The Life of Evelore Sachs

Monday 14th. June 1926 - Sunday 21st December 1997

PROLOGUE.
Evelore Foster (nee Sachs) was born in Eastern Germany, in that period which saw the rise of Hitler and the subsequent persecution of the Jews. Initially by the slow deprivation of rights as Citizens, acquiesced by the population in general, developing to an enslavement, and subsequent annihilation. Mid 1939, her Parents had the foresight to move her out of the country into England, where she escaped the consequences that befell many of her friends. Shortly before she died in December 1997, realising time was short, during her illness, she set out her own story, as best as she could. This story, in her own words is set out in the first two chapters. The subsequent two chapters are details which have been remembered by the family and friends, which provide a little more background. The Town she was born in, Breslau, is now called Wroclaw, and is located in Poland, on the border to East Germany.

CHAPTER 1: LIFE IN GERMANY.
Recently, one of my sons, with his wife and young children spent almost a year in Germany. From what they say, they all enjoyed their time there very much. There was a time, in my early childhood, when I too enjoyed life there, but that was not to last. The day came when I was not welcome and the happiness came to a sudden end. I would like to tell you what happened to me, but first I must ask you to excuse my spelling and grammar. If you care to read on, you will understand why.

I was born on 14th. June 1926, to a true Aryan Mother, and a half-Jewish Father, and we lived in a large house on the outskirts of Breslau. The "larger" family consisted of Mutti (Mother), Vati (Father), my sister Gerda who was eight years older than I; Enne the housekeeper and my Nanny, who I called 'Tanti', but who was addressed by others as 'Fraulein'.

My early memories are of Tanti and Enne, because most of my time was spent with them, often in the kitchen. I liked that, as Enne always had something nice to eat, or at least, a bowl to lick out. Mutti and Vati spent their working days in an Apartment in town, from where they managed their quite prosperous furniture business. In that Apartment there lived also, in her own rooms, Tanti Helena, my Father's half-sister; she was a full Jewess. My big sister Gerda was at school, and the only thing I remember about her was her habit of sliding down the banister rail instead of walking down the stairs.

On my first day at school, Tanti, Mutti, and Vati took me there. Each child was given a Tüte, it's a large cone-shaped holder, and it was filled with toys and sweets. I can remember walking up the steps to the front door of the school - it was a small Private establishment. I liked going there, but what I didn't much like was my first swimming lesson, and I cried. When I got home, Vati made me lay across a dining chair to practice the breast-stroke until I got it right. I soon mastered swimming, and it became one of my favourite pastimes. In the winter, when the River Oder was frozen over, people set up a Skating Rink, and a Band would play, and there were all sorts of Stalls selling nice things to eat, and pretty lights all around. It was to me, a 'magic' scene like something in Fairyland ! I couldn't skate too well, but Gerda, who was good at almost everything, skated well. I must have appeared very clumsy - that's why I liked going to my Parent's friends, the Brookes. Their daughter Rosa would paint my fingernails, and take me in their Chauffeur-driven car to Viertheims, a huge Department Store which sold a lot of lovely dolls clothes, so something for one of my Dolls would be bought. Rosa would tell people that I was "another Shirley Temple" ! I shall always remember the day Rosa got married - she sang "Ave Maria"

Christmas was always very special; on Christmas Eve Mutti would call us into the room where we had a big tree, with flickering white candles, and lots of decorations. I would find my presents on and around an armchair, and my sister Gerda's were on another. Then, Enne would open the sliding doors to the dining room, and announce that the meal was ready. I would then spend all Christmas day playing with my new toys. The other special time was Easter - there was always an Easter "Egg-hunt". The best Easter egg hunt I ever had was when I was invited to go with Enne, by train, to her brother's Farm, where there were 'Easter Eggs' all over the farm. On Sundays, when Enne and Tanti went out, Mutti and Vati would take us out, and we would have a meal out, and then go to a Park. Mutti would feed the Squirrels, which were very tame, and we would end the day in a Bier-garten. One treat I remember - Children didn't drink coffee, but Vati would dip a sugar lump into his coffee and give it to me.

Then a time came when it was Voting day, and all those who voted for Herr Adolf Hitler would receive a "Ja" pin. Mutti gave me hers to wear - oh ! I was so proud, especially as I was also wearing a new Dirndl dress. Soon afterwards, I realised that we were preparing to live in the Town Apartment, and that Tanti Helena would be moving out.
We went to see her in her new Apartment; she was a hoarder - lots of boxes of hankies and boxes of chocolates, all many years old. She was a little lady, always wore black, and had her grey hair in a bun. She was very lame, but played the piano very well, and gave lessons. She wanted to teach me to play, but I wasn't interested. I don't think Mutti liked her too much, as whenever my sister and I did anything wrong, Mutti would say "You are 'Verruckt' like your Aunt Helena ! " Now, looking back, I feel very sorry that we made fun of her, as I learned later that she was almost certainly a victim of the Gas chambers, as she had been rounded up and taken away with other Jews.

