Complicating narratives of the Kindertransport
Digital Exhibition
Born 12.2.23 in Vienna.
Documents from the files of the Laband siblings relate to themes of family separation, religion, carers and gratitude.
Klaus Laband in Berlin, age 8, Renate Laband in Berlin, age 12
MS140 A2049 94/9 (Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton)
Renate and Klaus were the only children of Dr Ludwig Laband, an ear, nose and throat physician and his wife Lucie. Renate was born on 25.7.26 in Breslau, Germany and Klaus on 28.4.29 in Berlin. The children were sponsored by the West London Synagogue, arriving in Britain in July 1939 and being sent immediately to separate boarding schools in Kent. Their schools were subsequently evacuated- Klaus’s to the Lake District, Renate’s to Hampshire. Both were allowed to remain in school past the normal leaving age. Renate earned her School Certificate and took up Nursery Nursing. Klaus was sent to work on a farm when he turned sixteen after he had passed his School Certificate. Friends of the Labands, the Rockwell family, also took an interest in the children while they were in the UK.
Ludwig and Lucie Laband escaped from Germany in July 1940, flying to Moscow and travelling by train across Russia in hopes of catching a ship to Australia from Japan. However, they were detained at the port of Harbin and redirected to Shanghai, where they spent the remainder of the war. After the war, they emigrated to Australia, and Klaus and Renate joined them there in mid-1947. Renate married and remained in Australia under her death in 2007. Like many Kinder who had come to the UK at a young age and grown up in Britain without their parents, Klaus did not settle well when reunited with his parents after a separation of eight years. After two years in Australia, he emigrated to America, where he married and remained until his early death in 1980.
This collection richly illustrates the theme of family separation and touches on the issue of religion. Letters from Lucie Laband to the WLS show how concerned she was about the separation from her children, how she hoped they would be able to remain together and how much she wished that their education and love of nature should be nurtured (Documents 1 and 2). She also stipulated that the family was not orthodox and she hoped they would be placed with a Liberal Jewish family –while quickly adding that she did not intend to impose conditions- knowing full well she was in no position to do so (Document 2).
The rare and unusual telegram from Moscow indicated the Laband’s escape from Germany, which was partially made possible by their having already sent their children to England (Document 3) and Document 4 explains the circumstances of the parents having been stranded in Shanghai for the duration of the war.
The toll that the family’s separation took on the parents is highlighted in letters between the WLS and the Laband’s friend in the USA (Document 5) and those sent by the Labands from Shanghai (Documents 6, 9 and 10), which speak of their melancholy and missing their children. The joy of reunion after 8 years of separation is evidenced by the postscripts to the letter Renate sent to Elsa Goldschmidt after her arrival in Sydney (Document 17).
The remainder of the documents in this collection illustrates the ways in which school teachers and refugee organisation personnel acted as carers for Kinder, often serving as substitute parents. Elsa Goldschmidt’s assurances in Document 5 that “We really do try to look after ‘our’ children as well as the parents who entrusted them to us would wish us to do” are borne out throughout the archive. Further evidence is the testimonial provided for Renate’s Tribunal (Document 14).
The letters from Renate’s long time headteacher Miss Clarke (Documents 11, 12 13) all speak to a genuine fondness for Renate, concern that she does not get stuck in a dead-end low paying job (Document 11) and sensitivity to her situation as a refugee separated from her parents, noting that “she has had the feeling lately that she did not ‘belong’ anywhere, although she has been so good and plucky about it.” (Document 13)
Similarly, the long report from one of Klaus’s headteachers, Eleanor Urban (Document 15) shows warmth, understanding and acute insights into Klaus’s strengths and interests. Though not many Kinder were as fortunate as these children in being afforded the opportunity to remain in private boarding schools past school leaving age, many did find sympathetic and supportive teachers in a variety of school settings, as Kinder testimony attests.
The letters from the children themselves (Documents 8 and 17) attest to the warm and familial relationships the children developed with the WLS staff, especially Renate’s newsy letter to Elsa Goldschmidt on her arrival in Australia (Document 17).
Included for reference is the WLS intake form for Klaus Laband (Document 16). Similar to those found in each child’s file, it summarises the child’s hospitality and schooling history, giving a snapshot of the lives of Kindertransportees guaranteed by the organisation.
The below documents are from the West London Synagogue Collection (MS 140) at the Special Collection, Hartley Library, University of Southampton. All of the below documents are used with permission of the University of Southampton Special Collections and the West London Synagogue.
Please navigate the thumbnails below to view the full-size documents. Each document is accompanied by a description and archive reference.
