A new book written by Lithuanian author Aldona Grupas explores the lives of post-war refugees in Britain, according to a press release by the publisher, Hertfordshire Press.
West Midlands Ho! is a compelling work of local history, focused on a particular corner of England but set against a background of tumultuous international events.
In the book, Grupas reveals the personal tales of Lithuanian migrants who moved to Britain in the wake of the Second World War.
Unable to return to their homeland due to the Soviet occupation, from 1947 onwards, several thousand refugees swapped the refugee camps of Allied-occupied Germany for basic accommodation in Britain, along with jobs in manufacturing and agriculture.
In the following decades, they put down roots in Britain, all the while keeping their Lithuanian identity alive.
In a series of interviews, Grupas teases out the personal experiences of five members of this migrant community in the West Midlands of England.
The book begins with an overview of Lithuanian history, taking in World War 2 and the post-war Soviet period. Drawing on existing literature, Grupas explains why so many Lithuanians were stuck in Germany after the war and were subsequently offered new lives in Britain under resettlement programmes like Balt Cygnet and Westward Ho!
The main part of the book consists of five interviews with members of the Lithuanian migrant community in the city of Wolverhampton, where the interviewees spent most of their lives. All five tell of the difficulty of communicating with relatives in Lithuania during the Cold War period, and the changes brought about by independence.
Grupas concludes her book with a summary of the key factors that caused these post-war migrants to bond in the way that they did, forming a strong and vibrant community that nurtured their distinct identity against all the odds.
With its focus on personal accounts extracted through face-to-face interviews, it conveys the highs and lows, challenges and triumphs of a community caught up in major historical events.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
