West Bloomfield Internal Medicine Introduces
Dermatology and Cosmetic Associates
"Sir Nicholas Winton saw a
need, saw suffering and he
didn't sit down, didn't write
letters; he took action."
4111116
Dr. James Bragman
- Stephen Goldman, executive director,
Holocaust Memorial Center
Sir Nicholas Winton
at 104
modest means:' his son said. "The
children arrived at Liverpool Station
with only a luggage tag around their
necks to identify them."
Determination And
Creativity
Obtaining government approvals
for transporting the children from
Prague to Britain was complicated,
but Sir Nicholas was determined and
creative — forging exit documents or
bribing officials when necessary. The
largest trainload of 250 children was
scheduled to leave on Sept. 1, 1939,
but Britain declared war on Germany
that day and the borders were closed.
The train never left the station and
most of these children later died.
"Something my father regrets
hugely," Winton said.
During the war, Sir Nicholas was
a flight instructor for the Royal Air
Force, unable to serve as a com-
bat pilot because he wore glasses.
Afterward he worked for an interna-
tional refugee organization, collect-
ing lost and unclaimed jewelry and
non-monetary gold for sale to ben-
efit the new State of Israel. Winton
returned to the business world and
became very active in community
service, focusing on special needs
The Czech Kindertransport
children and better housing for the
elderly.
His life-saving Czech
Kindertransport was not well-known
until the 1980s, when Elizabeth
Maxwell, a Holocaust researcher
and wife of British newspaper owner
Robert Maxwell, began to track
down the rescued children. Then Sir
Nicholas was invited to appear on
a BBC television program and was
shocked to learn that the woman
sitting next to him was one of the
Kindertransport children.
"My father, who is very reserved,
became tearful," Winton said.
Since then, there have been many
reunions with the 669 children, their
grandchildren and great-grandchil-
dren, and he has formed friendships
with many of them. There are an
estimated 5,000-6,000 surviving
Czech Kindertransport children and
descendants around the world.
Winton was knighted in 2003 and
has returned to Czechoslovakia sev-
eral times to receive awards.
"My father believed that life was not
a spectator sport:' Winton said. "He
took a big problem a slice at a time. Sir
Nicholas would think, 'We need to do
something. How can I be involved so I
can make a difference?"' ❑
saved 669 lives
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Nick Winton spoke about how his father, Sir Nicholas Winton, 104, saved 669 Czech
children on a Kindertransport to Britain.
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