We moved into the Town Apartment, but Tanti, my Nanny, was no longer allowed to work for us, and I was asked if I would like to go to a bigger school. I didn't ask "why" at the time, but it was because of my Father's half-Jewish background. At my new school, I had Saturday off as well as Sunday, and I was all for that. It was not long however, before I began to realise that the pupils and myself were "different" and learned that it was because of our 'Jewish blood'. Some people made it plain that they didn't like us, even those who had been our friends. Our Parents and Teachers told us that whatever the provocation, we should behave with dignity at all times. Except for the Hitler Youth shouting "dirty Jew", and trying to trip us up, it didn't make a lot of difference at that stage. I learned Hebrew, and could read and speak it well. On Saturdays I went to the Synagogue, and liked it very much. The 'true' Jews would walk straight home, but I went to Wertheims to ride up and down the Escalator.
Enne stayed with us for a little longer; she came daily for a while, but then stopped calling altogether. Then I was told that I must only use the Jewish Lido, because of the 'Jewish blood' in me. My mother was now in control of the family business in her own maiden name of "Franke". She was busy all day, whilst Vati had to stay indoors and do all the Office work. This avoided unpleasant scenes, as we had all seen Jews being baited in the streets.

My school was from 8am to 2pm, so after a meal, I would pack my doll's clothing in a small case and go to my new friend Ushi's house, as she too liked playing with dolls. Her big brother had lots of blonde hair; he was taken away the first time the Nazis rounded up Jews. They kept them in a Camp for two weeks, and then released them. When I next saw him, they had shaved off all his hair.

Soon after the first 'round up' of Jews, we were saying 'goodbye' to yet more of our friends, some to America. A Cousin of my father's, Otto and his wife, went to England, but Steffie, their daughter, was 'smuggled' into Palestine, where, at the time of writing she still lives. The Brookes, with Rosa and her husband, went to Rio de Janeiro. Gerda left for London in 1937, taking with her with 2 Leica cameras, but these had to be sold to supplement the pittance of a wage that her Employers paid her. A year later, and almost penniless, she was loaned the money to Emigrate to Australia, where we had relatives, Norman and his sister Rosa, who had arrived in Sydney previously. It was lucky for us that Mutti's business acquaintances would warn us when Jews were being rounded up. Vati would go off somewhere, and I would stay off school. Later, Mutti would put a coded message in the paper, and Vati would return. One day, Mutti heard a commotion, and went out to see what it was all about. She found that the 'Star of David' had been painted on all the Jewish shops, and that many windows had been broken and shops looted. Jews were being kicked, even when they were laid on the ground, some dying from their injuries. She thought it was dreadful.

We kept on having warnings, and Vati would go away yet again, but the information did not come cheap, and Mutti had to start drawing money out of the business. I went to the Jewish Lido until it was closed, and sometimes I went with Mutti to visit her business friends. On one visit, we saw that the sky was red, and we asked the driver what it was. He said "They're burning the Jews Temple". It was in fact, my Synagogue, and it was perhaps then that I began to realise just how serious matters had become. On another occasion, we went to visit another of Mutti's business acquaintances, an S.S. Officer. He 'clicked' his heels, kissed Mutti's hand, and said "Frau Franke". Little girls, when greeting an adult, would shake hands and curtsey, which I did. He then said "I have something to show you", and opened a cage, and out jumped a Monkey, straight onto me. I had been told never to show fear, so I didn't appear to be shocked.

When Hitler came to Breslau, there was a huge fuss; on every house-top there was a machine gun, not only in the main street, but in all the side streets. I could just see Hitler from the window, standing up in his Mercedes K400, surrounded by bodyguards.

Mutti's seamstress, who had been coming to our house since before I was born, came to see Vati, in tears. She had been notified that her husband had died from a burst appendix, and they were sending his body home in a sealed coffin. She knew that couldn't be true, as he had had his appendix out soon after they were married.
Now was the time, Vati realised, for us all to try to leave Germany, but he didn't want to go because of his sister, who was a cripple, and unlikely to be accepted as a Refugee. Some Countries seemed to be saying that they had already accepted their full quota of refugees. My father belonged to the Esperanto Society, but they were unable to offer him any help. Frau Lippman, who had lost her husband and all her money, came to live with us, and took over the running of the household. One day, when Vati had gone away again, and Mutti was out, we heard a siren, and then the sound of marching boots. Frau Lippman told me to get into bed and cover up. When the banging came on the door, it was the S.S. They came into my room, and asked why I was in bed. Frau Lippman said it was because I had the Measles. All I could see was two pairs of boots and a revolver. I couldn't see their faces. I was very frightened, as I thought that they had come for me, but they hadn't, and left after searching the Apartment. They were of course, looking for Vati.

My Parents then decided to get in touch with the Jewish Children’s' Society, and we were put in touch with a School-teacher in England. I had just made another friend, Dorle; in those days you made friends for a few days, and then they were gone - it had become a way of life. It was now approaching the time for me to leave Germany, and I was only allowed one suitcase, but nothing new must be put in, so Mutti bought all new things, and washed them to make them look used. There wasn't room in the case for my Doll or my "Shirley Temple" collection, which made me very sad, but not as sad as having to leave my Parents. On the day I had to leave, my parents took me to the Railway Station. It was a very long train, and as it slowly pulled out of the Station, everyone was in tears. However, the Nurses soon had us playing games, but it was a long two hour journey to Berlin, as we did not have route priority. In Berlin, we had to stay the night in a Hostel; Mutti's sister, who lived in the Unter den Linden, knew I was there, but could not come to see me as her husband was in the S.S. We were told that all our cases would be searched, and that all our money, except for one Mark, would be confiscated. We all threw all our money out of the Train windows.

It was dark when we boarded the Ship, and I have no idea which port we left from. We were supposed to go straight to bed, but we ran in and out of each others cabins until we were stopped and "told off". In the early daylight, we landed in England, and again, I can't recall which port it was. We then boarded a Train, this time to London, and as we were travelling, we looked out of the windows. Everything looked so strange - little houses and little cars, compared to what some of us had been accustomed to in Germany.
Once in London, we had to stand in a line and listen for our names being called. No-one spoke. I think that all our hearts were beating at double-speed, I know mine was. Then it came - "Evelore Sachs"!. They came towards me, a man and a woman, but the expression on the man's face caused my racing heart to drop into my shoes.

