And the Policeman Smiled

by Barry Turner

For ten months before the Second World War, there was an organised movement of mainly Jewish children out of Nazi Europe. The children were bundled onto trains, waved goodbye to their parents and set off across Germany and Holland to the ferries which took them to England. Only a few spoke English, most had no family or friends here. Almost none ever saw their families again. The first memory of the children arriving at dawn in Harwich after their long trek was 'the policeman smiled', a telling witness to the authoritarian regime they were escaping from.

Based on previously unpublished records and extensive interviews, . . . And the Policeman Smiled traces the poignant story of the Kindertransporte , those who helped organise the transports, the families who took them in, but above all the often painful adjustments of the young refugees to a strange country and often lonely life of billeting, fostering, evacuation and even deportation. By turns moving and amusing, the book captures the lives of both those who came to terms with their new existence and those who were unable to.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 1990

About the author

Barry Turner has been a full-time writer for 30 years. He has worked as a journalist and broadcaster in the field of politics, biography, travel and education, and is the author of over 20 books. He is a regular contributor to The Times as a book reviewer and serializer, and is the editor of the annuals The Writer's Handbook and The Screenwriter's Handbook.

Reviews

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

[Andrew Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an account of the good ... and the bad. The attitudes displayed by strict Jews and liberal Jews and and various Brits both organisationally and individually differed greatly. The generous, magnanimous, obliging often met by ignorance, intransigence and stubbornness - from all sides.
Equally sad and uplifting.

[Lin SINGH-BARRINGTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly moving book, one for Shabbat reading, the subject as important as Torah study. Life lessons and insights into refugee life, as important then as now, can be gleaned from this book.

[Estie Booley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching and informative

[Miriam Wakerly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serious and important subject - Kindertransporte. So many parallels can be drawn with our modern-day immigration issues and makes me question if awareness of history makes us learn from mistakes. Obviously it should do. This was a book discussed by my book club and we all agreed that while it was interesting and informative it was in no way entertaining, which is perhaps as it should be. Raw data served cold and relatively unstructured seemed to me like the starting point for a more compelling book that would stir the emotions more and reach out to more readers. Some members of the club did not finish it or even start it. Having said all that it is perhaps a book that everyone should read. I couldn't help but compare with Schindler's List film - no less true a story but known by millions.

[Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eye-opening history book that was touching and frustrating at the same time. It is filled with eye-witness accounts that paint an accurate picture of what life was like for the kids who came over on the kindertransportes.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely interesting book