Doris Baumgarten tells the story of how her husband, Peter, and his family escaped Vienna in 1939 after the Nazi occupation of Austria. Peter and his brother, Hans, left on the Kindertransport and were taken in at a boarding school in Bournemouth, England. Their mother worked in London as a maid, but was able to join her boys in Bournemouth when the school hired her to clean their facilities. Their father was in Sweden during the German annexation and was unable to return to Vienna because of an invalid passport. Instead, he made his way to New York, arriving in the United States a year before his wife and children.
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Abstract
Doris Lerner Baumgarten tells the story of how her husband, Peter, and his family escaped Vienna in 1939 as the Nazis occupied Austria. Peter, then 13, and his brother, Hans, 15, left on the Kindertransport and were taken in at a boarding school in Bournemouth, England. They had to pass physicals first, a process that forced Peter to leave without Hans, who was kept behind for minor surgery. Hans was still recovering when his mother's visa came due. She made the difficult decision to leave Hans, trusting the authorities to send him once he was well enough to travel. Initially, she worked in London as a maid, but was able to join her boys in Bournemouth when the school hired her to clean their facilities. Peter's father, who was unable to conduct business in Vienna because he was a Jew, found it necessary to do business elsewhere in Europe to make a living. He was in Sweden during the Anschluss, the German annexation of Austria, and was unable to return to Vienna because of an invalid passport. Instead, he made his way to New York, arriving in the United States a year before his wife and children. Most of his extended family members had already left Vienna for other parts of the world. Peter's dad moved to Atlanta and started a business importing paper goods. Peter and Doris raised their three girls in Delaware and moved to Aiken, South Carolina, in the 1970s. It wasn't until these later years in their marriage that Doris learned of her husband's experiences. While she believed his story had great merit and should be shared, Peter downplayed its value, insisting that he and his family did not suffer as other Jews did during World War II. With Doris's encouragement, he reluctantly began to share his story with teachers, local organizations, and church groups.
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