CHAPTER 2: LIFE IN ENGLAND.
Mr. Gillott looked quite stern; Mrs. Gillott, 'cosy', but Oh ! so very different from Mutti, who was a very elegant lady. They took my suitcase to their little car. Mr. Gillott told me in German that I must learn English, quickly, and not speak in German, as my father had told him that he wanted me to be brought up as an "English Lady'.' Looking back, I think that my father's idea of an "English young lady" was very different from that of the Gillotts.

Mr. Gillot was a Teacher in a boys' Secondary school in the town of Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire. He and his wife lived in a semi-detached house with their two sons, Jack and Ernest, in a pleasant suburb of the town. He had been approached by one of his colleagues who had asked if he would consider taking in a refugee, and Mr. Gillott had agreed. Everything was now so different for me, and for the first few weeks I was so scared, although the Gillott boys took me everywhere with them so I wasn't too sad or too lonely for long. I soon began to receive lots of letters from my Parents, asking about me, and telling of the events in Breslau. I soon began to notice how different the English shop windows were - they seemed to display one of every item they sold, which made the window very untidy, and not like the ones in Breslau, where just a few choice examples were displayed in a neat display.

I also thought, when I first came to the Gillotts, that English homes were very 'old-fashioned' - no 'ice-box' in which to keep food fresh, and no Telephone. Now I had to learn how to wash dishes. In the previous 13 years I had never washed a dish, and hadn't realised that it was something that had to be done after each meal. Soon, I was washing all the dishes, and doing other household chores. When I started school, Mrs. Gillott got me my Uniform, and Mr. Gillott took me to school in his car. He was the Deputy Head of his school, and there was a door between the Boys and the Girls departments, through which no-one was allowed but members of Staff. Because of the special circumstances, I was allowed to pass through, but any of the other pupils had to have a note signed by a member of Staff. I soon became known as "Mr. Gillott's little girl". After a few weeks at school, Mr. Gillott took the family to Blackpool in his car. Oh! it was so exciting, I had never seen anything quite like it - it was quite different from the holiday places in Germany.

That September, Britain declared war on Germany, and my world fell apart. Now, I realised, my Parents couldn’t come and fetch me; things were not going to get better, but worse. Now, also, I had to be very careful not to lapse into speaking German. At first, during the War, we attended school every other day, until enough Air Raid shelters were built to accommodate all the pupils. I soon made lots of friends, and became more used to the English way of life.

I left school at 14years of age, and my first job was in a Shoe Shop. Later, I went to work in a Cigarette Kiosk in the middle of the local Steelworks, called "Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company". There was an Anti-Aircraft post on the bank across from from the Kiosk, and a young Soldier would wheel my bike across the many railway lines in the works. Mr. Gillott learned of this, so I had to leave. Then I started work in a Mr. Bowen's Photographic shop; that was fun,and I made some good friends there. I started on the "bottom rung of the ladder", and when I left I had attained the position of Head Girl. To my delight, Joan Bycroft, who had been one of my best friends at school, came to work at Bowens, and we used to go to the Y.M.C.A, where they held Dances on most evenings.

Joan felt sorry for me, as the only 'treat' on our half-day off work was to go to the 'British Restaurant' and have a pudding, but then I had to hurry home to clean the Gillott's house from top to bottom. Besides that, I would have to wash all the dishes they had used in the last 24 hours, and then do all the family's ironing. I have to admit however, that Mrs. Gillott made me some lovely dresses and a Ball gown, but she didn't like housework !.

In my early days in England, before I left school, Mrs. Gillott would take me to the Cinema almost every night - it was funny to hear Shirley Temple not speak in German. During the war, I didn't get any letters from my Parents, and not reading any German, I began to think in English. Jack was now in the Army, mainly in the Western Desert. Ernest, because he was lame, was in the Home Guard, and Mr. Gillott was an Air-Raid Warden.

I worked hard and played hard, and began to enjoy myself. I helped with the Cub Scouts and became an "Akela"; I joined the 'Young Conservatives. Mr. Gillott thought I ought to be Baptised in the Church of England, and I was, but I had always regarded myself as being Jewish, and that feeling has never really left me. I am constantly reminded, when I watch the Television or read the papers, of my Jewish background, which accounted for the life I led. I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference, it is after all, the same God that both religions worship.

Soon after the War was over, I left the Photographers shop, and went to work in an Optician's shop. A few weeks afterwards, I received my first post-war letter from my Parents. They were both alive and well, and still living in Breslau. My Employer in the shop, a Mr. Moore, was the "C.O." of the Boys Nautical Training Corps, and asked me if I would serve in the Corp's Canteen once a week. Ernest's girl-friend, Mavis, started a similar Training Corps, but for Girls, and she became it's first "C.O". I served on her Committee, was elected Treasurer, and thereafter, didn't have a moment to spare.

Then I had a letter from Gerda, who was in Australia; she said that her Husband would pay my fare to go to Australia via America, staying in the U.S.A. for 6 months. Now, I had to think very hard. I liked my life in England, and despite having still to do the household chores, had nothing to complain about. I had also many good friends, and was involved in interesting activities. How could I say to the Gillott's "Thank you, but Goodbye" when they had given me a home when I needed it most ?.

