My father was born in 1909 in Croatia, which then was part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. He lived with his parents on their farm until he was thirteen years old, and then moved away to become a dyer's apprentice. In those days, people re-dyed their old clothes, or re-dyed the unraveled the yarn of old clothes, to make new clothes. Eventually he started his own shop in the dyers trade. By the time World War II had begun, he was in the Croatian army. When the German military occupied Croatia and took over, they conscripted him into the German army. He spent the war years on the Eastern front. Late in the war was captured by the Russians, but managed to escape and make his way to Austria. He had heard that his mother had fled there. His father had died between the First and Second World Wars. He surrendered himself up to the Americans in Austria, and was interned in a POW camp for a time. After his release he found his mother. Eventually he met and married my mother, who was also of Austrian decent, having been born there in 1918. My brother, Roman, was born in ...
