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David Baddiel knew that his mother’s family fled Nazi persecution to Britain during the Second World War, and the subsequent search for his uncle Arno led David to conclude that Arno had died during the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw. This search was conducted with the assistance of the Archives of the Jewish Refugees Committee, who provided details of a former search made for Arno just after the conclusion of the war.
However, it was possible to pinpoint exactly when David’s paternal ancestors arrived in Britain by using the 1901 census; prior to 1893, children were listed as being born in Russia, thereafter in Swansea where two branches of the family had settled. Indeed, a search for naturalization papers at The National Archives revealed that the Baddiels had come to Britain from Prel, Latvia – which had previously formed part of the Russian empire.
Catalogue reference: RG 13/5078 f.89 p.7
1901 census returns for the Baddiel family showing that prior to 1893 members of the family had been born in Russia, and thereafter in Swansea.
Catalogue reference: HO 144/890/171077
Naturalization application papers for David Baddiel, which record that his family had originated in Prel, situated in modern Latvia.
If you have an ancestor that was born outside Britain, then the best place to find further advice about where to start your research is www.movinghere.org.uk