There were other matters to consider; I realised that in all the War years, I had not spoken one word of German - I now spoke English with a Lincolnshire accent. I had also had several boy-friends, but as soon as they showed signs of becoming ‘serious', I stopped going out with them. I considered all these things, and decided to stay.

I must not finish this account without saying that I regard my Mother as having been a most remarkable woman - and she must have loved my Father very much. She herself had had to move many times so that she could find a suitable hiding place for my Father, and, as she only got rations for herself, she had had to use the 'Black Market' and pay very dearly. When the War was over, very little of their money was left. The German Government however, did eventually make reparation for the things my Parents had lost during the war, and in sufficient time for both of them, in Australia, to return to a 'life-style' similar to that which they had enjoyed in the pre-Hitler days.

I myself often think of those days, and sometimes wonder what my life would have been like now, if Hitler had never existed, or, if I had taken up my Sister's offer to join them in Australia after the War. There was one thing I had always wanted when I was small - and I never got. My Mother was a blonde, and I would have dearly liked to have had blonde plaits!

EVELORE'S MARRIAGE IN 1949.
Despite her self confessed reticence to having a serious boyfriend, Evelore Sachs eventually courted James Foster, a Stipendiary Lay Worker at St. Hugh’s Church of England, Old Brumby, Scunthorpe where she was the Akela for the local Wolf Cubs. They were married 23rd July 1949 and had three boys, 1950 - Graham James Foster who is married, no children and lives in Hamilton in Canada where he works as a Computer Programmer for Turning Machines; 1952 - The Reverend Michael John Foster married with four children. The family live in Tarrant Hinton, Dorset. Michael is a Clergyman in the Church of England (the Rector of the Chase Benefice in the Salisbury Diocese); 1956 Nigel Geoffrey Foster. Nigel has two children and lives in Cardiff, and is a Lecturer in European Law at Cardiff University, and currently holds a European Professorship .

CHAPTER 3. RECOLLECTIONS OF JAMES REX FOSTER.
My early 'moral' education was by means of Sunday School attendance at a Primitive Methodist Chapel. By the time I had reached my adolescence, my interest in matters religious had, contrary to the usual trend for young males, increased. I was persuaded by a school pal of similar convictions to attend the Parish Church, where I was soon enjoying the Services, all of which were 'sung', and taking an interest in the Choir, who phrased Tallis's chants to perfection. The 'rites and ceremonies' of this Anglo-Catholic arm of the Anglican Church increased my interest, and I became a Chorister, and later, served at the Altar. Such was my fervour that I became an Ordination candidate, and, after my 2½ years of National Service in the Royal Marines Band, I was accepted by the then CACTM (Central Advisory Council for The Ministry) for training.
I was 'demobilised' in November, 1947, and had optimistically hoped to proceed straight to Theological College, but soon realised that the 'mills of the C of E' did not revolve as rapidly as that. My first move on returning home, where I lived with my parents, was to re-establish myself in the Church of St. Hugh, Old Brumby, Scunthorpe, both as a chorister and Acolyte. The new Vicar, learning of my status as an Ordinand, suggested that I might do worse than occupy my waiting time before College by becoming a Stipendiary Lay Worker for the Parish. The 'stipend' was £3. week, but the nature of the work and experience of Pastoral care appealed to me, so I accepted the Vicar's offer.

I enjoyed the work, and my only disappointment was not being able to obtain a Lay Readers Licence, as the age bar as set by the Diocese of Lincoln Lay Readers was then 23. I could not obtain exception. One of the first tasks given to me was to check the Register of those who had been Confirmed during the previous 5 years, and then to pay 'follow-up' visits to enquire about their level of Churchmanship. One name intrigued me, "Evelore Sachs". I had lived in the Parish for over 10 years, but knew no family of that name. I noted that her address was that of a Schoolmaster, Mr. John Gillott, who was Deputy Head of a Boys Secondary School in the town. I called at No.3. Thomas Road, to be welcomed by the lady of the house, who knew who I was, as they took the Parish Magazine. We chatted, and she explained that Evelore was a Ward of Mr. Gillott, being a Refugee from Germany. She was, she said, in a way, also a worker of the Parish, as she was the Akela of the Church Cub pack, and I would have met her on my evening visits to the Church Halls, where activities took place almost every evening. Only then did I realise that I had met Evelore on several occasions, and already noted that she was quite attractive and pleasant.

On the next Wednesday evening, I paid a visit to the Cubs, and explained my visit to No.3. The Junior Boys Club, which I 'oversaw', was in the next Hall, and always 'brewed' a cup of tea half-way through their activities. From thereon, I made my visits to the Cub pack regularly, and took in a cup of tea and a biscuit for the Akela. On one such visit, I ventured to ask if I 'could take her out', and she agreed. That was the beginning of our 'Courtship'. I do recall harbouring some curious thoughts at the time. Why, for instance, did not this attractive girl have a boy-friend already ?, and why was she sent to England ? I was to learn later of the answers to both those questions.

Our friendship flourished, and by Autumn, 1948, less than a year after our first meeting our feelings were strong enough for us to consider marriage. Almost on the spur of the moment, we became 'Engaged', but neither the Gillotts nor my Mother seemed too pleased about our decision. Evelore and I went by train to Doncaster, where we bought the ring, and had lunch in a Hotel to celebrate the occasion. (I recall the hotel - "The Danum", and the meal, "Curried Chicken Bombay". It was only just post-war, and it was the only item on the Menu).
The Vicar was not amused either, having not been consulted. He said that if the College to which I had applied (St. Aiden's, Birkenhead) learned of my commitment to Evelore, that they would probably decline to accept me for training. I countered by telling him that at my most recent interview with CACTM, I had told the Assessors of my serious intentions towards Evelore, but they had still unreservedly recommended to the Bishop that I should go forward for training. The Vicar then issued a veiled ultimatum - if I were to entertain plans to marry before my entry to College, he would withdraw his support. Perhaps his concern was that as a Married man, I would want a rise in Stipend, which the Parish could not afford, or he may have had other reasons. He gave the reason for my resignation in the Parish Magazine as my disappointment at not being able to obtain a Reader's Licence.

