65 Parliament Hill Hampstead

[Roy G]

In 1939 a gentleman I am researching (who was unofficially classified as an undesirable alien and deported to Australia) resided at 65 Parliament Hill, Hampstead.  The majority of residents at that time may also have been classified as being a risk to the UK's security, so is there anyone who can tell me more about that building and the lives of those who were placed there?   

Regards Roy G

[CaroleW]

The majority of residents at that time may also have been classified as being a risk to the UK's security, so is there anyone who can tell me more about that building and the lives of those who were placed there?

Did you get "your gentleman's" name from the 1939 register?

If yes - you presumably have the names of the other residents - whereas we don't??

Check for marriages & deaths - where appropriate

Check outgoing passenger lists

If any were classified as a risk to national security - I doubt that type of info would be available to the public under the 100yr rule.   I also wonder if it's the type of question appropriate to a Family History site?

[dawnsh]

Roy

I think you have made a very sweeping statement and your assumption that the address was any thing other than a guest house may be quite wide of the mark. Of course, you have a person of interest whose history may make interesting reading. You don't say why he was considered undesirable.

A law student, a medical student, bank clerk, refugee and guest house proprietor could be typical residents of any address in parts of London close to universities and training hospitals.

You don't make the same assumption for the residents of 63 next door, where there is a similar mix of students.

I had a look at the electoral register for 1939 and many of the names eligible to vote were listed on the 1939 register.

There was a lot of xenophobia (dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries) which is why those who weren't born in the country anglicized their names, not only to make spelling easier, but for integration and acceptance in society.

If the property had a reputation for housing undesirables and threats to the nation, there may be files at the National Archives. Also try the London Metropolitan Archives and maybe newspaper reports.

[Roy G]

Thank you both for your responses and for doing a token look up. 

Tibor Kaldor (said to be German but actually an Austro-Hungarian Jew) was my primary interest, for he was dispatched from 65 Parliament Hill to Australia aboard the Dunera (July 1940)

The voyage of that ship with its explosive mix of refugee Jews, Fascists, and German POWs as passengers is well documented, so I had hoped there was a Rootschatter that knew a little more about the building itself.  The stated ages professions of many of the residents do not immediately make me think of it as student accommodation, so I was hoping that someone else had relatives who took up temporary residence there, or actually knew whether the building itself could have once been used as a detention centre.

Tibor's brief life in Australia (suicide in 1948) is also well documented, but the Australian files about him and his past contain certain anomalies which I am trying to sort out for a relative.

Regards Roy G

[dawnsh]

As you know, we don't delete topics so if anyone stumbles across this in the future through an internet search looking for information on 65 Parliament Hill, they may be able to contact you in the future.

The LMA is reopening soon, send them an email asking if they have anything that doesn't show up in their catalogue.

I would suggest if there are files at the National Archives, they may be closed under the official secrets act. Having said that the war ended over 70 years ago, I don't know how long any files in this category remain closed for. Again, it's worth sending them an email enquiry.

[ShaunJ]

A mention here in a biography of Beryl Bainbridge:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Beryl_Bainbridge/6wKGDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%2265+parliament+hill%22&pg=PA133&printsec=frontcover

[ShaunJ]

Looking at the occupancy in 1939: it's a large house. Part of it is a guest house operated by John and Gladys Hannah. There are also 3 self-contained flats. One of the flats is occupied by Tibor Kaldor and Erwin Jacoby. The other flats are occupied by a Mr Andrews and Mr and Mrs Lawson. I'm seeing nothing out of the ordinary.