大象传媒

Barbara Winton - daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton - recounts events from 1939/9, when her father helped to rescue 669 children from Prague at the outset of World War 2.

Part 1: Prague

At Christmas 1938 Nicholas Winton - a 29 year old stockbroker from London - was preparing to spend the holiday skiing in Switzerland when he received a phone call from his intended companion, Martin Blake. Martin explained that he had gone instead to Prague and persuaded Nicholas - 'Nicky' - to join him there.

In Prague Martin introduced Nicky to Doreen Warriner, a British aid worker helping with the refugee crisis engulfing Prague following the German occupation of the Sudetenland. Doreen encouraged Nicky to visit the refugee camps springing up around the city and it is following one such visit that Nicky determined he would find a way to help the refugee children.

The task would not be an easy one though: the British government was already involved in helping children leave Germany and Austria, and had no desire to add children from Czechoslovakia to the list. Nicky had to find a way to persuade them.

Duration: 6' 53"

End of speech: '鈥is project to save the children had begun.'

Part 2: London

Barbara Winton continues the story of events in 1939, when her father arranged the rescue of 669 children from Prague.

Nicholas Winton - Nicky - returned to England early in 1939 with the intention of helping refugee children leave Prague. To his surprise the British government gave consent to his plans, stipulating that each child must have a foster family in the UK willing to look after them and a sum of money as surety and to cover the cost of travel home again.

Nicky threw himself into the task of finding foster families and raising money to cover the cost of transporting the children by train from Czechoslovakia.

In Prague Nicky was assisted by Trevor Chadwick, an English schoolteacher who had met Nicky in January. Trevor negotiated with the occupying German forces for the safe departure of the trains from Prague.

Once the children's travel documents had been finalised they could join the next train leaving Prague for safety in the UK. There would be tearful farewells at Prague station as parents said goodbye to their children, not knowing when - or even if - they would see them again.

In total 669 children escaped Prague to begin new lives in the UK. But on 1 September 1939 there was bad news: Germany had invaded Poland and the borders were now closed. A train due for departure that day with 250 children on board never left the station.

Duration: 7' 49":

End of speech: '鈥ho discovered at long last the man who had saved their lives.'

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