On Tuesday 15th August 1939, eight-year-old Herbert Rindl waved goodbye to his parents for the final time. He boarded a train heading west from Nazi-occupied Vienna to the Dutch coast, before catching a ferry to safety in Britain.

Herbert is my grandfather. Eighty years later, alongside my uncle Tony Rindl, I recreated his incredible journey.

Acknowledgements

I’ve never before written a piece of work which required the help of so many. Firstly, I owe so much to my uncle Tony who organised our route and paid for my ticket to Austria. Tony was more than happy to be recorded, sharing valuable insights throughout our trip and served as a pillar of support from the sidelines once we’d finished.

I would also like to thank my mum, dad and little brother for always being my number one fan and supporting me in whatever I do. I’m also grateful for my extended family. Thanks to my aunt Maggie and uncle David, David shot two of the photographs in article three. Thanks as well to their children Laura and Christopher and to Tony’s partner Cath who kindly hosted us when we arrived in England. I also received a huge amount of support from my grandma Winifred. Happy to answer phone calls at any time her enthusiasm was one of my biggest drives to finish this series.

This work was submitted as my Major Journalism Project at the University of Salford – my final ever assignment in education. Because of this, I received an incredible amount of help from my lecturers Caroline and Robin. Robin especially made numerous suggestions which have significantly improved my copy. I must also thank all of my lecturers from previous modules who have aided me indirectly and an additional thank you to all my fellow journalism students who I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know over the past three years.

Thanks also to my housemates, Dom, Tayla and Konrad for their stunning emotional support. Without them I would never have got through University, let alone completed my major project. I am grateful for the incredible optimism of my close friend Duncan, an early cheerleader of this project. Thanks also to his mum Liz who expertly translated documents from German to English. These translations not only added an extra dimension to the series, but have now become some of my most treasured possessions.

My very first editor Steve was happy to proof-read my work and made useful suggestions and for this I am incredibly appreciative. I’m also indebted to my friend Michael who pointed out every typo and error, going over my copy with a fine-tooth comb.

The final credit however must go to my grandad Herbert. I hope this series serves as a worthy tribute.

Although I’ve tried to include as much information as I can there’s still plenty I’ve had to leave out. If reading this series spawns any burning questions I’m happy to answer them. The best way of getting in touch with me is on Twitter. My username is @joe_rindl.