The story of Sir Nicholas Winton's life is amazing: this man saved from the death of 669 Czech Jewish children doomed to die during the Holocaust, but preferred never to recall this page of his biography. The world learned about his feat only half a century later, when Nicholas's wife accidentally found a card file in the attic - photos and names of Jewish children, as well as the information of British families who took them to be brought up.
Nicholas Winton, on the threshold of the war, worked as a regular clerk and hardly thought about exploits. In the winter of 1938, he was going to rest on a ski resort in Switzerland, but instead was forced to go to Czechoslovakia at the urgent request of his friend. Upon arrival in Prague, Nicholas was shocked by what he had seen: the city was flooded with refugees from the Sudetenland, they all needed help, and, of course, the children looked, of course, defenseless. Winton was well aware that all those who stayed in Prague were doomed to death by Nazis, and therefore made the difficult decision to organize the underground evacuation of hundreds of children.
Winton knew that it was necessary to take the children out as soon as possible. He realized that their separation from their parents was inevitable, he also understood that most would not be destined to see their families again, but at the same time he was sure that evacuation was the only way to save the whole generation
At first he organized a census of children in need of evacuation. In total, Winton counted 900 people, the record was taken right in his hotel room, and Winton had to pay a lot of bribes to the Nazis, who started following him. Then he went to the UK, where he found foster families for all children. To legally formalize the adoption, the family was obliged to make a guarantee deposit (in case of possible refusal and sending the child back to their homeland). For those who could not pay the required amount, but was ready to raise children, Winton helped financially.
To organize the saving of children, Winton had to stamp fake visas, negotiate with border guards who gave green light to trains with children. The first train went on a flight on March 14, 1939, the young passengers crossed a long way to London, part of the route they had to swim by boat. To the final destination, 7 trains arrived, with 669 children. All of them were welcomed by British adoptive families.
The fate of another 230 children was tragic. The last (eighth) train did not manage to leave before the occupation of Poland, the borders were blocked. The fate of these children is not preserved, but it is known that during the war the Germans sent to the concentration camps more than 15 thousand Czech Jewish children. Among them, there were almost certainly passengers of the eighth train.
The fate of the surviving children was different: someone stayed in England, someone left for Israel and the United States. Among the surviving children were future filmmakers, scientists, linguists, doctors, journalists.
When Winton's wife found a card file in 1988, she guessed what operation her husband had performed, and turned to television to find the rescued children and to give a real surprise to her husband-hero. Nicholas Winton visited the film studio as a guest, and during the recording of the program in the room were 20 people who owed him their lives and expressed the words of heartfelt gratitude.
Winton's feat was highly appreciated all over the world. At the end of his life, he received many state awards in Israel, the Czech Republic and Britain. Winton did not consider himself a hero, admitted that he could not have acted differently, he understood that one should not turn away from the grief of an entire nation.
Nicola Winton lived to 106 years, and until the last day was surrounded by the attention and care of the children he rescued...
