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1
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,599
There are some stories
which we are not only an audience to,
2
00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,439
but may become their participants.
3
00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:06,079
Until 1988 it was all a mystery.
4
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,879
This old man saved my life
5
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:15,039
and that of hundreds of others
in the 2nd world war.
6
00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:22,999
Yet for 50 years after our escape
from all but a certain death,
7
00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,119
we knew nothing about him.
8
00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,639
Not even that he existed.
9
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,279
Now he is celebrated as a hero.
10
00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:40,119
He insists that what he did
was nothing to make a fuss about.
11
00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:47,879
His story came to fascinate people
the world over, especially children.
12
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:53,359
They wanted to know more, much more.
And they had questions.
13
00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,479
Why did he do it?
14
00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:00,239
How did he manage to succeed in
what seemed like mission impossible?
15
00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,879
So along with others
I set out to discover
16
00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,839
and tell the story in a film.
17
00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,719
Given that I owe my life to him
I couldn't have done no less.
18
00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:35,279
NICKY'S FAMILY
19
00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,839
Nicky's story came out by accident
20
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:48,639
after this scrapbook surfaced
after gathering dust decades.
21
00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:53,639
Once it did, though, it set about
a whole chain of incredible events.
22
00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:56,639
Oh, hey guys, that's me.
23
00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,559
-Really?
-Before I left for England.
24
00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,479
The scrapbook is filled with
photographs of children
25
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,999
caught up in a lottery of life
and death, some of their drawings,
26
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:12,759
urgent telegrams and pleading letters
from their desperate parents -
27
00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,799
messages from a long ago past
28
00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,959
that brought on
a rush of childhood memories.
29
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,479
Memories of the 1930's,
30
00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,039
of the pleasures of childhood
in Czechoslovakia -
31
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:47,399
the country we all came from.
32
00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,119
As I remember life in my own hometown
of Bratislava,
33
00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,159
the capital of Slovakia,
34
00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,719
it was a pleasant, tolerant,
multicultural and multilingual place.
35
00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,959
I learned to greet my mother's
women friends
36
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,719
with the then standard politeness of:
"I kiss your hand."
37
00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,639
It was, and I remember it still:
"Ruku bozkavam" in Slovak,
38
00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,759
"Ruku libam" in Czech,
"Ich kuess die Hand" in German
39
00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,399
and "Kese czokolom" in Hungarian.
40
00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,559
What I remember most vividly, though,
are the small things
41
00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,399
like going to a café with my father.
42
00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,999
And he used to play chess
and we used to get hot chocolate
43
00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,839
with lots of whipped cream
on top of it.
44
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,559
From my childhood as a family,
we were very patriotic.
45
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:50,959
My father encouraged us to go to all
the Czech wonderful manifestations
46
00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,719
that took part because Czechoslovakia
was for the first time
47
00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:00,039
a country of its own and we all
believed in its great future.
48
00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,439
49
00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:16,719
and enjoyed many good things.
50
00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:18,599
My brother was marvelous.
51
00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,239
He invented all kinds of wonderful
games for us to do,
52
00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:25,719
which were usually a bit risky
and a bit naughty.
53
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,399
And I would have done anything
with him at all.
54
00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,799
We lived in a small village
in the foothills of Tatra mountains.
55
00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,119
And we had a very happy childhood.
56
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,319
We spent a lot of time in the woods,
57
00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,039
picking strawberries and mushrooms
and wild flowers.
58
00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:48,599
And we had animals.
59
00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:54,599
I had a chicken, and we had one cow,
and we planted vegetables.
60
00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,439
And my mother taught us all
the Slovak songs
61
00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,079
and we sang together a great deal.
62
00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:29,159
We used to go every Sunday
to Karlovy Vary along the promenade.
63
00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:35,319
My father was an amateur dancer
and won many prizes
64
00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:38,439
and it was a well-known
family outing.
65
00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:45,439
We had a good life
till the Nazis took over in 1938.
66
00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,879
Before Nazism was born and grew
and strength in Central Europe.
