Nicholas Winton

Sir Nicholas George Winton was a British stockbroker and a dedicated humanitarian. He is best known for organizing the rescue of hundreds of refugee children. Most of these children were Jewish and were fleeing persecution by Nazi Germany. Born on May 19, 1909, in London, Winton came from a family of German-Jewish immigrants. His parents, Rudolph Wertheim and Barbara Wertheimer, moved to Britain at the start of the 20th century. To help the family integrate into British society, they changed their name to Winton.

Before his rescue work, Winton led a very active life. He was a successful fencer who competed for the British team in 1938. He worked in various banks in Hamburg, Berlin, and Paris. Eventually, he returned to London to work at the London Stock Exchange. Winton was also an ardent socialist. He was close to many important figures in the Labour Party. These political connections and his own views made him concerned about the growing dangers posed by the Nazi regime.

In late 1938, Winton's life took a dramatic turn. He had planned a skiing holiday in Switzerland. However, a call for help changed his plans. He decided to visit Prague, Czechoslovakia, to assist with Jewish welfare work. He joined a team of volunteers to help children at risk from the Nazis. This group included people like Trevor Chadwick and Beatrice Wellington. They even set up an office at a dining room table in a hotel in Wenceslas Square.

The rescue operation required intense organization and legal work. Winton had to compile lists of children in danger. He then returned to Britain to find sponsors and homes for them. He also had to navigate difficult international laws. For example, the Dutch government had closed its borders to many Jewish refugees. Winton used guarantees from Britain to ensure the children could pass through the Netherlands. He worked to find homes for the children using photographs in the magazine Picture Post.

Winton's efforts were successful, but time was running out. He ultimately found homes in Britain for 669 children. Many of these children later lost their parents in the Auschwitz concentration camp. A final group of 250 children was scheduled to leave on September 1, 1939. However, the German invasion of Poland began that same day. This started the Second World War, and the train could not depart. Of those 250 children, only two survived the war.

For nearly 50 years, Winton's heroic work remained a secret. He lived a quiet life, married Grete Gjelstrup, and had three children. In 1988, his wife discovered a detailed scrapbook in their attic. This book contained the names and addresses of the children and their sponsors. This discovery led to a famous moment on the BBC program *That's Life!*. Winton was invited to the show and was surprised by the presence of many people he had saved. Dozens of the original children and their descendants stood up to thank him.

In his later years, Winton received many high honors for his service to humanity. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. In 2014, Czech President Miloš Zeman awarded him the Order of the White Lion. A statue was also erected in his honor at the Prague main railway station. Winton lived to be 106 years old, passing away in 2015. His story remains a powerful example of how individual choice can change the course of history for many people.