I registered as an 'Intending Teacher", as my application to enter College still stood. I was appointed by the Lindsey County Council on a one-year contract, to serve as a 'Relief Teacher' in a local Junior Boys School. The class had 53 pupils, and I taught 'General subjects' to them and Music throughout the School. I was still living with my Parents, and our 'Courtship' was subject to a great deal of animosity from my Mother, her objection to the liaison based on her intense dislike of anything 'German'. I had also encountered adverse remarks from some of my friends, when they learned of my friendship with Evelore. "German" they said, "the sort of girl who runs after the lorries which carry the German POW's to camp". Curiously, Evelore's Jewish background did not seem to be of significance - it was her German Nationality. I was still only vaguely aware of the real reason for her exile.

Our 'Courtship' continued, and our feelings for each other intensified. Evelore had had several 'boy-friends', none of them serious, and I had had as many 'girl-friends', but of a more serious nature. This, we thought, was for real, and we announced to our families that we intended to marry soon. Both families advised strongly against it, but when they realised that we would have gone ahead, with or without their support, some co-operation was forthcoming. In those days, the 'onus' for Weddings was traditionally that of the Bride's parents, but Evelore's parents were now living in Australia, and could not contribute. It was only with a great deal of difficulty, and some acrimony, that the Gillotts and my parents were able to come to some agreement about the ceremony and Reception. The arguments seemed to be mainly about the costs. However, the Marriage took place on 23rd. July, 1949, in the Church in which I had been active for a number of years, and conducted by the Vicar for whom I once worked.

The 'Honeymoon' was spent in Matlock Bath, and our total assets at the time were a white Five-Pound note. We had great difficulty in finding anyone to accept it, and eventually took it to the Bank to get it changed. On return, we made our 'home' in "Rooms", the usual arrangement in those days. We would not have been welcome to live with either the Gillotts, or my parents, even if there had been room. It was a newly-married middle-aged couple who rented us accommodation; we had the front room and the back-bedroom, they had the living room, and the front-bedroom, a source of embarrassment at times, as we would be directly above, or under each other. I continued to teach that year until the Summer holidays, but my contract was not renewed. I found work as an Invoice Clerk at the local Steelworks, and although I wasn't too keen on the work, it was a decent weekly wage. Evelore continued to work at an Opticians in the Town, and brought home a fair wage.

One evening, after we had returned from our respective work, our Landlord came to see us. He said that two plain-clothes Policemen had called, and asked questions about Evelore. Did they realise, they were told, that she was Registered as an Alien, and must continue to report to the Police Station whenever she changed her address ? The Landlord was not too pleased about what he had learned, and from thereon, the relationship with him was not as pleasant as it had been. Her marriage to me had not given her British Citizenship, but this could easily be rectified by her swearing allegiance to the Crown. The following day, we went to a Notary Public, where Evelore made a statement on oath. The Home Office sent confirmation of her Citizenship a few days later, which we took to the Police Station, and her name was deleted from the Aliens Register. Soon afterwards, a friend of ours offered us accommodation above a shop which he had bought, in an old area of the Town, but it gave us our first taste of a home of our own. It was here to where we brought home our first-born son, Graham, in July, 1950.

I continued to pursue College Training, but not now Theological, as my fervour for Religious training had been somewhat diminished by events. I applied for Teacher-training; Music College; and Social Work, then becoming popular. I obtained an Ex-Forces Grant, (FETS) which would expire in September 1951, and fortunately, in August of that year, I was offered a place on a 2 year Diploma course at Leicester University, which I was pleased to take up.
The next two years were not easy for either of us. For me, it meant a 5 hour 'bus journey every week-end, arriving at either Leicester or Scunthorpe just before midnight, but I did manage to spend 2 days with my wife and son, By now, we had obtained a Council House in Ashby, a suburb of Scunthorpe. It was an extremely comfortable semi-detached 3 bed-roomed house, with partial Central heating. It was then that I bought from a friend, a small motor-cycle which needed repair, and which I was able to put into working order. It was never very reliable, but it saved paying the 'bus-fare. I would set off straight after my Friday afternoon Lecture, and arrive in Ashby some 3 to 4 hours later. The journeys in the winter were a nightmare. I would set off from Ashby at 4.00 am, and travel the whole of the 80 miles in freezing fog on icy roads. I often arrived with less than an hour to spare before Lectures, and would often finish Essays with frozen hands and hand them in with the ink hardly dry. It was also becoming difficult for Evelore.

