Gabriele Keenaghan to revisit Vienna site of Kindertransport separation

Gabriele Keenaghan, a 99-year-old Kindertransport survivor and retired head teacher, is returning to Vienna to mark her centenary. She plans to revisit the Westbahnhof railway station, the site where she was separated from her grandmother in April 1939 to travel to Britain.

Keenaghan, who was awarded the British Empire medal for her work in Holocaust education, recalled the terror of seeing Nazi officers on the platform during her departure. She noted that emotional displays were strictly forbidden at the time of the Kindertransport operations.

The trip to Austria was nearly cancelled due to flight cancellations from Newcastle, but was made possible by a private jet provided by a donor. Keenaghan intends to use her life story to promote “kindness, tolerance and acceptance of diversity.”