My father, the German refugee who fought the Nazis as a ‘secret listener’ Fritz Lustig, a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi Germany, arrived in Britain in 1939 and was initially interned as an ‘enemy alien’. He later volunteered for the British army and was recruited into a top-secret military intelligence unit, where his work as a ‘secret listener’ provided vital intelligence against the Nazis. After the war, he became a British citizen, contributing significantly to his adopted country, a stark contrast to contemporary ethno-nationalist views on belonging.

• Fritz Lustig, a Jewish refugee from Berlin, arrived in Britain in 1939, two weeks after his 20th birthday.
• He was initially detained as an ‘enemy alien’ in an internment camp on the Isle of Man.
• Lustig volunteered for the British army and was eventually recruited into a top-secret military intelligence unit.
• His role as a ‘secret listener’ involved eavesdropping on German prisoners of war, providing crucial intelligence that aided the Allied war effort, including operations against V1 flying bombs.
• After the war, Lustig became a British citizen and contributed to society, challenging the narrow definitions of British identity promoted by some far-right groups.
• The article draws parallels between the treatment of Jewish refugees in the 1930s and contemporary asylum seekers, highlighting the enduring fear of foreigners.
• It suggests potential avenues for integrating refugees, such as joining the armed forces or undertaking apprenticeships, drawing on Lustig’s own experiences.