During my first year at University, she learned that she was pregnant again, and there was a time when I seriously considered leaving the course to find work in Scunthorpe. Michael was born in the January of 1952, a few hours before I was due to return to University. Our kind and very understanding G.P, aware of our situation and that the baby was overdue, had her admitted to the Maternity Hospital, where the birth was induced. I went straight from the Ward on my Motorcycle to Leicester. We were constantly short of money, and I would find work on Building sites to help, but this was not always possible, as I had to undertake practical Social work for half of each vacation. My Mother learned that I was thinking of giving up the course, and she didn't want that to happen, so she offered to baby-sit the 2 children so that Evelore could find a part time job. This she did, at the local Egg-packing factory, 3 hours each of 5 days, for £ 3 week. My mother asked for £1.50 for her services, but we couldn't argue about that, as even £1.50 was a help, and Eve made some new friends at her work. My Mothers motive for her support was of course, to preserve my University status, and she made it quite plain that she didn't want me to be burdened with too much family responsibility. There was now lots of 'birth control advice' from both sides of the family, with implicit suggestions about total abstinence, and my not coming home at week-ends quite so often, if at all.

I 'Graduated' with my Diploma in Social Science in the July of 1953, and for the next 5 weeks, worked on a building site. I was still registered as "an Intending Teacher", as the Local Education Office were unaware that the Diploma did not carry Teaching certification. I was posted for the Xmas term to a village school some 10 miles away, but a friend who lived nearby, who also taught there, gave me a lift on his Motorcycle each day of the week, for a share in his fuel bill. We were happy and hopeful, and had a nice house, courtesy of the Council.

Whilst at University, I had spent 2 terms doing part-time supervisory duties in a Boys Remand Home, where I was on good terms with the Superintendent, and his wife, the Matron. On Christmas day, now out of work, I received a telephone call from the Superintendent. His resident teacher had left suddenly - did I want to apply for the post, now vacant. ?  I applied, and  early in the New year, was appointed Teacher-Supervisor at the Home. I found that my conditions of employment were not half as cordial as they had been when a voluntary worker, and some of the incidents which I had to deal with did not make the work very attractive. I tolerated the conditions because I was gaining valuable experience, and it was a reasonable salary, especially when overtime night duties were required.
Evelore was very happy - we had bought our first house, a small 3-bedroomed terraced dwelling , No 47 Hawkesbury Road, Leicester. The back windows overlooked the Grace Road Cricket ground. We were never short of visitors in Summer. I installed, in the spare bedroom, a bath and wash-basin, intending to add a WC later. It was the only bath in the long street, and we were very popular with all our neighbours, who would pay us 1/- for the use of the Bath. We had a time-table pinned to the bathroom door !

In August, 1955, whilst the Superintendent and his wife were on leave, and I was in charge, I saw an advertisement for the post of Assistant Lecturer at the Rugby Technical College. I had spent 6 weeks there in 1951 as part of my Practical Social work, as the College had the only Compulsory Day-Continuation School in the country. (An Educational experiment). During my time there, I was impressed by the College's philosophy, of trying to remove as many barriers as they could so that young people might take advantage of Further Education. I was appointed immediately after the round of interviews.
The Remand Home Superintendent and his wife were intensely annoyed and dismayed to learn, on their return, that I had handed in my Notice to the Leicester City Council. "We should have been consulted", they complained, and told me it was the wrong thing to do, and I would have been better off if I had stayed with them.

In the September of 1955, I began what was to be a 32 year " term" of Lecturing in the Social Sciences and I thoroughly enjoyed every day of it. Our third son, Nigel, was born in our small terraced house in Leicester in November of that year. It was a harsh Winter, and once again I found myself commuting, on a Motorcycle, from Leicester to Rugby each day.
We moved into a semi-detached 3 bed house in Rugby in the Spring of 1956, and later, in 1964, to a small, "Cottage type" detached house in a pleasant leafy suburb of the Town. This was where, until they each, one by one, left home, our 3 boys spent their childhood, formative years, and adolescence. It was also the house in which my wife Evelore, was to pass away one Sunday afternoon in December of 1997, ravaged by that scourge of the Western world, Cancer.

CHAPTER 4: THE RECOLLECTION OF OTHERS.
Recollections of Steven Wedell.
Gerda (my mother) left Germany early 1937. She went to London to be employed as a cook with an British family who had a rather bizarre lifestyle. She could only speak a little English, but within about four weeks was reasonably fluent. Luckily she had a German cookbook with her so she was able to make do. She was in effect almost a prisoner as she was unable to leave the premises and on her day off had nowhere to go.
Meat was delivered daily, and one day the butcher delivered the wrong order - so was able to leave the house with her prepared bag on the guise of collecting the correct order. She went to a new job with a family with a young child - the husband being English and the lady an Austrian Jew. After almost a year this woman helped her to contact a distant cousin in Sydney, Norman Schureck who passed on the matter to the Jewish welfare who then lent her the money to come to Australia. Norman Schureck was Gerda's and Evelore's second cousin (his mother and their mother were first cousins).
So once more she started her life as a cook and housemaid. From there she got a job in one of Sydney's busiest restaurants as a waitress. During the time at the restaurant she met Kurt who was the first refugee who she had met who had a car. By then she was 21, and they finally got married when she was 25, in 1943. Steven arrived two years later, and Robyn in 1947.

Georg and Hedwig emigrated to Australia. about mid 1949. They had survived the war in Germany in Breslau - a miracle which without a doubt was due to the devotion of Hedwig. She recalled only too well, that during the War, as a punishment for having married a Jew, she was forced to work sorting and collecting garbage in all weathers summer and winter, starting well before first light. They were extremely fortunate to have met a Catholic Priest who, at a critical period during the Jewish purges, hid them in a cellar under his Church - saving their lives.

Hedwig had a 6th sense - she had brought with her to Australia a wartime newspaper on which she had written" this is the day that Gerda got married." She of course had no knowledge of Gerda's situation - she just knew that she got married! Gerda however did not know whether her parents were alive or not ! Gerda and her Parents eventually found each other via Red Cross.

