Title - Tags - callumstory
My granddad was born in a German bomb shelter during World War II.
Sirens rang, buildings fell, and fear was in the air as my great nan Jasmine gave birth to her first and only child.
Her husband, the father, and my great granddad - was a German solider, fighting for the army, and therefore unable to attend the birth of his son.
Then, one day, he was killed in battle.
How and when, I have no idea. I do know, however, that my widowed grandma later met and married an English solider.
When the war ended, they emigrated as a family to an area called Beechdale in the post-industrial West Midlands, England.
Beechdale was a housing estate, originally called Gypsy Lane Estate, developed during the 1950’s. As well providing a family home for the Carstensen’s, Beechdale gave birth to Noddy Holder, the lead singer of Slade - famous for their Christmas hit, “Merry Xmas Everybody”.
So my German great nan, English great grandad and their German son found themselves in a foreign town recovering from the war.
Their neighborus, colleagues, and most of the people they encountered were undoubtedly harbouring anger, even hatred, for the German people.
Many had fought in the war themselves, and many more had lost friends, relatives, and loved ones to the Nazi war machine.
Do you think it mattered that my ancestors weren’t personally responsible?
Of course not. The community was in pain. The people were angry, frustrated, and hurting. You bet, if they found an outlet, they took it. And, I have to say, I can’t blame them.
Sadly, though, my family were often the target.
I was fortunate to know, love and respect my great nan. And she was a very fiery character indeed - the kind of lady who, when she spoke, you listened - and with whom you did not argue. She was quintessentially German.
Looking back, I wonder how much of her personality was innate, German blood, and how much was formed in response to her incredibly challenging environment and experiences.
The first part of her life was spent in a country blighted by economic frailty, poltiical turbulence, and destructive war. The second half was in England. It was more stable, and now free from war - but she was criticised, ridiculed and frowned upon for what she represented.
My great grandfather was not German. He was English. But do you think he was let off the hook? I doubt it. After all, he married the enemy and brought her back to England. How could he do such a thing?
I was a teenager when my great nan died and it was one of the toughest times of my life. We were very close. She loved me very much and I knew it. She spoiled me, and I loved it. Even so, I was just a kid, and it never occured to me to ask about her past. In fact, if I had, I doubt she would have revealed much, even to me.
As a result, I really don’t know what her relationship was like with her husband, or what their personal experiences were like when they arrived in England to build a new life for their family.
I do, however, know a little about my granddad’s experience. He arrvied in England as a young boy who couldn’t speak a word of English. At school, he was the “Kraut” - the German kid. Although the other children probably knew little of the war, they undoubtedly heard, saw and felt their parents expressing anger at the German people.
As a result, my granddad’s favourite game was “playing truant.” Each morning, tie pulled tight around his neck, his parent’s kissed him on the head, wished him a good day at school, and he walked out of the front door. At this point, granddad faced a choice: go to school and get picked on, or go somewhere else and play football.
Hmmm, tough call…
So, my granddad fell deeper and deeper in love with the sport - a creative outlet that provided an escape from the bullies. In many ways, football became his second language. Like The Christmas Truce in 1914 which saw English and German soldier’s share games of football in No Man’s Land on Christmas Day, I suspect that the game provided a common language form my grandad and his English neigbours to communincate, build relationship, and heal wounds.