Winton's Children arrive at Liverpool Street Station to thank the man who helped them flee the Nazis
By Julia Gregory julia.gregory@archant.co.uk AN EMOTIONAL welcome greeted a steam train which arrived in Liverpool Street Station today to commemorate the trains which brought hundreds of children to safety in Britain to flee the threat of the Nazi
By Julia Gregory
julia.gregory@archant.co.uk
AN EMOTIONAL welcome greeted a steam train which arrived in Liverpool Street Station today to commemorate the trains which brought hundreds of children to safety in Britain to flee the threat of the Nazis just before war broke out in September 1939.
Their escape was organised by a young broker Sir Nicholas Winton who met the train today as it completed its journey from Prague carrying some of the 669 Winton's Children who arrived at Liverpool Street on eight trains 70 years ago.
Knighted for his humanitarian work Sir Nicholas who is 100 said: "Seventy years ago it was very difficult to get the children together. It's wonderful that it did work out quite so well as after all history could have turned out very differently."
One of Winton's Children William Kaczynski left Berlin aged three in July 1939.
Most Read
- 1 Cyclist in hospital after lorry collision in Whitechapel
- 2 Section 60 in place across Tower Hamlets after Stepney stabbing
- 3 Mile End: Car crashes into bus stop during police pursuit
- 4 'Lucky' escape: Family flees Bethnal Green fire thanks to fire alarms
- 5 Flats under construction in Hackney Wick to be knocked down and rebuilt
- 6 Warnings issued after four fox clubs found stuck in old car wheels
- 7 Whitechapel nun pens book of 12 stories to inspire selflessness in society
- 8 'A horrific attack': Man suffers critical head injuries from Shoreditch fight
- 9 'Staffing crisis' means children's hospice cannot offer end of life care
- 10 Cycle paths joined up in Aldgate creates 'safe route' through east London
He spent the first ten months of his life in Britain interned in a camp on the Isle of Man and now lives in London.
He said: "We are the lucky ones. Nicholas Winton is terribly upset that that last train of 200 people was stopped and they were taken off and killed. It's beyond comprehension."
Most of the children, who were mainly Jewish, never saw their parents again.