Recollections of Joan Portlock (nee Bycroft).
What I remember most about Evelore was her cheerfulness; full of fun, despite all the worries she had about her Mother and Father in Germany, and the pressure she was under to have all her household tasks completed before she could leave the Gillott's  house. There was something else which spoiled both our 'social jaunts', especially in the evenings. She had had to register as an Alien, and whenever she planned to go away on holiday, or even stay the night at our house after an evening out, she had to report to the Police Station which was on the other side of Town. She said she always felt like Cinderella when we went to a Dance, as she was under Police curfew and must be home at l0.pm: every evening.
Sometimes, when we 'overstayed', we had to use the 'back streets' and keep in the shadows in case she was seen. On more than one occasion we were followed, bur Evelore knew who they were, as she had seen them in an Office at the Police Station when she had reported. We used to tell our friends that it was Mr. Gillott's rule that Evelore must be in by 10pm, so he got a reputation for being strict that he didn't fully deserve, though he used to give us both a 'lashing with his sharp tongue' whenever we were late.

One evening, Evelore looked a bit troubled, so I asked her what it was. She said she had always hoped that her big sister Gerda might one day send for her, but she had received a letter from Gerda to say that she was getting married to a rich man. Evelore thought that Gerda would now be more concerned with arranging her own affairs than wanting to bother with her little sister. Evelore would tell me 'dribs and drabs' about her family, but I never did get to know the whole story.

About the same time as she married Rex (Jim) I married a Policeman, who got moved about a lot, so my 'social life' with Evelore had to come to an end, and we lost touch for many years. I next saw her in 1963, when she came, driving herself, in Rex's car (very brave, I thought !) to show me her three boys, but we didn't meet again after that. It was not until the mid-nineties that we got in touch again, but by then both Rex and myself were now suffering with Heart problems, and weren't able to travel the long distance to visit one another. When I heard of Evelore's death, I felt very sad, and lots of memories came flooding back - but they were all of those happier times that we had spent together.

Recollections of the Gillotts.
Jack (John) and Helen Gillott  had a fond memory of a girl  who  became a sister to their two sons, Jack 16 years of age, and Ernest 13 years of age. The eldest son, remembered Evelore arriving, and clutching her suitcase, containing such as was left of her worldly goods. She would not allow anyone to take the case from her. He remembered how social customs in relation to children smoking were more relaxed in Germany,  for as soon as Evelore put the suitcase down, she took out a packet of cigarettes, took one out and lit it. This was the first and last time as a child she smoked, at least in the Gillott’s house. Jack also recalled how she refused to eat turnips, or swedes, because she argued that back home, this was fed to swine, although he was convinced she did not like the vegetable.

One memory of Mr Gillott  was the first meal Evelore cooked, with the potatoes almost raw. The family played the good part and did not murmur through the meal. Mr Gillott also remarked that she did not know how to iron, having never done it before. The telling points of Mr Gillott’s recollections demonstrated the every day terror inflicted on the Jews, by German society of the late 1930s. When Evelore was first offered fresh fruit, she refused saying that it was forbidden for her to eat fresh fruit. The family took her to a swimming pool, and she refused to go in, for fear of punishment. After the Jewish Lido in her home town of Breslau, had been closed, the local river was the only means of swimming. She said to her Guardians that she must only use the river to swim in.

Mr Gillott in particular remembered the instruction from Evelore’s Father, that she must brought up as an English girl. This was based on the fear that the Germans might invade England, and the nightmare begin in her adoptive homeland. Evelore needed to be merged into British culture and society. Her conversion to Christianity, was not one of conviction, but of expedience. This was part of making Evelore an English girl. Jack said that he presented her to the Bishop of Lincoln who Baptised and Confirmed her.

Mr Gillott  had heard about the Jewish refugee programme through the Broadcasts of the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and had volunteered to accept a refugee. As Evelore grew up in the family of the Gillotts, she had experienced five years of relative safety. Her relationship to the Gillotts, being initially of an extra mouth to feed, in years of rationing, and having to earn her keep, changed to that of becoming a daughter.

Recollections of Evelore’s Children.
Biological mathematics mean nothing to young children, and it was taken for granted by the two oldest of Evelore’s three sons that they had Granddad and Grandma Foster, and Granddad and Grandma Gillott, in Scunthorpe, and then Granddad and Grandma Sachs in Australia. The children grew up initially unaware there were any special circumstances surrounding their mother. She talked to the children about her Parents in Australia, but somehow neither of the older sons ever questioned the relationship with the Gillotts. It was taken for granted they were Grand Parents, and on visits played their part as such very well. A number of events began to enlighten the boys.

One day, late in 1959, when the two boys arrived back from School, they had learned that Granddad Sachs had died. Evelore was crying and asked them pray for his soul when they went to Church. In the Summer of 1960,  Mutti visited. Along with her husband she had been absorbed by the Jewish community in Australia. Evelore, by her marriage to Jim Foster had married into relative poverty. Jim was the bread winner of a young family, and of modest income. At that time the family lacked a refrigerator. Mutti complained about this and promptly offered the cash. Jim refused to take it, saying when he could afford one, then the family would have a ‘fridge. This, and other similar incidents,  brought tensions to the visit, and the reunion was not as happy as it should have been. Thereafter, there existed in Evelore’s mind nagging thoughts about what could have been, if she had joined the family in Australia, and she had been part of a more wealthy family, than was true of the present circumstances. Some of this is reflected in her own account of her life.