67
00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:10,439
It started with Germany's
Nazi dictator, Adolph Hitler,
68
00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,879
instilling hatred in Germans
from childhood up for everything
69
00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:19,519
he considered foreign, most of all
for Jews, Gypsies and Slavs.
70
00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:26,159
And he used the hate he had whipped
up to prepare his nation for war.
71
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:42,519
You could hear Hitler's voice
raving on the radio.
72
00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,079
You could see the Hitlerjugend -
Hitler youth,
73
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,599
marching through our streets
74
00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:56,559
and you could feel the danger
getting closer and closer and closer.
75
00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:04,039
We were 7-year-old children
in 2nd grade (in German school)
76
00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,039
and one day a girl comes up to me
and slaps me on the face,
77
00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,959
and she said:
My father told me to do that.
78
00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,919
So I was stunned, I was
flabbergasted. How can she do that?
79
00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:25,239
I was only about 4 or 5 years old
(living in Sudetenland),
80
00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,759
but I hit my head on
the central heating radiator
81
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:33,839
and I cut my head open and I remember
my father taking me to the doctor
82
00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,719
and the doctor looked at it
and he said:
83
00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,759
That does need stitching,
but I don't stitch Jews.
84
00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:46,519
The hatred coming from Germany
didn't just endanger Jews,
85
00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,599
but also the Czechs as well.
86
00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:53,599
They turned out to protest Hitler's
demands for a chunk of their country,
87
00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:55,959
the so-called Sudeten borderlands.
88
00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,319
The Czechs mobilized
to defend themselves.
89
00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,239
But they needed help
from their allies in the West.
90
00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,399
Neither in Britain nor for that
matter in any other democracy
91
00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:16,919
was there any great will
to confront Hitler and risk war.
92
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,119
So the British and French
prime ministers went to Munich
93
00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:26,239
and ended up signing
a humiliating deal with Hitler.
94
00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:38,039
The word Munich has ever since
then stood for cowardly appeasement.
95
00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,159
At the time, though, when
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
96
00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:46,079
returned here to parliament
and waved that piece of paper
97
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,479
and declared it to have brought peace
for our time
98
00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,639
a wave of relief swept
through most of Europe.
99
00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,319
But not in Czechoslovakia, of course.
100
00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,799
We lived in Sudetenland,
in the town of Pohberovice,
101
00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,599
which is near to the border
of Germany.
102
00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,559
It all happened so suddenly.
103
00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,799
My mother took us 4 children,
104
00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:29,319
we didn't manage to take anything
at all, we just ran for our lives.
105
00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,319
This was frightening for children.
106
00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,279
I remember standing in front of
a shop window
107
00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,479
where there was
a map of Czechoslovak republic
108
00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,639
and in black ink was marked
in the part,
109
00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,959
which was handed over to Hitler.
110
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:49,639
And there were people all around the
shop making all kinds of bad remarks:
111
00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:54,279
Well, you can't do that, we will
fight, we will fight, we will fight.
112
00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,879
I remember the following day
loading all our few belongings,
113
00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:04,719
there weren't too much, on a horse
and cart and we were out of there.
114
00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:10,879
My parents, my brother and I
and that time I was just 6 years old.
115
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,919
We had no clue what was going on.
116
00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:26,079
There was a new refugee in our class
117
00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:33,279
and I was most surprised to see
that she had no shoes on her feet.
118
00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:37,239
When break came,
I ran across the road
119
00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:43,159
and took out of my wardrobe my best
shoes and brought them to her.
120
00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,119
I told mother what had happened.
121
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,999
Tears appeared on her face
and she hugged me.
122
00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,199
And she said: You did
the right thing, my little girl.
123
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,879
The first pages of the scrapbook
and of our story
124
00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,159
came to be written in December 1938.
125
00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,879
You look at the pictures
and the list of all of us
126
00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:22,679
and you have to wonder
127
00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,799
what made a 29-year-old Englishman
do such a thing?
