Did Olga finally lead a happy life?
A tricky question. I do believe that she found peace and contentment in Oxford – and she never lost her capacity for laughter and gaiety. She had a lovely garden, and many close friends who she loved dearly – and who looked after her. But there is no doubt that at times she found life difficult. Although she had come to some kind of understanding with Fred that made it possible for them to live together, Fred was very jealous of any contact she had with Irina, and this pained her. As she reached her seventies she would hark back to the past in Russia, which is why I was able to find out so much about her. Ultimately, however, I think she was reconciled to the fact that she would never know what happened to them. Were any more “lost” friends discovered later? Absolutely – and the coincidences are uncanny. Someone has just written to me from Australia identifying the unknown woman in photograph 27 as her grandmother, who, it turns out, studied law with Olga in Vladivostok! While doing my
