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History Extra podcast

Kindness & hostility: refugees in wartime Britain

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

History

4.34.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2024

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Before and during the Second World War, Britain provided a safe haven for thousands of people fleeing Nazi persecution. But, as the author Paul Dowswell argues, this is not an entirely heroic story. In conversation with Rob Attar, Paul explains how huge numbers of Jews were denied entry to Britain and reveals how many of the refugees who were accepted received a hostile welcome. (Ad) Paul Dowswell is the author of Aliens: The Chequered History of Britain's Wartime Refugees (Biteback Publishing, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Faliens%2Fpaul-dowswell%2F9781785907937 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

New Series, those about to die only on prime video.

0:04.0

Let the game spagge!

0:06.0

Win or lose, all must fight to survive.

0:09.0

My son, so then you can fight.

0:11.0

Enter the arena of the Gladiators,

0:13.8

starring Anthony Hopkins.

0:15.6

Nothing is more important than our beloved role.

0:18.4

From the Director of Independence Day.

0:20.9

The moment is upon us.

0:22.4

Kill or be killed.

0:25.0

Those about to die, 19th of July, only on Prime Video. Welcome to the History Extra Podcast,

0:37.0

Fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History magazine.

0:44.6

Before and during the Second World War,

0:47.6

Britain provided a safe haven for thousands of people fleeing Nazi persecution. But as the author Paul Dowswell argues

0:56.2

in his book aliens, this isn't an entirely heroic story. Speaking to Rob Attar, Paul explains how huge numbers of Jews were denied entry to Britain

1:08.0

and reveals how many of the refugees who were accepted received a rather hostile welcome.

1:14.0

Paul, as you write in the book, in Britain we often today tend to look back proudly at the

1:20.6

welcome we gave to refugees in the Second World War.

1:23.2

But do you think perhaps we need to slightly revise that view?

1:26.7

I think so. I think there are many things during the Second World War that we should be proud about I think as a country.

1:35.0

But the way that we treated the Austrians and the Germans and the people from the Czech lands

1:42.0

who came here as Jewish refugees fleeing for their life from the Nazis.

...

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