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Date of Interview:

20/01/22

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Place of Birth:

Berlin

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Date of Interview:

20/01/22

Interviewed By:

Dr Bea Lewkowicz

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Interview Summary

Ralph Steiner was born in December 1934 in Berlin. His mother's family company, A&S Segall, were Berlin-based furriers. She had attended finishing school in the 1920s in London, a connection which later helped her find a guarantor when they wanted to emigrate to London. In 1938 Ralph's mother saw that the situation for Jews in Germany was untenable. She sent Ralph and his nanny to Switzerland to organise the family's emigration to the UK. Ralph's teddy bear was stuffed with money for the stay and it was so well disguised that the German border guard didn't find it. His father, meanwhile, was interned in Dachau but Ralph's mother managed to get him out. His parents managed to get to Switzerland and flew from Zurich to London. Ralph attended nursery school in Hampstead Garden Suburb. The family managed financially as their fur company had a branch in London: Hermann Wolff& Co, in Upper Thames Street. His father worked in the company, and was also briefly involved with the MI9, a splinter group of military intelligence which assisted British spies abroad. His clothes, shoes and underwear were used as templates for agent clothing, and their labels redeployed for spies operating on the Continent. His typewriter was used to produce false documents. Ralph still has the typewriter. Ralph remembers taking shelter from the Blitz and collecting shrapnel with his friend. He was evacuated to North Wales as the V1 and V2 attacks were taking place. Ralph wasn't traumatised but remembers it rather as exciting times for a boy. In 1943 his brother was born. After primary school, Ralph had his bar mitzvah and went to a boarding school, Badingham College in Surrey. After finishing school, he joined the Royal Air Force where he trained as a navigator. He enjoyed his technical training, which became the foundation for his later commercial activities. After leaving the RAF, he studied at the College of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering. He turned his life-long passion for motor cars and aeroplanes into a business, Tungsten Automobile Developments. He remembers many wonderful customers, among them Roger Moore with his Saint car and Peter Sellars with his Mini. He married his first Swedish wife in 1954 and raised a family in Arkley. Peter got his flying licence, bought his first aircraft and enjoyed flying to many places, such as Switzerland and Sweden. With his second wife he enjoys family life and his message to us is: 'You need discipline and respect, otherwise a society can't work. And be happy. Make happy. It's positive. Don't look at the negatives. Don't waste your valuable time 'cos lives are short.' Additional Comments: Key words: Berlin. Ulm. MI9. Blitz. Badingham College in Surrey.RAF. A&S Segall. Hermann Wolff& Co. Adolf Galland- ace pilot of the Luftwaffe.
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