the Government had a habit of commandeering the ship at the last minute. Suffice it to say that I was packed and ready to go 10 times. The arrangements were made by Bloomsbury House and the organisers began to say that, if I was destined to go on a particular voyage it would not happen! Finally in November 1941 I said “no”. I want to finish my education in England.

I was lucky, and admire and am grateful to those who were ready to accept an unknown child into their family. I hope that in the same circumstances I would have been willing to do the same. I cannot bear to think what difficulties during selection at both ends one would face now.

For the record

On leaving school in 1943 I joined the WAAF, was an ex service student, joined the research lab of an oil company in Trinidad, married, returned to the UK, became a teacher and a headmistress, retired in 1986 and have been very busy in the voluntary sector since. I have 2 married daughters, 5 grandchildren and was widowed in 1993. I did not see my parents again until I was demobbed in 1947 when I flew to Caracas in a converted Lancaster bomber