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Nicholas Winton

From Alfawiki
Sir Nicholas Winton
Born (1909-05-19) 19 May 1909 (age 117)
Hampstead, London, England
Died1 July 2015(2015-07-01) (aged 106)
Occupation(s)Humanitarian, stockbroker
Known forArranging the rescue of 669 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia

Sir Nicholas George Winton (; 19 May 1909 – 1 July 2015) was a British humanitarian and stockbroker renowned for arranging the safe evacuation of 669 predominantly Jewish children escaping Nazi oppression. Born in Britain to German-Jewish immigrant parents, Winton journeyed to Czechoslovakia prior to the outbreak of World War II to identify vulnerable children and coordinated their lawful relocation, sponsorship, and placement with families in the United Kingdom. This mission later became widely known as the Czech .

His courageous efforts remained mostly unnoticed until 1988, when a BBC program titled That's Life! brought him together with many of the children he had saved and their families, earning him the media moniker "British Schindler." In recognition of his invaluable contributions, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed a knighthood upon Winton in 2003 for rescuing Jewish youths from Nazi-controlled Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic honored him with its highest accolade, the Order of the White Lion (1st class), in 2014. Winton died in 2015 at the age of 106.

Early life

Born on 19 May 1909 in Hampstead, London, Winton was the middle child of three siblings to Jewish parents Rudolph Wertheim (1881–1937), a bank manager, and Barbara (née Wertheimer, 1888–1978). His older sister was Charlotte (1908–2001), and his younger brother Robert (1914–2009). The Wertheim family had emigrated from Germany to London two years before his birth. To facilitate assimilation, they adopted the surname Winton and converted to Christianity; Nicholas himself was baptized.

Winton enrolled at Stowe School in 1923 shortly after its establishment but left without formal qualifications. He supplemented his education through night classes while volunteering at Midland Bank. Subsequently, he gained experience working at Behrens Bank in Hamburg and Wasserman Bank in Berlin. In 1931, he relocated to France where he secured a banking qualification while employed by the Banque Nationale de Crédit in Paris. Upon returning to London, he took up a position as a broker at the London Stock Exchange. Despite his profession, Winton maintained strong socialist beliefs and was connected with prominent Labour Party figures such as Aneurin Bevan, Jennie Lee, and Tom Driberg. Through contacts like Martin Blake, he became involved with a left-wing group opposing appeasement policies and alert to the dangers posed by Nazi Germany.

During his school years, Winton distinguished himself in fencing, competing in both foil and épée disciplines. In 1938, he earned selection for the British fencing team and had intended to participate in the 1940 Olympic Games before their cancellation due to World War II.

Rescue work

Just before Christmas of 1938, Winton had planned a skiing trip to Switzerland but altered his plans after receiving urgent appeals from Marie Schmolka and Doreen Warriner. He traveled to Prague to support Martin Blake of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia amid rising tensions preceding German occupation. Collaborating with the Czechoslovak Refugee Committee and volunteers including Trevor Chadwick and Beatrice Wellington, Winton coordinated efforts to protect children endangered by Nazi persecution. Much of their coordination took place informally within a hotel dining room located in Wenceslas Square. Winton spent approximately three weeks in Prague before departing in January 1939—two months prior to the German invasion—while other volunteers stayed behind.

Following , the House of Commons approved a policy allowing refugees under age 17 to enter Britain provided they had secured accommodation along with a £50 guarantee deposit per individual ensuring their eventual return. This legislative measure enabled Winton’s operation to safely evacuate Jewish children from Czechoslovakia.

Netherlands

Obtaining official authorization to enter the Netherlands presented a significant obstacle, as refugees were required to embark on the ferry at Hook of Holland. Following November 1938, the Dutch authorities shut their borders to Jewish refugees, with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee forcibly sending back those discovered to Germany despite the evident risks.

Winton's success hinged on assurances from Britain. Once the initial group of refugees arrived in the Netherlands under the supervision of Quaker Tessa Rowntree, subsequent crossings proceeded without major issues. He eventually arranged for 669 children to be placed with British families, many of whose parents tragically later died in Auschwitz concentration camp. His mother played an active role in finding placements for children in both homes and hostels. During the summer of 1939, he published photographs of the children in Picture Post to aid in securing families. The ferry route utilized vessels named and ; notably, one of these ships appears in a 1938 Pathé News film reel.

Winton also sought assistance from American officials, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging them to admit additional children. He estimated that around two thousand more lives could have been saved if there had been broader support; apart from Britain, only Sweden accepted further refugees. The final group intended to depart Prague on 1 September 1939 was prevented from leaving due to Hitler's invasion of Poland, which marked the outbreak of World War II. Of those 250 children, just two survived.

Winton acknowledged the vital contributions of key Prague coordinators such as Doreen Warriner, Trevor Chadwick, Nicholas Stopford, Beatrice Wellington, Josephine Pike, and Bill Barazetti (1914–2000), who facilitated refugee evacuations. He spent approximately three weeks in Prague prior to Nazi occupation but never visited the Prague main railway station, where a statue now commemorates him. Winton commended Chadwick for persevering with difficult tasks after German forces arrived.

