A Promise Fulfilled
Memories of World War II and its Aftermath
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About the Book
A Promise Fulfilled is a memoir by Gisela Wehrhan Christian, who was a prisoner of war in a British internment camp during WWII. It provides a chronicle of familiar, dreadful events from an unfamiliar perspective. Her account of life, before the war intruded, brings to life the vanished world of the German diplomatic community in London. The memoir chronicles loss—loss of the secure world of childhood, loss of home, loss of loved ones, loss of country, as Gisela moves from the England of her childhood to the POW camp, and then on to Germany, Argentina, and the United States.
All the past beautiful and awful times have become very present and alive. Much had been forgotten, much is new and moving. ALL THE SUFFERING AND PAIN.
-Burghild Bachmann, Bavaria,Germany
Read the book, which was sad, informative, and easy to follow. It stirred my heart and brought back sad memories, but I enjoyed the loving way you wrote of your parents.
-Jenny Funaiole, Townsend,MA
My heartfelt congratulations on your truly successful book, which should not be missing on the bookshelf of any individual interested in history.
-Ingrid Schirling, Hamburg, Germany
What destinies, it is hard to imagine what your family had to endure and you, as a young woman, had to experience. Unbelievable!
-Karol-Heinz, Bad Sulz, Germany
I certainly enjoyed your book. I guess I never realized all the tragedy and hard times you had been through. It was wonderful that you were able to record it so that others will realize what you actually went on.
- Carol Clark, Elma, NY
I finished your book and want you to know that I not only enjoyed your book, BUT, also that I could not believe the incredible journey you have had in this life on earth. It brought to light the heartache and pain one suffered during the war. More importantly though, your book showed how the human spirit prevails. Your pain was deep. It lasted a long time. Your book has shown many, life myself, that war is a nasty thing, and doesn’t go away in a day. It shows that the strong, like yourself, will make it. It also shows that life goes on and life is what one makes of it. You certainly deserved to be happy after the miserable happenings which you had to endure. Please know, I think you did a fantastic job on your book. God bless!
- Karen Veilleux, Winchendon, MA
Thank you so very much for speaking to our genealogical group last Tuesday. You were wonderful and gave people a great insight not only into your book, but why it’s important that we put our stories into writing. You are truly an inspiration in many, many ways. God bless!
- Pat McGrath, President of the Worcester Genealogical Society. Worcester, MA.
About the Author
Gisela Wehrhan Christian, the daughter of German parents, was raised in England. During World War II she, her mother, and sister were interned in a prisoner of war camp on the Isle of Man. She returned to Germany near the end of the war, and moved to Argentina in 1951. She settled in the United States with her two children in 1961, and lives in Massachusetts with her husband, John. Margaret Malamud is an associate professor of history at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Martha Malamud is an associate professor of classics at the University at Buffalo (SUNY).