128
00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,159
In a way,
what Winton did was surprising.
129
00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,719
The world was his oyster.
In the depth of the Great Depression,
130
00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:47,599
his job as a stock broker
allowed him to enjoy the good life.
131
00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:52,599
He was a champion fencer also loved
to sail, to ski and to travel.
132
00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,119
In 1938, with Christmas approaching,
133
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,919
Winton had his mind set on going
to Switzerland for a skiing holiday.
134
00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,759
He wasn't exactly
the kind of young man
135
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:13,399
you would normally associate with
a passion for altruism.
136
00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:17,639
At least not until that phone call
that changed his life,
137
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,799
my life and the lives
of so many others.
138
00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:30,079
The phone call was from Prague,
from Martin Blake,
139
00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:34,239
a friend with whom Nicky had planned
to go on that skiing trip.
140
00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,799
Blake said he couldn't make it
because he had gone to Czechoslovakia
141
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,719
to help people in trouble
with the Germans.
142
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,559
So Nicky decided to forget
the ski trip and join Blake
143
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,039
to take a look at
what was going on there.
144
00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:02,199
I went to Prague with the background
knowledge of people in England
145
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:07,159
who felt they knew much more
about what Hitler was up to
146
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,079
than the present government.
147
00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,719
The first thing I did then
was to go around the camps
148
00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:23,399
where all the people endangered
by the Nazis
149
00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:28,839
were living in misenhuts
with one little stove in the middle.
150
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,519
And the conditions
were pretty terrible.
151
00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,759
It was very cold, snow on the ground;
152
00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:41,199
a lot of the refugees were
in a very bad shape.
153
00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,039
They felt that their days
were numbered
154
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,359
before the Germans were going to
arrive in Czechoslovakia.
155
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,439
But how could they save themselves?
What could they do?
156
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,519
Where should they go?
They were stuck.
157
00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:03,719
While Winton was in Prague,
he was given a map that shook him up.
158
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:05,759
He showed the map -
159
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:10,959
a map of German plans and ambitions
for territorial expansion to friends.
160
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:16,439
It says: Ein Volk,
ein Reich, ein Fuhrer.
161
00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,879
One people, one empire, one Fuhrer.
Gross Deutschland.
162
00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:22,879
And what it showed was
163
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:27,159
that the Germans had an ambition to
take over the whole of Europe.
164
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:29,399
Nobody had believed it.
165
00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:50,999
There were many other people refugees
like us, small children.
166
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:56,119
There was a fire, smoke from cooking
and heating and...
167
00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:02,239
I remember being given something hot
because it was cold weather then.
168
00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,359
The desperation was not just
among the poor in the camps.
169
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,199
In Prague and elsewhere,
anxious parents,
170
00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,639
having heard about
this concerned Englishman,
171
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,039
headed for Winton's hotel.
172
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,159
Well, I didn't get much sleep.
I got to bed very late
173
00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,159
and there were people knocking
at my door in the morning.
174
00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:40,679
I saw those people
who were in difficulty, in danger,
175
00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:45,919
people on Hitler's black list
for whom there was nobody to help.
176
00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:51,159
I thought, at least I ought to
try to save the children.
177
00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:07,999
Everybody in Prague said:
178
00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,399
There is no organization
to deal with the children.
179
00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:13,559
We can't deal with them.
180
00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,199
Anyway, nobody will let
the children in on their own.
181
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,879
But if you want to have a go,
have a go.
182
00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:24,719
And I have a motto that if
something isn't blatantly impossible,
183
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,239
there must be a way of doing it.
184
00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,639
So he started writing letters,
here and there, asking for help.
185
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:45,439
And he had no hesitation about going
right to the top -
186
00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,639
writing to the White House,
to president Franklin Roosevelt.
187
00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:00,879
A few weeks later, he got a reply.
Not from the White House, though,
188
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,239
from much lower down on
the diplomatic foot chain.
189
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,519
From this building here in London
190
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,039
which at the time housed
the American embassy.
