Annie Lennox's shock as she discovers her scandalous heritage

**angelais** · August 4th, 2012, 07:57 PM

A number of years ago my brother traveled far and wide to do the family history on both sides. I found out I had a great, great aunt from the Netherlands whose first name was Kunigunde. Doesn't that sound African? Crazy Dutch.

**Genie123** · August 4th, 2012, 11:04 PM

That show is one of my guilty pleasures.

My father was a milkman! But haven't come across any illegitmate siblings yet.

**Novice** · August 5th, 2012, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by angelais

A number of years ago my brother traveled far and wide to do the family history on both sides. I found out I had a great, great aunt from the Netherlands whose first name was Kunigunde. Doesn't that sound African? Crazy Dutch.

No Wenceslas' wife was called that.

Kunigunde - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**lucianodel** · August 5th, 2012, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Novice

A lot of folks in Europe did all kinds of stuff just to survive during those years. Plus the alternatives weren't social exclusion or a reputation like today, it was deportation to the death camps (as we all know), there is all kinds of history like this.

Well, in this case it wasn't about going to a death camp. They just were on the German side. People that were taken to death camps were mostly the intelligent ones (teachers etc.[my great-grandfathers friend was a teacher and he was taken by Germans, his wife and kids got a letter a few days later saying "do you want us to send you your husbands ashes?".) and those who couldn't work. My great-grandparents survived the war, because-as they said "we worked on a farm, and Germans needed people to work, since soldiers need to eat".

**angelais** · August 5th, 2012, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Novice

No Wenceslas' wife was called that.

Kunigunde - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for that - I will definitely share with my family.

**Novice** · August 5th, 2012, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by angelais

Thanks for that - I will definitely share with my family.

No worries!

Originally Posted by lucianodel

Well, in this case it wasn't about going to a death camp. They just were on the German side. People that were taken to death camps were mostly the intelligent ones (teachers etc.[my great-grandfathers friend was a teacher and he was taken by Germans, his wife and kids got a letter a few days later saying "do you want us to send you your husbands ashes?".) and those who couldn't work. My great-grandparents survived the war, because-as they said "we worked on a farm, and Germans needed people to work, since soldiers need to eat".

I understand what you're saying. I have relatives that lived in Berchtesgaden, indeed some of them are still there....

However, the two bolded statements (if I understand correctly they come from the same people?) are not mutually inclusive. They could have been Natzis, many people were & not just Germans. Or they could have been "ordinary" Germans that needed to make a living. Or I guess they could have been non-Germans that believed in the cause? (I have a feeling that you're Italian? But I might be wrong).

I still think that "things were different then" (ditto to Lola's post). We now like to think that we are more enlightened, however the slave trade still goes on (the EU mafia selling girls into the sex trade is just one example of this)(BTW, I'm not saying that I agree with the slave trade - lets just be clear about that). People from those times would be shocked by changes in our society (the % of unwed mothers for example). Lets learn from our histories, however, you can't go back and change them, accept them and learn from them, teach others from them.....