Nicholas Winton meets for the first time the children he secretly saved from the Nazis.

by BBC

In 1938, Nicholas Winton helped 669 Jewish kids escape certain death from the Nazis. He never told anyone.

While on ski trip in Switzerland, Winton took a detour in Czechoslovakia to help the children of refugees. Nazi Germany had recently annexed a large part of Czechoslovakia and the news of Kristallnacht, a violent attack on Jews in Germany and Austria, had just reached Prague.

Winton set up a rescue operation for the children, filling out the required paperwork for them to be sent to homes in Sweden and Great Britain. He had to raise money to fund foster homes for all of them, and then he sent 669 children away from Czechoslovakia on trains before the Nazis closed down the borders.

Winton told no one that he did this, not even his wife. In 1988, his wife found a scrapbook full of pictures of the children and letters from parents in their attic. She arranged to have Winton's story appear in newspapers.

Many of the children Winton saved went on the BBC television program, That's Life, to meet him for the first time since the war. They refer to themselves as "Winton's children."

Winton is now 101 years old and has received awards from Israel and the Czech Republic as well as Knighthood from the Queen of England in 1993.

Published: December 19, 2010
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Visitor Comments: 34

(33) Elizabeth Kautzmann, April 10, 2012 5:55 PM

The Moment All The Survivors Stand

Truly, A life lived without love & compassion is no life at all…such a precious thing...

(32) Saul Pillai, December 6, 2011 6:02 AM

Tzadik

This moved me to tears. You’re a tzadik Mr. Winton.

(31) Tonya, June 16, 2011 1:12 AM

Thank God for people like this man!!

He is a hero in his own right. We need more men like him in this world. This just goes to show that some people still care and are willing to risk their lives for people without thought of race, creed or religion. The jews were and always seem to be targeted for racism. HItler and his racist army lost a victory and he is now in hell for eternity, but the babies and children will be in HEAVEN FOR ETERNITY. Do you think all of his goons and HItler are regreting their hatred for a race of people while the flames torture him every second are burning? The children and the parents who went ot heaven will never be bothered again by this man. They say that history repeats itself, didn't we learn as a human race the first time? Let the blood be on every person's hands that murders a jew and let it never wash off to remind them to persecute God's chosen people.

ladydi, September 21, 2011 7:06 PM

There is certainly a place in heaven for him!!!!

(30) Anonymous, June 2, 2011 5:37 PM

Absolutely Moving

my love goes out to this man, and the heros like him.

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