191
00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,279
And the reply said:
The United States government
192
00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,719
is unable to permit immigration
193
00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,799
in excess of that
provided for by existing laws.
194
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,519
But Winton wasn't about to
let this stop him.
195
00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,399
He and his helpers started making up
the list of children
196
00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:47,279
without actually knowing whether
they would be able to help them.
197
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,679
This is the café
that I came down every day.
198
00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,479
I wasn't sitting there
for more than two minutes
199
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,279
before the first people
came to talk to me
200
00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:02,159
and find out how they could get
their children to England.
201
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,039
And this went on
the whole time I was here.
202
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,479
As word of his campaign spread,
it drew the attention of the Germans.
203
00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,879
They suspected
that Winton's efforts
204
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,119
were about something more
than just getting out a few children.
205
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,959
When their distant observations
produced nothing,
206
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,279
they decided they needed to
get closer to him.
207
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:49,279
Which they did - using one of the
oldest tricks in the spy business -
208
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:51,559
the lure of a beautiful woman.
209
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,359
They met, as if by chance,
at the hotel Sroubek.
210
00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:13,599
Nicky was enchanted
and not just by her beauty.
211
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,759
Her name, she said, was Kerstin
212
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:20,439
and she was the Prague representative
of the Swedish Red Cross.
213
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,999
I do say she was very beautiful.
214
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:30,279
I mean, it's traditional for a spy
to be beautiful, isn't it?
215
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:35,519
You can't have an ugly spy,
it's a contradiction in terms.
216
00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:42,799
She told him she had the permission
to bring the children to Sweden.
217
00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:54,279
Winton's hopes soared.
218
00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,279
Finally, a chance perhaps,
to get some children out.
219
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,039
Friends warned him
that she was a known Nazi spy.
220
00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,479
Nicky forged ahead anyway
and kept on seeing her.
221
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,399
And it paid off.
222
00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:19,439
Kerstin got 25 children
admitted to Sweden.
223
00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,439
In fact, she flew off to Sweden
with them
224
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,919
and disappeared
from Nicky's life completely.
225
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,959
My parents tried every way
to get us out of Czechoslovakia.
226
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:48,639
We tried to get to America, we tried
to get to England, to Palestine.
227
00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:53,279
But all the governments said:
Our borders are now closed.
228
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:59,879
My mother got up every day
at 4 o'clock
229
00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,359
and went to stand in queues
of different consulates -
230
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:10,639
for getting papers to Uruguay and
some other unmentionable places.
231
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,039
And there was no way out.
232
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:18,119
We knew that the timing
was absolutely essential
233
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,919
to do everything now and quickly.
234
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,999
The number of children
235
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,999
who were in urgent need of leaving
the country for safety
236
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:33,119
was certainly over two thousand.
237
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,679
Nicky kept of meeting
with the families,
238
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,079
working on a list of children.
239
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:50,119
Then suddenly his work was threatened
by a phone call from London.
240
00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:52,799
The call was from his boss.
241
00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,839
My boss from the stock exchange
242
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,879
didn't think that what I was doing
in Prague was important.
243
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,839
He didn't think it was necessary.
244
00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,239
He said: Why do you want to
stay in Czechoslovakia
245
00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:10,879
and help those far-off people the
people don't know anything about?
246
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,239
He was just a money chap
on the stock exchange.
247
00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,639
Completely non-humanitarian,
248
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,559
with bags of money
and all he thought about was money.
249
00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:26,319
Winton, to the relief
of his co-workers,
250
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,479
decided to defy his boss
and stay in Prague.
251
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:36,599
Nicky Winton's efforts
came to the ears of all those
252
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,559
who had decided to send
their children away
253
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:45,119
that my father also approached
this Refugee Committee.
254
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:53,719
My mother took me to
the Winton office on Hrubesova ulice.
255
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,799
We stood in line
on a winding staircase for hours
256
00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:02,319
till my turn came
and I was registered.
257
00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:15,559
The parents exchanged
their hopes and fears
258
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:19,319
and we children eyed each other
for potential friends.
