Gabriele Keenaghan, a 99-year-old resident of North Shields, is preparing for an emotional journey back to Vienna’s Westbahnhof station. It was at this very location in April 1939 that a 12-year-old Keenaghan last saw her grandmother, boarding a Kindertransport train to Britain under strict orders that no tears be shed. Reflecting on that day, she recalls the terrifying sight of Nazis in black uniforms patrolling the platform. She remembers the immense pressure to remain stoic, noting that authorities had forbidden any display of emotion. While her grandmother managed a smile, Keenaghan struggled to suppress her own distress.
The upcoming trip, organized to mark her centenary, serves as a poignant return to the place that fundamentally altered her life. Although her official birthday is in November, the family chose to travel now to avoid the harsh Viennese winter, leading Keenaghan to joke that she will be celebrating two birthdays, much like the late Queen Elizabeth. The journey was nearly derailed by flight cancellations from Newcastle, but a generous benefactor stepped in to provide a private jet, an act of kindness that left the family deeply moved.
Keenaghan’s life story is one of profound resilience. An only child, she was unaware of her Jewish heritage until the Nazi invasion of Austria. Her mother, Hildegard, was Catholic and had passed away in 1935, while her father, Josef, was a Jewish stove manufacturer. Her world shifted abruptly when she was forced to leave her Catholic convent school. She recalls the confusion of standing in a hall as classmates were assigned to new schools, only to be left standing alone. She was subsequently sent to a Jewish school and forced to wear a yellow star, a label she did not fully understand at the time. She faced harassment from peers who called her a “dirty little Jew,” a painful experience for a sensitive child.
She never saw her father again; he was deported to the Łódź ghetto in Poland and is believed to have been murdered in an extermination camp. It was her grandmother, also named Gabriele, who secured her place on the Kindertransport, a rescue mission that brought approximately 10,000 Jewish children to safety in Britain. After arriving in the UK, Keenaghan adapted quickly, eventually working as a nanny in Surrey. She vividly remembers the euphoria of VE Day, when she joined the crowds in London and caught a glimpse of the royal family, including Princess Elizabeth, who would have turned 100 this year alongside her.
A retired head teacher, Keenaghan eventually settled in Wallsend, where she raised her own family. She has been awarded the British Empire Medal for her dedicated work in Holocaust education, consistently advocating for tolerance and the acceptance of diversity. Her daughters, Pat and Christine, will accompany her on this trip. Christine recalls childhood memories of her great-grandmother, whom she affectionately called “Noddy Grandmother” because the woman could not speak English and would simply nod during their conversations.
While Keenaghan has returned to Austria annually to visit relatives over the decades, she has never revisited the station where she was separated from her family. As she prepares for this final, significant visit, she admits she is uncertain how she will react. “I haven’t thought about how I’ll feel – I probably will feel emotional,” she said. Throughout her life, she has shared her story with countless children, hoping to impart lessons from the past. Yet, she remains contemplative about whether society truly learns from history, pointing to the current state of the world as a sobering reminder of the ongoing need for kindness. The report also notes that “I was only 12 years old so I think they were frightening … terrifying. The report also notes that “People had been told that there were to be no emotional scenes, they didn’t want any emotion shown by anyone. The report also notes that the plan, hatched for her centenary, was nearly scuppered because Lufthansa cancelled routes from Newcastle. The report also notes that fortunately, a good samaritan came to the rescue offering the use of a private jet, and the family admit they have been bowled over by the generosity. The report also notes that i don’t think I even knew what being a Jew meant.”.
