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Contents Acknowledgements 7 Preface 9 1. Context: The circumstances of Operation Shamrock and the perceptions of the German participants 13 1.1. The start of Operation Shamrock 13 1.2. The conditions in post-war Germany and the Irish invitation 19 1.3. Selection of Irish foster families 29 1.4. Arrival in Ireland 32 1.5. Life in Ireland 33 1.6. The language barrier 35 1.7. Perceived differences between Ireland and Germany 36 1.8. The return 39 1.9. Contributing factors to emotional well-being and a sense of belonging in the Shamrock children 43 1.10. Negative factors 44 1.11. Long-term effects 47 1.11.1. Identity 48 1.11.2. Grassroots connection and relations between Ireland and Germany 51 2. Testimonies: the interviews with THE CHILDREN FROM OPERATION SHAMROCK 53 2.1. About the interviews 53 2.2. Agnes Thevis, née Hammel 55 2.3. Dorothea Cooney, née Masur 59 2.4. Eddy (Edward) Werder 61 2.5. Elisabeth McNicholl, now Elisabeth O’Gorman, née Lilli Kohlberg 65 2.6. Friedhelm Krüll 69 2.7. Gertraud Roßbach, née Westphal 73 2.8. Hans Peter Boden 77 2.9. Heidi Schwandt-Boden 81 2.10. Heinz Kampas 85 2.11. Helmi Saidlear, née Wilhelmine Hubertine Pütz 89 2.12. Helmut Robert Erb 93 2.13. Herbert Remmel 97 2.14. Hildegard Jones, née Grabsch 101 2.15. Josef Kauerauf 105 2.16. Karl-Heinz Hantsch 109 2.17. Klaus Armstrong-Braun 113 2.18. Luzie Weber 117 2.19. Theodore Edward Kavanagh, née Theodore Hermanns 121 3. Fictionalized memory fragments: the short stories 123 3.1. First Girl 125 3.2. First Boy 127 3.3. Second Girl 129 3.4. Second Boy 131 3.5. Third Boy 133 3.6. Third Girl 135 3.7. Fourth Girl 137 3.8. Fourth Boy 139 3.9. Fifth Boy 141 3.10. Fifth Girl 143 3.11. Sixth Girl 145 3.12. Sixth Boy 147 3.13. Seventh Boy 149 3.14. Eighth Boy 151 3.15. Ninth Boy 153 3.16. Seventh Girl 155 3.17. Tenth Boy 157 3.18. Eighth Girl 159 4. Sources 161 4.1. Interviews 161 4.2. Archival sources 161 4.3. Printed Sources 162