259
00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:27,759
You had all these refugees
who were fleeing from Hitler
260
00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,559
and who were in danger of their lives
261
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:35,479
if Hitler made another move
into Czechoslovakia.
262
00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,519
This was the day
the Germans occupied Prague.
263
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,919
There were convoys approaching,
264
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:58,319
Germans with motorcycles
in front with sidecars
265
00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:01,999
and behind them
there were the big trucks,
266
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,519
open trucks with soldiers
seated on two rows.
267
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,119
People on the streets were screaming
at them, women were crying.
268
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:21,599
Finally, a very large Mercedes drove
past with Hitler standing there,
269
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:28,239
with his arm raised,
with three officers sitting behind.
270
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,959
It was so quiet, it was like
you could hear the pin drop.
271
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:42,479
It was a very disturbing feeling
to me, I was 10 years old.
272
00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:01,399
As soon as Hitler came in,
a Nazi officer came to our school
273
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,199
and said:
Who are the Jewish children?
274
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,039
And another child and I
put my hand up.
275
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:11,759
So he said: You will sit at the back!
Jewish children sit at the back!
276
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,559
When he went out the headmaster
came in and he said:
277
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:21,159
From now on,
the back seat is the seat of honor.
278
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:23,799
Only the best children sit there.
279
00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,119
That was Czechoslovakia.
280
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:35,079
Winton wrote all over, looking for
countries to take in these children.
281
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,559
Only one responded positively -
his own country, Britain.
282
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,279
The rest of the world
closed its eyes, its ears,
283
00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,959
its hearts and its gates.
284
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,199
Winton started his work
in London from scratch.
285
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,399
There was no organization,
no existing pipeline
286
00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:01,639
and he was convinced that time was
running out, that war about to come.
287
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,599
From this house
on London's Hampstead Heath,
288
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,639
Winton conducted his campaign
289
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,559
to get the Germans
to let the children out,
290
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,199
the British Home Office
to let them in,
291
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,879
to find British families
to take them into their homes
292
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,119
and to raise the money
to make it all possible.
293
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,239
One of the chief problems was
that people said
294
00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,959
that the English government
would never allow children in
295
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,359
on their own without their parents.
296
00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:43,119
I asked the Home Office
and they said yes.
297
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,839
And they gave me certain conditions,
which were difficult.
298
00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:53,959
I had to find a family,
which would look after the child.
299
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,999
And each child had to have
a guarantor of 50 pounds.
300
00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,399
It was a hell of a lot of money.
301
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,839
When I say the Committee in London,
302
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,119
it was me and a secretary
working from home.
303
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,479
I mean, we had no office.
We weren't an official body at all.
304
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,639
So all I had to do was to buy
some notepaper
305
00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:20,119
and print British Committee
for Refugees from Czechoslovakia.
306
00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:27,279
And at a very special meeting
I had with myself
307
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:33,199
I them appointed
myself Honorary Secretary.
308
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,079
Then I had the police 'round
309
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,159
asking me why I had so much
correspondence with Prague.
310
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,319
The situation in Prague was serious.
311
00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,759
There was active menacing hostility
from the Germans.
312
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,399
When Hitler came
and Germans occupied Czechoslovakia
313
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,079
I had to leave school.
314
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:20,039
We couldn't go to the movies,
to the opera
315
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,639
or to concert,
everything was forbidden.
316
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:29,479
Father was driving
along the Karlovo namesti,
317
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,559
saw that the Gestapo
made an action there -
318
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,879
and they were taking people out
and putting them on a truck.
319
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,679
Every family was scared.
Which family wasn't scared?
320
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,559
Every family was scared.
321
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:48,639
Whenever my father left
for the office in the morning
322
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:53,199
my mother was terribly upset
and quite often cried
323
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,679
because she was so worried
that he might never come home again,
324
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,319
being arrested by the Germans.
325
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,639
One day, some German officers
came to this Jewish town hall
326
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,959
and demanded from my father
327
00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,359
a list of names and addresses
of the Jews in Prague.
