“I believe our strong sense of social awareness can be traced back to our personal histories,” shares Eva King, as she tends to her 101-year-old husband, Herbert, in their home.

The couple, who crossed paths in London, both have roots in Vienna, Austria, where they were born during the early decades of the 20th century.

Their distinct experiences during that time shaped their resolve to provide shelter for those in need through the organization Refugees at Home.

“I’ve experienced homelessness firsthand… while Herbert came to England on the Kindertransport,” Eva, now 86, reveals.

Although Herbert struggles to recall much from his past and often responds to inquiries about his life with “it was a long time ago,” he took the time to document the journey that ultimately led him to London.

Born into a Jewish family in June 1924, he recounts a childhood that seemed ordinary until the 1938 Anschluss, when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany; this event drastically altered the course of his life, turning survival into his only priority.

“Jewish businesses, synagogues, and any establishments with a Jewish association quickly became targets for violence, theft, and destruction,” he narrates.

He recollects how Nazi soldiers once marched his mother out of their home without warning, forcing her to undertake degrading tasks for hours, such as scrubbing grimy stoves with a nail brush or sweeping the pavement outside their building with a toothbrush.

Herbert recounts a similar experience while walking with friends, when they were ordered to remove old posters from a shop window with razor blades while Nazi guards mocked them, hurling insults.

“Fortunately, I didn’t endure anything more severe, but we heard many tales of people being beaten or imprisoned without food for extended periods,” he shares.

As his school was shuttered and their home faced confiscation, Herbert’s family learned about the possibility of him escaping to Britain via Kindertransport – a rescue mission that brought around 10,000 mainly Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Europe to safety before World War II commenced.

After waiting in line with his mother for two days and nights to register, he found out he was among those chosen.

On December 10, 1938, armed with just a small suitcase, five German marks, and a passport bearing a swastika, he bid farewell to his parents and boarded a train to the Netherlands, followed by a ship to Britain.

By May 1939, he reunited with his mother, who had also managed to escape Austria after receiving a job offer.

As the war unfolded, Herbert learned more about the fates of his relatives; some fled to other countries, including his father, who ended up in an Italian labor camp with Herbert’s uncle, while others perished in concentration camps.

“I thank my lucky stars for coming to England and avoiding the ultimate horrors faced by Jews in Nazi Germany and its allies,” he wrote.

Herbert made London his home after the war, changing his surname from Goldstein to King while pursuing various trades, including setting up coffee stalls and working for a clothing company, where he met Eva, whose sister owned a boutique.

Born in 1939 and not of Jewish heritage, Eva had a distinctly different childhood, enduring the war in Vienna.

“I recall hiding in the cellar with bomb explosions rattling the building, while people cried,” she tells the BBC.

After the conflict, she describes how the Allies divided the occupied city, with her family residing in the French-controlled area.

However, as troops needed space, they lost their home and moved into her father’s factory, eventually cramming into a few rooms shared with a tailor acquainted with her mother.

“I remember the bunk bed; I was on top, my sister beside me, and the other sister nestled between our parents while the tailor and nanny also shared the space,” she recalls. “We must have lived like that for years.”

Eva’s upbringing further involved frequent travels across Europe to attend different schools, being taken in by various families.

She recounts a time when her purse was stolen on a train from Spain, landing her on a beach for the night until she sought refuge with a local convent, which helped her return home.

For both Eva and Herbert, such past experiences have instilled a strong instinct to offer a home to those in need.

“I just believe that if someone is truly in a desperate situation, I’m ready to provide a bed,” she explains.

Thus, they joined Refugees at Home, an organization dedicated to finding safe accommodations for refugees in Britain, welcoming individuals into their west London residence.

They have hosted guests from countries including Yemen, Sudan, and Egypt, many of whom they continue to keep in touch with.

With a joyful demeanor, Eva reminisces about the first individual they welcomed, who arrived at a time of uncertainty regarding his status as a minor or adult. During his stay, she helped him find support.

“I hadn’t heard from him in years when suddenly there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find him hugging me and asking, ‘Do you remember me?’

“He had grown into a well-dressed man, and it felt so rewarding. All I did was welcome him,” she reflects.

She expresses ongoing surprise at the fulfillment that comes from hosting refugees.

Currently, a 20-year-old man from Colombia is staying with them, and she describes him as a cherished friend.

“I had no idea how enjoyable hosting would be… Just yesterday, we were laughing together like teenagers until one in the morning,” she shares.

She has invited him to celebrate Christmas with them, even as their home fills with friends from China and a great-grandson bringing four friends over from Israel.

“I thought, the more, the merrier,” she concludes. “If we have to make do, then we will.”