‘We became British aliens’: Kindertransport refugees narrating the discovery of their parents’ fates

Abstract

This article utilizes a thick description to explore the post-war lives of Kindertransport refugees. In particular, it examines the spatial dimension of discovery: how the Kinder learnt of their parents’ murders or were reunited with them following years of separation. The article argues that distance and proximity are key to how the Kinder frame these difficult memories. While the parents may be absent in the public memorials dedicated to a redemptive portrayal of the scheme, they are certainly present within the Kinder’s own narratives. And it is these narratives we need to be more attuned to.