328
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,479
And he told them that he
didn't have anything like that.
329
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,119
My father was a wanted person.
330
00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,359
And he was warned to leave.
331
00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,719
A few days later the Gestapo
did come to look for him.
332
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,319
They took my mother away
for questioning.
333
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,639
Well, I was beginning to pick up
tension and worry in the grownups.
334
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:03,479
My uncle and his wife
committed suicide.
335
00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:09,999
And then, the next day,
336
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,119
someone came to our house
and said Brno was burning.
337
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:16,959
I was terrified of fire.
338
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:19,759
That was the day then
339
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:25,159
that there were 3, 4 synagogues
burned down to the ground.
340
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:34,839
As the despair of the parents grew,
so did the pressure on Winton.
341
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:38,719
With photographs of applicants
continuing to flow in.
342
00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:45,199
A simple snapshot could often
decide the fate of a child.
343
00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:59,279
We received the pictures
of the children from Prague
344
00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:01,759
with details of each child.
345
00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:05,599
We enlisted these pictures
in the local press,
346
00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:08,159
the national press, in Picture Post,
347
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,679
which was a journal
which helped us enormously.
348
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:18,119
What made Winton so effective
349
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,799
was that in the addition
of his skills as a salesman,
350
00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:27,519
he also had a creative spark
and willingness to experiment.
351
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:41,239
We put 6 or 8 of these children
together on one card
352
00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:43,719
merely to speed up
the process
353
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,879
of getting the British families
to choose.
354
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:53,759
If somebody said: We'd like to take
a child, we just said: What sex?
355
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,159
And then we said: What age?
356
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,639
We gave them pictures of
half a dozen children
357
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:02,959
and then we asked them to
choose a child,
358
00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,559
which was rather a commercial way
of dealing with it,
359
00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,079
but it was quick
and effective and it worked.
360
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,199
And in most cases it went right.
361
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:46,279
When somebody wanted to take a child,
362
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:50,959
say they were up in Newcastle, from
London which is a long way away,
363
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,919
we got somebody in Newcastle
to see that the family was ok.
364
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,959
Then we got to send them photos
of a number of children.
365
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,799
My father came home
with his eyes shining,
366
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,239
grinning from ear to ear and said:
367
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:12,359
We think we may be able to
save a child.
368
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:17,199
And my mother said: That's all very
well with your head in the clouds,
369
00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:20,599
always saving the world,
but how can we afford it,
370
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:23,519
an extra child coming into our home?
371
00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,679
And my father said:
There's a child in need,
372
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:31,079
we will work out
"Can we afford it?" later.
373
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:35,119
And he got from Nicholas Winton
two photographs
374
00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,799
and put them in front of me and said:
375
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,199
Now, these are little girls
now you must choose.
376
00:34:41,240 --> 00:34:45,159
This isn't just a game anymore,
you have to be serious.
377
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:49,239
So I chose Vera Diamantova.
378
00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:56,159
How did you feel
when you were told or asked
379
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,039
that you were going to go to England?
380
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,799
We were sitting down
around a table having supper.
381
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:10,279
But mother wasn't eating and suddenly
she put her knife and fork down
382
00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:14,879
and looked at father
and said very quietly:
383
00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:21,999
I heard today that both Eva and Vera
can go to England.
384
00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:27,279
And my father looked up and there
were tears in her eyes as he said:
385
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:31,759
We have to let them go.
386
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:42,119
There was a lot of sadness
in the house
387
00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:47,799
and also a sort of
peculiar atmosphere.
388
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,279
My father looked sad, my mother,
obviously, was devastated.
389
00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:59,399
One day I remember
my father called me and he said:
390
00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:02,079
You're going on a long journey.
391
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:06,159
You're going to a country
called England.
392
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,679
We can't come with you.
393
00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:30,599
The pressure from the parents
was incredible.
394
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,079
We in London at that time thought
395
00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:43,399
that there was going to be
a catastrophe at any moment.
