1. GRATEFUL
BY CHARLES SPENCER, RETIRED BUSINESSMAN
It is almost 60 years since Charles left his
parents and his homeland, Austria. He came
to England as a Jewish refugee during the
Second World War at 14, and was seen off
by his mother who he never saw again. He
doesn't know how things would have worked
out if England had not opened its borders to
them. He feels grateful.
FROM : VIDEO NATION, BBC2, MONDAY 8 MAY 00
DIGITAL VIDEO / http://www.bbc.co.uk/videonation/articles/u/uk_grateful.shtml
It ……………….. 1 now almost 60 years since I ………………..(2 come) to this country as a
Je__________3 ref__________4 from Vienna and I rem__________5 when I
………………..(6 leave) Vienna and my mother ……………….. (7 see me off) __________
8 the railway station, for me it was just an adv__________9. I was a 14-y__________10 old,
happy enough not to have to go to school anymore. I now realise that for my mother it
………………..(11 must be) a terrible decision to let me go because she ……………….. (12
must know) in her heart of hearts that she ………………..(13 will not see) me again. The war
clou__________14 were looming and my mother act__________15 did get killed 3 days
before the end of the war. So, I never did see my parents, n__________16 my mother
n__________17 my father again. I rem__________18 a short time before, I ………………..
(19 leave) in December 1938, there was the Kristalnacht when all the syn__________20 in
Austrian Germany ………………..(21 burn) and the SS.* and the SA.* tr__________22 were
rampaging through the streets, hunting Jew__________ 23 people and killing and
loo__________24. I con__________25 myself very lu__________26 to have come out of
Vienna, to have been t__________27 in by this country, for wh__________28 I am extremely
gratef__________29. If England ………………..(30 not open) its doors to thousands of
refugees like me, I wonder what ………………..(31 happen) to us. Most lik__________32, a
one-way ticket to a conc__________33 camp (..) for millions of Jews.
GLOSSARY
SA : Sturmabteilung : the Nazi terrorist militia, organised around 1924.

2. SS : Schutzstaffel : protection squad. A paramilitary organisation within the Nazi party that provided
Hitler’s bodyguard, security forces including the Gestapo, concentration camp guards, and a corp of
combat troops the Waffen-SS) in World War II.
GRATEFUL
BY CHARLES SPENCER, RETIRED BUSINESSMAN
FROM : VIDEO NATION, BBC2, MONDAY 8 MAY 00
It’s now almost 60 years since I came to this country as a Jewish refugee from Vienna and I
remember when I left Vienna and my mother saw me off at the railway station, for me it was
just an adventure. I was a 14-year old, happy enough not to have to go to school anymore. I
now realise that for my mother it must have been a terrible decision to let me go because she
must have known in her heart of hearts that she wouldn’t see me again. The war clouds were
looming and my mother actually did get killed 3 days before the end of the war. So, I never
did see my parents, neither my mother nor my father again. I remember a short time before, I
left in December 1938, there was the Kristalnacht when all the synagogues in Austrian
Germany were burnt and the SS. and the SA troops were rampaging through the streets,
hunting Jewish people and killing and looting. I consider myself very lucky to have come out
of Vienna, to have been taken in by this country, for which I am extremely grateful. If
England hadn’t opened its doors to thousands of refugees like me, I wonder what would have
happened to us. Most likely, a one-way ticket to a concentration camp (..) for millions of
Jews.