Based On A True Story of Survival

Towards the end of the Second World War, a tragedy unfolded that many people are still not aware of. The granddaughter of a Countess, Anita, learns not to follow the traditional way of doing things. Heavily reliant on her intuition, which ultimately saved the life of herself and her daughter. She guides her family as they make their escape from East Prussia as the Russians make their final advance.

In the coldest winter for decades, millions of refugees took flight from their homeland, and those who survived were unlikely ever to return. Anita was known as Mutti to all her family, and she and her daughter Inge achieved their goal of reaching a ship that would take them to safety.

Follow Mutti’s Escape From East Prussia During World War II

After spending a night aboard the ship, warm and safe at last, Mutti had a dream. Because of that dream, and amidst her daughter’s protestations, they disembarked the Wilhelm Gustloff. The ship was to set sail the next day. In this unbiased account, hear about what happened next in this shocking true story of incredible proportions that knocks Titanic out of the ballpark.

Photography & Videos

Here is a selection of photos of family and events, which hopefully help bring the story to life. Unfortunately, as you will appreciate, many of the early family photos were left behind in East Prussia, which is now Russia.

Thankfully, Helene went back to Kaukhemen and put as many family mementos as she could in a pram; that is the only reason that there are any photos to share at all.

About Beverly Hopper – Mutti’s Dream Author

Mutti’s Dream is Beverly’s first book. Never having the intention to write a book, she became compelled to write after hearing the story of what happened at the end of the second world war from her mother-in-law Inge on countless occasions.

As Inge grew older, her recollections became stronger, together with the desire for the story to be told to a broader audience. This became a burning passion within her.

Beverly wanted to record Inge’s words as far as possible, but rather than record an interview herself, and she thought it appropriate that her two sons be the ones to undertake the interview. Countless accounts of what happened and the video recording, and the many books and memorabilia assembled over the year formed the book’s basis.

Beverly has a sister Nicky, a brother Nigel and they lived with their parents in Lancashire and Whitby, North Yorkshire, before moving to Sandbach in Cheshire in 1970. Her parents Judy and Michael Walker enjoyed a happy marriage until her father’s untimely death at just 50yrs old. Now Judy and her partner Allan still live in Sandbach, and Nicky lives close by. Her brother and family live in Scotland.

Beverly and her husband met and married in Cheshire, where their sons Daniel and Adam were born. Beverly spent most of her business life working within the financial sector and now runs her own company and, alongside a team of tax specialists, supports businesses in claiming research and development tax credits.

Beverly’s husband Dennis works at Leeds University, and they live in West Yorkshire with a son, Dan, and daughter-in-law Kirsty, living in Chesterfield with their two children Jack and Emily. Her second son Adam is currently living and working in China with his wife Luping, and they have a business called ‘House of VFX” working within the film industry.

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