Legacy of War

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Legacy of War: Episode 6

Episode 6

BBC Radio 4 - Legacy of War, Episode 6

Sean Bean presents a series exploring how war experiences filter down the generations

Sean Bean presents a series exploring the ways in which wartime experiences have filtered down through the generations.

Stella Collis was born in London in 1947 but it wasn’t until 2009 that Stella learnt the full details about her father, Gottfried Rabe. Gottfried was a German prisoner of war who at the end of the war was interned at Wormwood Scrubs. In 1947, despite having fathered a child, he was repatriated back to Germany.  Tragically Stella Collis passed away in 2018, however between 2009 and 2017 Stella recorded several interviews as she gained access to German military files and her father’s story began to unfold.  These revelations completely transformed Gottfried’s legacy and Stella’s life.  Stella’s daughter Juliet Weller helps to tell this remarkable story.  

This programme is dedicated in the memory of Stella. 

Produced by Kate Bissell  


BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Factual: Families & Relationships

Factual: History

How wartime experiences have informed the dynamics of families in subsequent generations.

How the experiences of men and women who took part in the war have informed the dynamics of their family in subsequent generations.

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