Refugee Period

During the 1930s, tens of thousands of refugees from Germany and neighbouring countries arrived in Britain. By 1939 it is estimated there were around 3,000 in Scotland, including children who had arrived on the Kindertransports of 1938-9. Whittingehame Farm School in East Lothian, the family estate of Lord Arthur Balfour, served as a hostel and school for 160 Jewish children between 1939-1941. Other children were cared for at hostels in Garnethill, Polton House (Lasswade), Cardross, Castle Douglas, Skelmorlie and Selkirk Priory, or fostered around the country. Many refugees went on to speak and educate others about their experiences, such as Dorrith Sim (1931-2012) and Henry Wuga (born 1924). Throughout the 1930s and beyond, Scottish Jews continued to raise money and awareness through organisations including the Mutual Refugee Aid Committee, the German Jewish Aid Committee and the Central British Fund for Jewish Relief and Rehabilitation.