.
Our father’s English diary finishes on 22 July 1939. Unless the
shorthand bits hide something, I haven’t seen anything about a plan to emigrate
to New Zealand. But on 14 August, he boarded the lush French steamer, the Ile
de France, at Southampton, with an exempt visa to New York, and listed as a ‘teacher’
in transit to Wellington Technical College, New Zealand.
Fritz's photo of the Ile de France in Southampton harbour |
The manifest shows the odd anomaly, however. Next of kin was given as his
mother, Rudi, at 28 Jagdschlossgasse, Vienna.
Yes, father Pepi was already
dead. He is listed as speaking German, English … French and Italian. Hmm. The
last two must have got seriously rusty in the New Zealand air. But most
interestingly he has given his nationality as German. Well, I know Austria was
in trouble at that time. But the customs at New York have crossed that out, and
replaced it with ‘Hebrew’. Poor father. Already trying to ‘sanitise’ his
background.
On the ship, he obviously didn’t socialize with the other foreigners,
but rather with the young Americans. They had a ‘team photo’ taken.
Robert Delmas Bowman (29) from Tompkinsville, Kentucky
Eddie Davis Shake (25) from Bedford, Indiana
William Nagel (32) from Canton, Ohio
Martha Alison Stone (26) from Steubenville, Ohio
Ruth Amelia Meister (28) from Marietta, Ohio
Evalyn Hastings Felty (32) from Kenton, Ohio
Imogene Forsythe (34) from Fremont, Ohio
Mary Chadwick (28) from Vermilion, Ohio
On board the Ile de France |
The ship landed at New York 22 August and those young folk all went back
to Ohio et al, nine 'aliens' were detained -- three of them jews ... but Fritz Gallas (as he was now), staunchly labelled 'Hebrew', started off on a trip across
America and Canada to join his second ship, which would ultimately lead him to New
Zealand. And his trusty little bellows camera (I still have it) went with him …
By the way, the little group of shipboard pals seem to have had
something in common:
Delmas Bowman born Tompkinsville 21 August 1909; died Morgantown Ky 1987.
Teacher.
William Nagel b Youngstown Ohio 16 March 1907 d Canton 29 November 1962 ‘French teacher’
Martha Alison Stone b Steubenville 20 May 1913; d Santa Clara, Cal 8 May
1983
Ruth Amelia Meister b Marietta 21 August 1915; d Charlottesvile, Virgina
14 August 2001 ‘teacher’
Evalyn Hastings Felty (Mrs Lowell V Hagemayer) b Kenton 22 July 1907; d Toledo,
Ohio 14 May 1991
Imogene Forsythe b Fremont, Ohio, 24 May 1905; ‘school teacher’ in Fremont 1940
Mary [Rosalie] Chadwick b Corning NY, 3 February 1911; d Vermilion 10 April 2010. ‘school
teacher’ (French)
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