USAT General Stuart Heintzelman - 70 years
Yesterday at the Adelaide Lithuanian House we celebrated the arrival of the General Stuart Heintzelman ship 70 years ago. Below is the speech presented at the event. World War II for many in Europe brought sweeping changes. For the Baltic States their independence of 22 years was crushed by Soviet Russians, during the months of June and July 1940. As the war progressed, the German Army replaced the Russians and by 1944, the reverse happened, the Germans were replaced once again by the Russians. It was at this time that many people left Lithuania, making their way west, to Germany. The refugees became known as Displaced Person’s, or D.P’s. The displacement was thought to be temporary, that they would soon be able to return home. When the D.P’s realised that their return would not be in the near future they considered immigration. Australia’s vulnerability of foreign invasion was highlighted during the Second World War. This fear combined with the des...