Tale of one Jewish child's escape from the Nazis

The story of a Jewish woman who was transported to the UK from Vienna at the age of 12 to escape the Nazi regime has been recounted by her son.

Graham Cranmer's mother was evacuated during the kindertransport operation that rescued about 10,000, mostly Jewish, children before the start of World War Two.

As she nears her 100th birthday, he has recounted the story of how she was "packed on a train with hundreds of children", never to see her parents again.

Cranmer, from Portsmouth, believes his grandparents were put to death in Auschwitz but he has never found definitive proof.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, he said: "It was very clear that mum had to leave her homeland so she was put on a train that went from Vienna to Czechoslovakia and Holland and came to the UK via Harwich.

"She couldn't speak a word of English.

"Her only belongings was a bag with a few bits and pieces in."

The young girl was taken in by a Jewish family in Brighton who were vetted by the Jewish Society and had to pay a deposit to guarantee they would look after her.

She remained in Brighton where she eventually met her husband, a wireless operator on B24 aircraft, but had to get permission to marry someone outside her Jewish faith.

Cranmer said his mother had not spoken much about her ordeal, only revealing the details in recent years.

"Particularly over the past five or six years, she's beginning to talk about it," he said.

"All we did know was her mum made sure she was given a gold chimney sweep charm on a necklace that was sewn into the bottom of her coat.

"She still has that and it's the only connection she has with her mum because, when she left Vienna, she never saw her mother again."

Cranmer, who has visited Auschwitz, said: "When I speak about something like this or watch something on the TV, I get very emotional because I cannot understand how one set of people can be that cruel to another set of people."

He said his mother had later visited Vienna with his father.

"Mum wanted to look at some of the original buildings, including the building where she used to live.

"I remember my dad telling me afterwards he was in tears because he'd never been so moved in all his life, but she never went to Auschwitz - she would have found it too upsetting."

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