Escape from East Germany

Gisela was born in East Germany to German parents. She was born in Stettin, a major port (now in Poland). Her book is about her story of being a refugee as she fled from East Germany. She left East Germany towards the end of the war as Russians invaded. She escaped with her mother and four children. The contributor's stepfather was fighting in the war. He had disappeared at this point. Her mother took many years to write her book because she found the experience so traumatic. She came to England in 1949 and became a nurse. Many of her family members starved to death. The contributor's grandmother was also a brave woman. She fled to West Germany and worked in a market stall for a while. They met up with the contributor's stepfather during the end of the war. Gisela met the contributor's father in England in 1952. They experienced both anti-German and anti-British prejudices in their respective countries because of marriage between a German and a British.

The toy dog is from when they left Stettin. The Russians were burning all the houses. They had to flee quickly. The only thing that Gisella took was her toy dog Strubbi. The dog was always around the house as the contributor grew up. She had accidentally fled with a boy's pair of trousers.