INTERVIEW
'We were
accepted
– not as a
German
family, but
as a widow
with four
children.'
Left and below: Views
of the horrific damage
caused by the bombing
of Dresden.
remained in Germany for another
month or two, being looked after by
my grandmother and other relatives.
We eventually flew out as well, and
I have vivid memories of the plane
journey, and the room where we lived
in Brixton. If you looked out of the
window you could see the big railway
viaduct that went across the main road
– and of course is still there.”
So the amazing escape was complete,
apart from the fact Mrs Thompson’s
father was still in Germany. He had
promised to follow the family to
England as soon as he could, but
nothing was heard of him for more
than a year. His family thought he was
in a prisoner of war camp and would
eventually be released, but then news
filtered through from Germany that he
had been killed just before the end of
the war when the truck he was driving
was blown up.
Mrs Thompson recalls: “When we
were back in England it was quite
difficult because my older brothers
and sister had strong German accents.
There was a lot of antagonism and
questions were being asked as to why
this ‘German’ woman was living in
Brixton with her children. We later
moved to Orpington, which had a
lovely Methodist Church nearby, and
they were very kind to us.
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“We were accepted – not as a
German family, but as a widow with
four children. I often thought about
how God had protected us; saved
us from several disasters, and how
fantastic the British Christians had
been to us with their kindness.”
Mrs Thompson believes that because
she was the youngest she was not
af fected by what had happened as
much as the rest of her family. Her
mother had to swear allegiance to
the King, and her brother Michael
did National Service in this country,
during which time he found it so
stressful he had a breakdown.
“I remember my sister saying she was
travelling on the train to go to school
one day. She still had a strong German
accent, and a lady sitting opposite
got up and slapped her round the
face three times for the three family
members she had lost in the war. We
had had nothing to do with the war,
just as English children didn’t, so really
we were the innocent victims,” she
said.
“I was lucky. I did all the normal
English things that you do and had
a lovely childhood. Later I met my
husband to be through the church,
and a totally new life started for me.”
*In the next edition of Island Life – How David and Ursula Thompson’s humble horticultural
beginnings were transformed into a major Garden Centre business.