In 1963, all 3 boys were bought new bicycles for Christmas, enabled by the fact that compensation money had been received from the German Government for the loss of Evelore's Education. She was now obliged to explain how she had been forced out of Germany, and been sent to Britain for her own safety and welfare, at 13 years of age.

On a visit to the local Hospital in Rugby, St. Cross, with one of the boys, the Consultant, out of the blue, said, "you have an accent;  my guess is, that you are from Eastern Germany". Evelore froze, and went white for a moment, having become thoroughly English in her ways, and to the vast majority of people, having a Lincolnshire accent, she thought her past was hidden. Evelore then had to tell her sons that she had been a Jewish refugee, from Germany,  and that during her early years in England, she had been obliged  to report to the Police station as a German. Her dual identity of being a German and a Jew had added to her fears of persecution.  She was German, a national to be despised because of Hitler and the war. She was Jewish, and had seen the brutality of ordinary people towards her in Germany, and feared being found out, as a Jew.

The children eventually got to look at photographs and other items from her childhood, including a document purporting to be her 'Birth Certificate". On examining such documents as came to England with Evelore, they showed the perniciousness of the German Authorities. On 1st July 1939, three days prior to her departure for the U.K, Evelore's "Certified Notification of Birth" was confiscated. She was issued with two copies of a document by the Nazis, which had to serve as her 'Birth Certificate' up until her death in 1997. That document was endorsed with a direction that she must henceforth bear the additional forename of "Sarah". The endorsement was retrospectively dated 1/1/1939. It was realised from the day Evelore arrived in Britain, that this was the way in which Jews could be distinguished if and when a Birth Certificate had to be produced in the country to which they had fled. The sheer perniciousness of the Nazi regime was emphasised later, when, in 1998, after Evelore's death, Jim her husband managed to obtain a copy of her original "Certified Notification of a Birth" from the Archives of the Registry in Wroclaw formerly Breslau. It too, bore the "Sarah" endorsement - the Nazis had been thorough.
Evelore had an intense dislike for Alsatian Dogs, explaining that she remembered hearing the Jack boots of the S.S., and seeing the Alsatian Dogs as they went from house to house. From time to time, when the topic of her background was raised, such as when she had received a letter from her family in Australia, or the family were discussing dogs, she said that it reminded her of the times when they received warnings of impending visits by the  Gestapo, looking for Vati. These warnings were the result of Mutti and some of her business friends sharing the same Social circle as Heinrich Himmler, and it was he who had first warned Mutti that Georg was being sought. That initial contact provided the means of buying further warnings.

As time went by the fears receded into the background. She was very proud of all her children, as each one had grown up, had good jobs, and were married. Jim had retired early due to a heart attack, and for ten years of Jim’s retirement, Evelore was able to enjoy holidays abroad, and her favourite recreation of endless shopping trips. The fear installed by her childhood experiences were never-the-less still in the background. Evelore feared the return of the Germans to their previous warlike temperament. When the discussions in the media of German reunification emerged, following the demise of Communism,  she said it would lead to another war, and it should never be allowed to happen.

EPILOGUE.
Evelore's Cremation.
After the Cremation, discussions were held with the immediate family concerning the disposal of the Ashes. Several suggestions were considered, but one in particular received almost 'consensus approval', based on what Evelore had written in her own account of her early life in Breslau. (then in Germany). This had given all those who had read it the impression, that despite the gradual imposition of the Nazi regime there, and subsequent persecution, she had derived much pleasure from the City's amenities in her early childhood. In particular, she recalled the frequent visits with 'Mutti' to one particular Park, where they were able to feed friendly Squirrels.

Enquiries were made at the Polish Embassy in London, concerning the possibility of the Ashes being taken to Breslau, (now Wroclaw, and in Poland) and scattered in, or as near as possible to, one of the many places Evelore had enjoyed visiting as a child. The only family member who did not approve of the choice was Gerda, Evelore's older sister in Australia, who had retained bitter memories of how the Nazis had treated them and their Father in Breslau. Negotiations with the many various Authorities became protracted, and one of the points raised by the Polish Embassy was that the plastic Urn in which the ashes had been placed, did not satisfy their stringent Customs requirements. The ashes must be in a metal container, sealed by either soldering, brazing, or welding, and housed in a wooden casket with provision for at least two of the securing screw-holes to accept a 1" diameter, quarter-inch deep, hard wax seal, to comply with the Regulations. These requirements were carried out by the Funeral Directors in Rugby who had arranged the Cremation, who were then able to provide a Certificate of Compliance for the Embassy.

It had taken almost a year for all requirements to be complied with, when, early in 1999, the Authorities in Wroclaw (Breslau), informed their Embassy in London that a City Ordinance forbade the scattering of ashes anywhere within the City boundaries. Should permission be granted for the importation of the Casket, it would have to be placed, with all seals intact, in a Niche in the wall of the Jewish Cemetery there. The arrangements for this would have to be carried out by a Contractor approved by the Wroclaw Authorities, at considerable expense to the family. As a result of receiving this news, it was decided not to proceed with the plan.

On a fine Summer's morning, Saturday 3rd July 1999, the ashes of Evelore were scattered on Dover's Hill, near Chipping Campden, one of the many places in the Cotswolds that had given her much pleasure on frequent visits over many years. May her Spirit be as peaceful as the place where she rests. JRF.

Evelore Foster 1962
1926-1997

The Rights to this story belong to the Estate of Evelore Foster.
Contact;
Mr James Foster, 10 Macaulay Road, Rugby Warwickshire, CV22 6HE, United Kingdom.
+44 1788 814345,
or
E.Mail jrfoster@netpages.free-online.co.uk

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