Distinguished individuals rescued

Among the 669 children saved from the Holocaust through Winton's intervention, more than 370 have never been located. In 2015, BBC News highlighted that many survivors may remain unaware of the complete story behind their rescue.

World War II

At the onset of World War II, Winton initially registered as a conscientious objector and contributed his services to the Red Cross.

However, in 1940 he withdrew his objection and enlisted in the Royal Air Force, serving within the Administrative and Special Duties Branch. Beginning his military career as an aircraftman, he advanced to the rank of sergeant before receiving a commission as an acting pilot officer on probation on 22 June 1944. He was confirmed as a pilot officer on probation by 17 August 1944.

Winton was promoted to war substantive flying officer on 17 February 1945, continuing his RAF service after the war concluded. He formally relinquished his commission on 19 May 1954, retaining an honorary rank of flight lieutenant.

Personal life

Following the war, Winton took positions with the International Refugee Organization and later the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Paris. It was there that he met Grete Gjelstrup, a Danish secretary whose father was an accountant. The couple wed in her hometown of Vejle on 31 October 1948.

Together they had three children: Nicholas Jr., Robin, and Barbara. Their younger son Robin was born with Down's syndrome, and the family made a deliberate choice to care for him at home rather than placing him in institutional care, which was uncommon during that period. Robin’s untimely death from meningitis shortly before turning six profoundly impacted Winton, motivating him to establish a local support group that evolved into Maidenhead’s branch of Mencap. Winton also pursued local politics, standing unsuccessfully for the town council in 1954, and subsequently worked within financial departments across several companies.

Honors and recognition

Although Winton referred to his humanitarian work during his 1954 campaign for Maidenhead town council, his efforts remained largely unacknowledged for many years. In 1988, his wife uncovered a comprehensive scrapbook in their attic documenting the children he had saved alongside information about their parents and host families. This material was passed on to Holocaust scholar Elisabeth Maxwell. Through correspondence with known survivors, approximately 80 of "Winton’s children" residing in Britain were identified.

His story reached wider public awareness in February 1988 when featured on the BBC programme That's Life!. During this broadcast, Winton was reunited with several individuals he had helped rescue. A subsequent episode showcased dozens of survivors and their descendants rising to honor him.

In 2003, Michael Aspel presented Winton with a tribute on This Is Your Life at Winton House—a care facility operated by the Abbeyfield Society in Windsor, Berkshire, named in his honor.

By the time his rescue efforts gained broad recognition, most participants involved in the Czechoslovakian kindertransport had passed away. While Winton received extensive acclaim, historians emphasize that this lifesaving mission was a collaborative endeavour and caution against attributing sole credit to him.

In addition to his humanitarian legacy, Winton and his brother Robert founded an inter-regional fencing tournament in 1950. The Winton Cup celebrated its postponed 70th anniversary in 2022 due to COVID-19 interruptions, with regular participation from Winton’s descendants.

100th birthday

To celebrate his centenary, Winton took to the skies over White Waltham Airfield in a microlight aircraft piloted by Judy Leden, the daughter of one of the children he rescued. His 100th birthday was also the subject of a feature in The Jewish Chronicle. In 2014, his daughter Barbara Winton authored a biography entitled If it's Not Impossible... The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton.

Death

Sir Nicholas Winton passed away peacefully due to cardiac arrest on 1 July 2015 at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, aged 106, following a week-long stay in hospital. He was cremated, and his ashes were laid to rest at Braywick Cemetery in Maidenhead, Berkshire, alongside those of his wife Grete and son Robin.

His passing occurred on the same day as the 76th anniversary of the train departure that carried 241 children he saved from Prague. On this date, BBC News released a special feature commemorating several of the youngsters rescued through his efforts.

Honours

Winton was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1983 Birthday Honours for founding the Abbeyfield homes dedicated to elderly care in the UK. He was knighted in the 2003 New Year Honours for his humanitarian contributions, particularly relating to the Czech Kindertransport. During her state visit to Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2008, he had the opportunity to meet the Queen once more. In 2003, he received the Pride of Britain Award recognizing Lifetime Achievement. The British Government named him a British Hero of the Holocaust in 2010.

In 1998, Czech President Václav Havel bestowed upon him the Fourth Class of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The Czech Republic further honored him in 2008 by naming an elementary school after him in Kunžak and awarding him the Cross of Merit, Grade I. That same year, he was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

While he was not officially recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, Winton’s humanitarian legacy remains profound. The minor planet 19384 Winton bears his name, designated by Czech astronomers Jana and Miloš Tichý.

A statue crafted by Flor Kent stands on Platform 1 at Prague’s principal railway station, unveiled on 1 September 2009 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the final Kindertransport train. In London, three memorials at Liverpool Street station honor where these children arrived. Another statue by Lydia Karpinska was revealed at Maidenhead railway station in September 2010 by then Home Secretary Theresa May; it depicts Winton seated on a bench reading a book.

