Arrival stamp in passportOn June 13 news came that refuge had been secured in four countries, Britain, France, Belgium and Holland. The boat arrived in Antwerp on June 17 where the passengers were split up; those for Britain and France transferring to a smaller ship.

Oskar Blechner was fortunate to come to Britain. Those who went to the other countries were later to find themselves again under Nazi rule and a number were to perish in the Holocaust as a result.

But life in the UK was not entirely without difficulty. The refugees were viewed as enemy aliens, in some cases interned on the Isle of Man, sometimes in the same barracks as German Nazi sympathisers. Bearing Polish citizenship, Oskar was able to avoid this and quickly sought to establish himself, initially manufacturing belts. He also found a new girlfriend...

Oskar Blechner's registration card