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8. Nicholas Lampl (1939-41). “The Nazi horror spread over Germany more gradually. In Austria, after the Anschluss in March 1938, it came with a bang. While there was political turmoil throughout the thirties, it did not affect our day-to-day lives. On the 16th October 1938 we left for Switzerland via Liechtenstein. Apparently our visa for Switzerland was not in order, and at the border we were close to being shipped back by the Nazis. Luckily we were being met at the border by a gentleman with Liechtenstein nationality; some anxious telephoning between him and the Bürgermeister of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, produced a temporary laissez-passer and across we went. To become partner in a Swiss business required more visas and authorisations, and these seemed increasingly improbable to be obtained. Therefore England became the more likely alternative. Meanwhile, as a 13 year old with no school to worry about, I was having a great time in Switzerland, but my parents felt it was time to do something about continuing my education. I had had practically no schooling since March. Through a family relation who lived in London, and who had a connections with the Society of Friends, a search was started and the result was an offer of a place at Ayton. Armed with this offer, my visa was obtained in record time (ahead of that of my parents) from the British consulate in Switzerland, and on the 19th January 1939 I flew by myself from Zürich to London (Croydon in those days). My parents followed three months later; the day of their departure from Switzerland, the Swiss work permit and other authorisations arrived. One night in London with my aunt, and then off to Ayton on the 20th. My knowledge of English was rudimentary, but I somehow negotiated the change of trains in Darlington, and the bus in Middlesbrough, and arrived on a grey rainy January afternoon in Ayton at what at first sight looked like a very forbidding and inhospitable place. I was met by matron, and quickly my apprehensions disappeared under her kind attention. Those were of course my formative years. After school, I completed engineering studies and worked in the British car industry. In 1947 we obtained British nationality, and my father felt that since no-one really knew how to spell or pronounce "Lampl,” we had better change the name. There was much discussion and some resistance on my part, but my father wanted "Lamb" and so Lamb it was. Inevitably people now often ask me: "any relation to Charles?". "I don't think so,” is my usual reply. A management appointment took me abroad in 1957, first to France (my wife is French, though we met and married while I was still in England) and later to Switzerland, where we have now lived for over 40 years. Curiously, when people ask me where my roots lie, I have to answer England, and Ayton is of course largely responsible for that.” |
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My father was partner in a technical publishing firm with Alexander Freud (brother of Sigmund) and another man. This was of course quickly taken over by the Nazis, and my father started to make plans to leave Austria. First priority Switzerland, where he had planned to restart the business with a Swiss partner. Second alternative England, for which we also requested visas.
Probably through some error in communication I had arrived at Ayton two days before the official start of term. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis, sensing that I felt rather lost, took me under their wing and I had two really delightful days with them, before the serious business of school started.