Sandi Toksvig

Bear in mind, actress.

She lay on the chaise lounge, and before the soldiers arrived, she cut her legs all over with a sharp knife and then applied theatrical makeup so she looked like she had terrible sores on her legs.

And then she covered herself with a shawl, and knowing my grandmother, probably cashmere.

And my father, a small boy, stood in front of the geranium pot which had the gun hidden in it on instructions that at the last minute, if there was nothing else to do, he was to reach for the gun.

And the soldiers arrived, and my father said my grandmother gave the finest performance of her life.

She threw back the shawl and said, how could you accuse a woman who's this ill of doing anything at all?

Look at me.

I can't walk.

He said it was damo camellia.

It was just an amazing performance.

Yeah.

Yes, disgusting them, horrified that you could treat a woman like this, a mixture of trembling lip and outrage, tears.

And they never did take the gun out of the geranium pot.

The men went away.

And that Jewish family was safely taken by small boat across the waters to Sweden.

And years and years later, my uncle, Hans, my father's brother, was getting married and he went to a tailor to have a suit made.

And the man said to him, it's almost making me cry as I say it to you.

And the man said to him, I'm not going to charge you for this suit because I was the small boy who escaped that day from your home.

Well, you know, it's a lot to live up to to have a family like that.

And I remember saying to my dad, why did you do it?