396
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,079
And for us time was
absolutely essential.
397
00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,239
We cut all kinds of corners,
398
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:54,799
even having faked passports
or travel documents
399
00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,919
made at some time because
the Home Office was a bit slow.
400
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,559
It was a forgery to bamboozle
the Germans, really,
401
00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:09,679
not to bamboozle the British.
402
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:12,559
We didn't bring anybody in illegally,
403
00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:16,199
we just speeded
the process up a little.
404
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:28,399
Two days before I left
with the Kindertransport,
405
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:32,079
my parents took me
to some resort near Prague
406
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:37,359
where there was a lake where
they wanted to be alone with me.
407
00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:43,359
I saw a very pretty young girl there
408
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,119
and I offered to teach her
how to row
409
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:54,039
and I got completely lost
in this activity.
410
00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:00,599
Finally when I came back my mother
looked at me with great relief
411
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:02,519
and reproach and said:
412
00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:07,439
Is that what you do to your parents
one day before you are leaving?
413
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,999
And I felt very guilty about it.
414
00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:16,319
I have a dress that my mother
made for me.
415
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,799
She made everything herself.
416
00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:22,999
She sowed for us to have clothes
not only for the age
417
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:25,919
that we were at the time,
but for...
418
00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:31,319
she didn't know how long it would
last, how long we would be away,
419
00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,679
so she sowed for a year ahead or so.
420
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,959
Then the day came
when we had to leave.
421
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,439
We went to the train.
Everybody was there already -
422
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:47,559
my grandparents and all our friends
and all our neighbors.
423
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:49,679
And they came to say good-bye.
424
00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:58,319
My mother with a friend of hers
took me to station.
425
00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:05,559
And I can still see the tension
on my mother's face, looking anxious.
426
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:10,079
There were German soldiers
standing nearby,
427
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:13,199
lots of other parents seeing
their children off
428
00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:19,479
and a clear sense of tension,
which even a 6-year-old child felt.
429
00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:26,239
My mom, she's crying so hard and...
She was hysterical.
430
00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:31,079
And she's asking us over and over:
Are you sure you want to go?
431
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:34,559
Are you sure you want to go?
432
00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:38,559
I am frustrated -
why is my mother crying like that?
433
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:47,919
The transport was due to leave,
I'd get a message from the Germans:
434
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:52,599
We can't let the transport go unless
you give us so much more money.
435
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:57,199
So they were terrible.
You just had to find the money.
436
00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:03,039
There's no way you can cancel
a big operation like that.
437
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:21,079
Was it easy for you to leave
and to go to England?
438
00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:25,119
I have to say, it was
because I was looking forward to it.
439
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:29,719
Here I was a kid from Central Europe
and I was going to England.
440
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,959
So then the last thing my dad
said to me was
441
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,039
I should be his brave,
cheerful little girl.
442
00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:44,959
And I think I have been.
443
00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:48,599
And he said: See you soon.
444
00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,399
My mother was beside herself.
445
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:11,399
My little sister was crying,
my mother wanted to hold her,
446
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:16,279
she took my sister through
the open window off the train.
447
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,599
We kept on telling my mother
to keep her
448
00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:23,319
when she took her out
of the window and she held her...
449
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:28,279
I know how much she suffered,
really. I can just visualize it.
450
00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,479
It just makes me cry
when I think about it.
451
00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:51,159
And if she hadn't put her back on
she wouldn't have survived.
452
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:56,119
Decades later, I would catch myself
looking at my own children,
453
00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:59,679
trying to recapture a fraction
of the dread those
454
00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:02,999
and my parents must have felt.
455
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:15,959
Today you have to realize
the sacrifice our parents did for us.
456
00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:20,559
They didn't know
where they were sending us to.
457
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,799
It was the courage of our parents
to send their children away.
458
00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:44,679
We all had one little suitcase
and a little blanket
459
00:43:44,720 --> 00:43:48,559
and we sat on these benches
here in a carriage like this
460
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:52,479
and there were a lot of children...
a lot of crying...
