So, who's Bert Mann?
Just about the most extraordinary individual you're ever likely to meet anywhere.
Just about the most extraordinary individual you're ever likely to meet anywhere.
For Want Of 40 Pounds is the astonishing story of Bert Mann, born in 1925 in Austria as Berthold Skurmann. As Hitler's Anschluss ( Annexation) of Austria takes place in March, 1938, life in Vienna is changing rapidly for the Jews. Bert has just turned 13. With business's targeted and anti-Semitic images marring doorways and street corners, his mother loses her store to the new regime.
The days are darkening as Hitler begins to inter the Jews. Many families like the Skurmann’s have their homes and businesses confiscated and are forced to move and find alternate living arrangements. Food is scarce and expensive, and there is never enough to feed families. Such a waste and disgrace, in a city formerly known for it's culinary delights.
Bert's father is picked up and thrown into a Concentration Camp. His mother is forced to move, and Bert watches her struggle to feed him and his brother in their new home: a hovel in a neighbourhood they are unfamiliar with and a far cry from their old apartment. She cooks a few slices of bacon and uses the scented fat to fry tasty bread for their supper.
When Bert can no longer run errands for his customers, there source of income dries up entirely. Even at 13 years of age, he knows it’s time to do something drastic if he wants to save his family.
So Bert enlists his best friend Erich (whose father was also imprisoned) to walk across Europe with him with a vision of making it to England, where surely, they will find someone to help them. Between them, the boys have no money, no food and only the clothes on their backs, but they possess a sense of adventure and extraordinary courage in the face of danger, with young Bert’s fortitude driving them to complete and accomplish their mission. They literally walk all the way through Austria, all the way through Germany (mostly at night to avoid detection) and all the way through Holland to Amsterdam, where on the waterfront, they manage to hide as stowaways on a ship making its way to England.
The journey takes the boys 3 months. But Bert’s life is just beginning.
What happens after arriving in England? Is Berthold able to save his family? What happens to him after the war?
For Want of 40 Pounds is an inspiring glimpse into the life of an incredible man. Join us on his extraordinary adventure called Life.
For Want of 40 Pounds is now for sale through Ingram Sparks Publishing.and Amazon.
The days are darkening as Hitler begins to inter the Jews. Many families like the Skurmann’s have their homes and businesses confiscated and are forced to move and find alternate living arrangements. Food is scarce and expensive, and there is never enough to feed families. Such a waste and disgrace, in a city formerly known for it's culinary delights.
Bert's father is picked up and thrown into a Concentration Camp. His mother is forced to move, and Bert watches her struggle to feed him and his brother in their new home: a hovel in a neighbourhood they are unfamiliar with and a far cry from their old apartment. She cooks a few slices of bacon and uses the scented fat to fry tasty bread for their supper.
When Bert can no longer run errands for his customers, there source of income dries up entirely. Even at 13 years of age, he knows it’s time to do something drastic if he wants to save his family.
So Bert enlists his best friend Erich (whose father was also imprisoned) to walk across Europe with him with a vision of making it to England, where surely, they will find someone to help them. Between them, the boys have no money, no food and only the clothes on their backs, but they possess a sense of adventure and extraordinary courage in the face of danger, with young Bert’s fortitude driving them to complete and accomplish their mission. They literally walk all the way through Austria, all the way through Germany (mostly at night to avoid detection) and all the way through Holland to Amsterdam, where on the waterfront, they manage to hide as stowaways on a ship making its way to England.
The journey takes the boys 3 months. But Bert’s life is just beginning.
What happens after arriving in England? Is Berthold able to save his family? What happens to him after the war?
For Want of 40 Pounds is an inspiring glimpse into the life of an incredible man. Join us on his extraordinary adventure called Life.
For Want of 40 Pounds is now for sale through Ingram Sparks Publishing.and Amazon.