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BooScout

(10,406 posts)

7. Thank you for this...

Thu Dec 24, 2015, 10:34 PM

Dec 2015

This was a wonderful read. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Last spring, when I was home for my mom's funeral, my brother showed me where he had been going through my mom's papers and had come across a name change dated in the war years for my stepfather. None of us kids had ever known he had another name and for the life of us we couldn't figure out why he had changed it. My British husband immediately asked what his name had been and he zoomed right in on the fact it was a German name and told me a lot of people changed their last names during the war because of discrimination, etc. The name didn't sound all that 'German' to me, so I looked up the origins and sure enough it was a German surname. We are almost positive that's why he changed it. Neither he nor my mother ever told us about it.

Your mother's reflections of having a German name really explains a lot of things for me. Thanks again for this, it really was fascinating.

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Every few years I post this up, to keep the historical record alive. My mother wrote this. [View all] Tab Dec 2015 OP

K&R ismnotwasm Dec 2015 #1

Thank you, my dear Tab, for this post. CaliforniaPeggy Dec 2015 #2

absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing! renate Dec 2015 #3

Absolutely Tab Dec 2015 #5

Thank you for posting this. FuzzyRabbit Dec 2015 #4

Thank you. Richard D Dec 2015 #6

Thank you for this... BooScout Dec 2015 #7

A friend of mine was only a couple of years younger than your mother... malthaussen Dec 2015 #8

K & R malaise Dec 2015 #9

One of the best posts I have read on DU. flying rabbit Dec 2015 #10

Thank you stonecutter357 Dec 2015 #11

K&R Paka Dec 2015 #12

Thank you for sharing! 1monster Dec 2015 #13

Thanks for the story HoneychildMooseMoss Dec 2015 #14

Please tell your Mom thank you! 2theleft Dec 2015 #15

I will Tab Dec 2015 #16

My WW!! story as a child was similar with the exception GoldenOldie Dec 2015 #17

Thanks for posting this. Snobblevitch Dec 2015 #18

Give the guy a tape recorder - he might prefer that Tab Dec 2015 #19

This message was self-deleted by its author Snobblevitch Dec 2015 #21

Wonderful stories - thanks for posting CajunBlazer Dec 2015 #20

I also grew up during WWII and can verify many of the happenings your mother described. Frustratedlady Dec 2015 #22

Thanks for posting. That was most interesting. nt raccoon Dec 2015 #23

My Dad was a Marine pilot SCantiGOP Dec 2015 #24

Thank you for posting this. My mother is about the same age and has similar stories corkhead Dec 2015 #25

K&R hay rick Dec 2015 #26

Thank you 2naSalit Dec 2015 #27

My extended family was lucky, my dad and his 2 brothers came home. Warpy Dec 2015 #28