As a secular humanist and committed member of Humanists UK, Winton championed ethics grounded in "goodness, kindness, love, honesty." In an interview from 2015, he shared his wartime disillusionment with religion and underscored ethics as a universal guiding principle.

He received the prestigious Wallenberg Medal in London on 27 June 2013. The following year saw the launch by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation of a literary contest encouraging high school students to write essays about his enduring influence.

On 23 February 2015, Winton was granted the Freedom of the City of London. In 2019, Stowe School, his alma mater, opened a new boys' day house bearing his name: Winton.

Winton Train

On 1 September 2009, a commemorative "Winton Train" journeyed from Prague's main railway station to London, retracing the original Kindertransport path. The train featured one or two steam engines alongside carriages styled from the 1930s. Among the passengers were several surviving "Winton children" and their families, who were warmly received by Winton upon arrival in London.

This occasion commemorated the 70th anniversary of the last planned Kindertransport organized by Winton, which was scheduled to depart on 1 September 1939 but was prevented due to the onset of World War II. At the train’s departure point, a statue honoring Winton, crafted by Flor Kent, was unveiled.

Order of the White Lion

On 19 May 2014, coinciding with Winton’s 105th birthday, it was announced that he would be awarded the Czech Republic’s highest distinction for providing Czech children with "the greatest possible gift: the chance to live and to be free." On 28 October 2014, Czech President Miloš Zeman bestowed upon him the Order of the White Lion (Class I). The Czech Defence Ministry facilitated special transportation arrangements for Winton to attend the ceremony.

The honor was presented alongside an award given posthumously to Winston Churchill, accepted by his grandson Nicholas Soames. President Zeman expressed regret over the delay in recognition but remarked, "better late than never." During the event, Winton also reunited with some of those he rescued 75 years earlier, now in their eighties, expressing his appreciation for their acknowledgment of his humanitarian efforts nearly a century ago.

List of national honours

Country Date Appointment Ribbon Post-nominal letters Notes
United Kingdom 10 June 1983 Member of the Order of the British Empire MBE
Czech Republic 1998 Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Fourth Class
United Kingdom 31 December 2002 Knight Bachelor
Czech Republic 2014 Order of the White Lion 1st Class
Czech Republic 2008 Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence, Grade I.

Memorials

On 22 April 2016, a remembrance quarter peal was performed and a new ringing method called Sir Nicholas Winton Delight was introduced by the Whiting Society of Ringers.

A memorial service held on 19 May 2016 at London's Guildhall attracted approximately 400 attendees, including 28 survivors rescued by Winton and officials representing Czech, Slovak, and UK governments. The following day, military charity Glen Art organized a concert at St John's, Smith Square, featuring performances by Jason Isaacs, Rupert Graves, and Alexander Baillie. Proceeds from this event supported charities aiding Syrian refugee children.

On 14 July 2017, Prime Minister and Maidenhead MP Theresa May inaugurated a memorial garden dedicated to Winton located in Oaken Grove park in Maidenhead.

In popular culture

A theatrical production titled Numbers from Prague centered on Winton was showcased in Cambridge in January 2011.

In Pune, during 2019, the one-act play The Father of 669 was presented.

During an October 2014 episode of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Winton shared his thoughts on his contributions, expressing his belief that he "made a difference to a lot of people," while cautioning that significant global threats persist.

On 19 May 2020, Google commemorated the 111th anniversary of Winton's birth with a dedicated Google Doodle celebrating his enduring legacy.

In December 2023, David Suchet narrated Winton’s story as part of the 2022 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert broadcast on PBS.

Films

The life of Winton served as inspiration for three films by Slovak filmmaker Matej Mináč: the dramatic feature All My Loved Ones (1999), starring Rupert Graves as Winton; the Emmy Award-winning documentary The Power of Good: Nicholas Winton (2002); and the hybrid documentary-drama Nicky's Family.

Winton is also featured in Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000), which received the 2001 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. This film was produced by Deborah Oppenheimer and directed by Academy Award recipient Mark Jonathan Harris.

In the film One Life, both elderly and young versions of Winton are portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn, respectively. The movie debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK on 1 January 2024 through Warner Bros. Pictures.

See also

Further reading

  • Brade, Laura E.; Holmes, Rose. "Troublesome Sainthood: Nicholas Winton and the Contested History of Child Rescue in Prague, 1938–1940", History and Memory, 2017, Vol. 29, Issue 1, pp. 3–40.
  • Winton, Barbara (2014), If It's Not Impossible... The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton, Matador, ISBN 978-1-78306-520-2
  • Harris, Mark Jonathan; Oppenheimer, Deborah (2000), Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, Bloomsbury
  • Levy, Mike (2023), Get the Children Out! Unsung heroes of the Kindertransport, Lemon Soul, UK, ISBN 978-1-999378141

External links

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