JSS: Emperor of Austria Kaiser Karl (left) giving a medal to John's father, Robert Subak (right), ca. 1917
JSS: John after joining the Parachute Regiment, 1944
JSS: Arriving at farm with brother
JSS: Herbert (John) Subak's identity card
John Subak-Sharpe: October 2004
JSS: Getting CBE from the Queen
JSS: Wedding photo
JSS: John's father and mother
John Subak-Sharpe
John Subak-Sharpe (née Herbert Subak) was born in Vienna in 1924
Born: 1924
Place of Birth: Vienna
Arrived in Britain: 12/01/1939
Interview Number: 75 (N)
Experiences: Agricultural Labourer , British Military , Kindertransport
Interview Summary
John Subak-Sharpe (née Herbert Subak) was born in Vienna in 1924. His father was a civil engineer. His education was interrupted at 14 when he came with his younger brother Gerhard (Gerald) on the Kindertransport to a wealthy Jewish family in London, who left him to work under very poor conditions as an agricultural labourer.
In 1944 John volunteered for the Parachute Regiment and served in Palestine. He experienced some anti-Jewish resentment after the unit had been in Palestine. He was demobbed in 1947, and later studied and started a sucessful career as a geneticist and virologist. He was married and had three children
Place of Birth
What I would say is you have to be true to yourself. You must keep your own self-respect. That means also you have to work hard and you don’t do unto any other people what you would not want to have done to you. At the same time, let them respect you for what you are and not for what they believe that you might be.
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