“My father was a communist, an official and founder of the party. For this reason he had problems with the Nazis, they wanted to destroy him, so in 1938, we had to escape. A lady who worked at the British embassy helped us, I don’t remember her name anymore. It was a long time ago. We became immigrants in England. (...) She helped to place us in a center for refugees, at first in Leeds and then in Skipton in Yorkshire.”
“I learned Czech properly only in England, in the army. I joined the army in 1941 and served there until 1946. I was dismissed in 1946. It was a log time ago, time flies so fast. I don’t have any negative memories, I was lucky, we were doing well there. Before I joined the army I had worked in Manchester in a textile factory, in a leather-making workshop. In December 1941 I joined the army. There was a call to join, but I joined voluntarily. I was dismissed with a corporal’s rank.”
“I was lucky on the front in Dunkirk. Some Frenchman has saved my life. I was walking there and he shouted at me: ´Attention, ici, les mines.´ Watch out, there are mines there. If he hadn’t shouted, I would have stepped on it. (...) The Germans were shooting at the bunker about five minutes after I had left it. If I had stayed in there five minutes longer, I wouldn't be here. My wife then went there with me and I showed her the place.”
“I think it is exaggerated. I have never been interrogated, I didn’t have to report to anybody, nor was I asked to inform somebody about whom I had spoken to or who had spoken to me. They trusted me. I have never been questioned by our authorities.” – “But there are records that StB had contacted you.” – “One time I felt there was some distrust, carefulness on their part. It happened once. Otherwise I never experienced any problems. I like to remember that time, I was very happy. When I was abroad or here at home as well, I was lucky that it turned out so well for me; I had the advantage of knowing several languages: English, French and German. I had no problems.”
“They never questioned me. I enjoyed their trust, I didn’t abuse my travelling privileges and nobody asked me to do it. I avoided these problems. The cooperation worked well. (...) I was lucky.” – “But I have found your name in the list of people who had collaborated with StB.” – “You did? Me as a collaborator? (...) I had their trust; I resisted their invitations to work for the other party or for the authorities at home. Nobody wanted me to become an agent. Nor our people, not anybody from abroad. I was lucky in this way. My conscience is clear.” – “I am surprised that you didn’t know your name was listed among those who cooperated.” – “No, I didn’t know about it.”
Walter Zimmermann, a Sudeten German, was born in 1923 near Jáchymov. His father was a miner, staunch antifascist and a long time official of the district committee of the prewar Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. For this reason the family had to flee Jáchymov in 1938. They lived in Kladno for a short time, and later left for Britain. From 1939 they lived in a refugee camp near Leeds, England. On December 5, 1941 Walter Zimmermann joined the Czechoslovak foreign units. After the war he worked in Abertamy as a technician in a glove-making company. Later he became a director of this factory. From 1962, he worked as a deputy of the head director of the glove-making company in Dobříš. In this position, he was in charge of exports and was able to make use of his language skills. In the 1980s, he worked as a UN expert in the development of a program in Pakistan focusing on the glove-making and leather-making industries. He is listed in the name lists of collaborators with the communist Secret Police, while he himself denies any cooperation with the security forces. Walter Zimmermann died in 2014.
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