Sir Nicholas Winton
(1909 – 2015)
The “British Schindler”
Early Life and Career
Nicholas George Winton was born on 19 May 1909 in London to German-Jewish parents who had emigrated to Britain. Originally named Wertheim, his family anglicised their surname to Winton to better integrate into British society. Raised in a well-educated household, he attended Stowe School, where he developed an interest in fencing, later a member of the British Olympic fencing team.
After leaving school, he pursued a career in banking, studying in Germany then working in London. His work in finance gave him valuable international experience, but he was also deeply engaged in humanitarian causes and formed a lifetime belief in the importance of social equity. By the late 1930s, he had become increasingly concerned with the rise of fascism in Europe, particularly the persecution of Jewish communities under Nazi rule.
The Prague Rescue Mission
In December 1938, Winton was planning a skiing holiday when his friend Martin Blake, a British relief worker, invited him to visit Prague instead. There, he saw first-hand the worsening conditions for Jewish families and political refugees following the German occupation of the Sudetenland. Realising that time was running out, he took action to evacuate children at risk.
Working from a hotel room in Prague, Winton established an unofficial rescue operation, contacting British officials, securing entry permits, and arranging foster homes in the UK. Back in London, he persuaded the Home Office to grant visas and personally lobbied for financial guarantees of £50 per child—worth over £4,500 in 2025. He also worked closely with the Refugee Children’s Movement and coordinated transport by train through Nazi Germany to the Netherlands, where boats carried the children to safety in England.
A final train carrying 250 more children was scheduled to depart on 1 September 1939—the day war broke out—but it was halted by the German invasion of Poland. Tragically, most of those children were never heard from again.
Hidden Story and Late Recognition
For nearly 50 years, my father didn’t speak about his pre-war efforts. It was only in 1988 that his remarkable story came to light. When decluttering the attic, he found the scrapbook filled with names, photographs, and documents relating to the children he had rescued. It was eventually passed to holocaust historian Elisabeth Maxwell, whose husband, the newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell, helped bring the story to public attention.
The story was picked up by Esther Rantzen and my father was invited to appear on the BBC television programme That’s Life! During the show he was unexpectedly reunited with some of the children he had saved—now adults, many with families of their own. The emotional broadcast introduced his story to the world and led to widespread recognition.
If something is not fundamentally impossible, then there must be a way of doing it.
Later Life and Legacy
In the years that followed, my father became an international symbol of moral courage, receiving numerous honours. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, and in 2014, at the age of 105, he was awarded the Order of the White Lion, the highest honour of the Czech Republic.
He continued to advocate for humanitarian action throughout his life, frequently stating that “If something is not fundamentally impossible, then there must be a way of doing it.”
The impact of the 9 month project so many years ago lives on through the generations he saved and the countless people he inspired.
He passed away on 1 July 2015, at the age of 106, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of compassion, determination, and humility.
