Born in Austria by the name of Paul Hornig, Streeten spent his formative years in
Vienna. He became involved in political activism at an early age, and from 1933 on he was under continual threat of arrest and imprisonment. The 1938
Anschluss forced his family to flee Austria, scattering around the globe. Paul was taken in by a kindly English family, but in 1940 he was interned as an enemy alien. He was placed in several different camps, and in each one he occupied himself by setting up lecture or literary study groups. In 1942 he was able to join the UK military in a
commando group destined to fight for the liberation of
Sicily. While awaiting the commando action he again set up a drama group. When the action did take place (1943), Streeten was landed behind enemy lines. After a few weeks of heavy fighting, he was severely wounded. ==Education and early career==