The Second World War is not only terrible crimes and massacres, it is also the time of real heroes who, risking their lives, committed brave and noble deeds. One of these knights is, until a certain time, an unknown British subject, Sir Nicholas Winton.
When the horror of Nazism and the dramatic nature of the war were just taking on its sinister shape, this man carried out an operation to remove children from Czechoslovakia captured by the Nazis to England. Having organized this evacuation, Nicholas Winton saved almost 700 Jewish children in 1939. Thanks to his decisive actions, he pulled them out of the clutches of Nazism, thereby saving them from the terrible fate that he had been destined for - death in concentration camps from hunger and torture.
Hero of our time
Sir Nicholas Winton, called in certain circles “the English Schindler,” for a long time was little known to anyone: because of his inherent natural modesty, he practically did not advertise his action, moreover, he never considered him a feat. And only 44 years after the end of World War II, in 1988, the world community learned about the heroic deed of this man.
This happened during the broadcast of the next issue of the popular program on the Air Force channel. It was there, on English television, that Sir Winton met with some of the children whom he had saved from a painful death back in 1939.
These are already adults and in most cases self-sufficient people still call themselves “Nicky’s children”.
Trip to Prague
In the winter of 1939, Nicholas Winton, being an ordinary stock broker at that time, responded to his friend’s offer to visit Prague. Important is the fact that two months earlier Nazi Germany subjected the Sudeten region to occupation, thereby taking a step towards the seizure of the entire territory of Czechoslovakia.
Winton followed with great interest everything that happened in the world on the eve of the war, as he was very fond of politics. The reason he decided to go to Prague was a strong desire to be in the center of events and to see what was happening with his own eyes.
By that time, the situation in the country was seriously complicated, and the policy pursued by the Nazis against the Jewish population had become quite aggressive. In Czechoslovakia, there were many Jews who fled there from Austria and Germany a year earlier during the mass extermination of the Jewish population by the Germans.
Preparing for the evacuation
A large number of children aroused special feelings and understanding in Winton of the need to save them. By and large, at that time there was no one to do this. Winton independently, without the help of any organization, managed to create a program that allowed hundreds of children to be taken out of the occupied country.
He began his active work by opening a small shop where he held meetings with his parents. They were ready to save the lives of their children into the hands of strangers. Nicholas diligently compiled lists of children and developed a plan for how to export them.
In their unbridled desire to meet a man who can give hope for salvation, people came to him in droves. Such mass gatherings attracted the attention of the secret police and the Gestapo. To somehow gain time, Winton had to bribe the Nazis to weaken their attention to his person.
First train
On March 14, the first group of children departed from the capital by train, it happened just a day before the full occupation of Czechoslovakia.
After some time, Nicholas returns to England and develops a special plan to save the children. In addition, he managed to find foster families that guaranteed child care until the latter came of age.
In England, Nicholas was involved in fundraising, and also tackled bureaucratic issues that made it difficult to carry out his rescue operation. Thanks to his efforts, a pledge of GBP 50 was paid for each adopted child. This money was necessary to pay for the road in case the child returned to his homeland.
Last route
For all time, 8 trains departed from Prague to England, but only 7 reached their destination, thus taking out 669 children.
The last convoy, with about 250 children, was due to leave on September 1, 1939 . However, it was on this day that Germany entered Poland. The Second World War began. As a result, all borders were closed, and the further share of passengers remains unknown to this day. Most likely, they were sent to concentration camps, where they died. Many of these children had brothers and sisters who, thanks to the selfless actions of Sir Winton and his associates, were saved earlier.
Life after the war
When the war ended, some children did not want to leave England and remained there to live. However, most still returned to their homeland. Also, a large number of them settled in Israel and the United States. Today they are already elderly people.
By the way, there is an opinion that when the train with the children arrived in London, Nicholas did not meet the passengers personally, but was on the sidelines and simply watched.
According to studies, today around the world there are approximately 6 thousand descendants of the "children of Nicky."
Social Activities of Nicholas Winton
At the end of the war, the UN was created, and Nicholas Winton dealt with refugee issues. He directed his activities to address issues related to property illegally seized by German occupiers. His activity led to terrible finds, among which were many boxes with golden teeth that the Germans tore out from people before sending them into the gas chamber.
Sir Nicholas Winton documented such findings, photographed them, described and created a kind of file cabinet. Much later, Nicholas turned his efforts to charity. He paid special attention to helping the elderly.
Public acceptance
An interesting fact is that until 1988 no one knew what role he played in the evacuation of children from Czechoslovakia. Quite by accident, his wife found an album with photographs, as well as various documents that were directly related to saving children.
After a while, this album appeared on the BBC television company. The company management wanted to remove a program about this person. During its preparation, a massive search campaign was launched, as a result of which 80 people saved by him were found.
During a talk show, the channel’s management invited Nicholas to the studio as a spectator. The intrigue appeared when the host of the program told the story of his evacuation of children. At the end of her story, she turned directly to the saved people and asked them to stand up. Under touching applause, more than 20 people rose.
In 2001, a book was written from the history of Winton's life, Nicholas Winton and the Saved Generation. It is noteworthy that one of the co-authors of the work was the girl he saved - Vera Gissing.
The book became practically a bestseller, and each of the saved children or their families considered it his duty to buy a copy of this work.
Nicholas Winton: The Movie
Having carefully studied the information received, it was decided to make a film about these events.
The circumstances of that dark time formed the basis of the plot of the Slovak-Czech painting, which was called "The Power of Good." Nicholas Winton played himself in this movie.
This film has received good reviews and international recognition, and has also been awarded various awards at international film festivals.
The film premiered on October 6, 2002. The film is directed by Matei Minach.
Nicholas Winton: Fate
Many of the children saved by Winton have succeeded in life. Among them there is a director, a baron, as well as a Nobel laureate.
The work of Sir Nicholas Winton was appreciated by contemporaries. He was erected several monuments in the Czech Republic, England and the United States.
In 2008, the Czech Republic nominated Nicholas Winton for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition, Czech astronomers named one of the smallest planets in his honor.
The Queen of England in the early 2000s praised and noted the merits of Nicholas not only to Great Britain, but to all of humanity, giving him the title of knight.
When Sir Winton turned 105 years old, the children he saved and their descendants presented him with a large cake topped with 105 candles, and the Czech government honored the country with the highest award - the Order of the White Lion.
The most common question he was asked in private conversations and at official receptions was what prompted him to decide on such a dangerous step. In response to which he calmly looked at the interlocutor and answered: "But someone had to do this."
Sir Nicholas Winton certainly lived an amazing life. On July 1, 2015, at the age of 106, the heart of a noble man stopped, who, contrary to all circumstances and overcoming his own fear, did everything in his power to save 669 children from death.