Sir Nicholas Winton rescued 669 Jewish children from the Holocaust, but his narrative stayed obscure until a memorable BBC get-together in 1988 left him unable to speak. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
Eighty years on, the Holocaust endures as one of the most abysmal episodes in human history. Between 1941 and 1945, six million Jewish individuals, along with millions of others, were murdered by the Nazis. Hitler’s ‘final solution’ entailed gathering Jewish individuals and moving them to camps across German-occupied Poland, parts of the Soviet Union, and elsewhere, where they were subjected to methodical annihilation.
Had it not been for the bravery of figures like Sir Nicholas Winton, the number of deaths would have been even higher. Born in Hampstead, Sir Nicholas was instrumental in arranging the departure of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia via the Kindertransport scheme as World War Two loomed.
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He is acknowledged for independently saving at least 669 young people from sure demise under Nazi control, yet his remarkable tale was concealed for almost four decades. An exceptional snippet from a 1988 edition of the BBC’s That’s Life! programme captures the touching scene when Sir Nicholas was reunited with some of those he had rescued, reports the Mirror.
In the clip, presenter Dame Esther Rantzen describes Sir Nicholas’s incredible efforts, displaying the book in which he had carefully recorded the particulars of each child he rescued. She states: “We invited as many as possible of these grown-up children to contact us, so they’d have the opportunity to thank Mr Winton in person. Can I ask, is there anyone in our audience tonight who owes their life to Nicholas Winton? If so, could you please stand up.”
In a memorable moment, a multitude of individuals surrounding Sir Nicholas stood up, leaving him entirely speechless.
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The footage has fascinated viewers for nearly 40 years, with Piers Morgan calling it “the greatest moment in television history”. It’s presently being circulated once more leading up to Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27.
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Sir Nicholas had seemingly remained silent about his deeds before 1939 until his wife Grete found his documents stashed away in an old briefcase. He was subsequently persuaded to appear on That’s Life!, where he was honoured as a hero.
His actions invited comparisons to Oskar Schindler, the German businessman famous for saving 1,200 Jewish individuals during the Holocaust.
Sir Nicholas was 29 when he journeyed to Prague shortly after Christmas 1938, having been invited by a friend to observe the desperate plight of Jewish refugees fleeing across the German border. Understanding their danger, he organised train trips to transport children to Britain and located host families prepared to look after the youngsters until they reached adulthood.
He was knighted in 2003, and in 2014 was awarded the Order of the White Lion, the Czech Republic’s highest decoration. His extraordinary story was adapted for the silver screen in the 2023 film One Life, with Sir Anthony Hopkins playing him.
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Sir Nicholas passed away in 2015 at the age of 106.
A tribute on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website reads: “Sir Nicholas Winton was an inspiration to countless individuals, across the globe. He modestly maintained that anyone would have acted similarly. But they didn’t. Most people stood by.”