461
00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:54,399
everybody was crying.
462
00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:02,559
It was a long journey and so I
climbed up on the shelf like this
463
00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:08,559
and I could stretch my legs
and it felt good, I was happy.
464
00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:15,519
70 years after we left for Britain,
many of us found themselves
465
00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:19,719
making the journey all over again
on a special train.
466
00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:23,359
It was a time to remember
and reminisce.
467
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:32,559
They put me in charge of you.
468
00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:37,719
And I put you on my lap and we
started playing Hop, hop, rider.
469
00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:40,439
-You still remember that?
-I remember.
470
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,799
Hop, hop, rider
If he falls he will be crying.
471
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,319
If he falls into the ditch,
He will be eaten by the ravens.
472
00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:51,159
If he falls into the mud,
The rider falls with a splash!
473
00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:57,959
Then the next day
when we were crossing Germany,
474
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,159
we were passing through
these railway stations
475
00:45:01,280 --> 00:45:03,919
bedecked with Nazi flags, uniforms.
476
00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:10,719
Then there were big portraits
of Hitler and swastikas everywhere.
477
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,399
We arrived at the German border,
478
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:23,279
there were lots of Germans
crowding around
479
00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,639
and we wondered
what was going to happen.
480
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,559
There was something
very frightening
481
00:45:31,640 --> 00:45:36,239
about the way they walked into
the cabin, looked at our luggage.
482
00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:40,119
There was a feeling that
there was going to be trouble.
483
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:10,119
We were terrified that they would do
something like maybe arrest us.
484
00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:13,639
We didn't know.
I mean we had the biggest fears.
485
00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:15,759
We were dumbfounded.
486
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:20,079
But finally they got off
and we were delighted
487
00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,439
and we breathed the sigh of relief.
488
00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,039
We finally arrived to Holland.
489
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:36,279
Through the entire train
there was an atmosphere of relief.
490
00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:40,679
It was like coming out of a tunnel.
491
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:43,399
It was very strikingly different.
492
00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:46,199
As if the sun started shining.
493
00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:55,759
We came to the windows
and we started shouting:
494
00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,879
Hitler, Goehring, Goebbles
"do prdele!"
495
00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:04,159
"Do prdele" means into the ass.
And we were very happy about this.
496
00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:11,439
I remember very well that the first
stop in Holland
497
00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:17,159
was at a railway station
where there were a group of ladies.
498
00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:23,519
Some ladies dressed in Dutch national
costumes entered and they smiled.
499
00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:28,079
Although we couldn't understand
a word they said,
500
00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:29,879
they didn't have to talk.
501
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:34,279
It was clear that we were going to
get something good to eat.
502
00:47:40,520 --> 00:47:47,799
They gave us cocoa, the famous Dutch
droste cocoa, which was delicious.
503
00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:51,359
We received white bread.
504
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:57,799
We had never eaten this kind of bread
and I felt that either it was wet,
505
00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:02,319
or somebody wetted it,
made in cold...
506
00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:06,199
It seemed kind of odd to me,
kind of pap that I didn't like.
507
00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:10,079
-The bread?
-It is very difficult to describe.
508
00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:12,879
It's indescribable!
509
00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:22,479
We finally did reach the channel
coast and boarded a ship.
510
00:48:23,080 --> 00:48:26,599
The ship just seemed huge to me
because the only ships
511
00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:29,439
I've ever seen before
were paddle steamers.
512
00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:38,799
And being little boys we were
fascinated by the ship
513
00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:43,879
and looking around, climbing up
and down the gangways.
514
00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:47,559
It was fun to go on a boat.
515
00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:53,119
I've never been on a big boat
to cross the channel.
516
00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:58,239
That night, as we crossed
the English Channel
517
00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:01,039
suspended in the calmness
of the ship,
518
00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:06,719
I heard voices from nearby cabins,
singing the Czech national anthem.
519
00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:21,959
Where is my home, where is my home?
520
00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:27,559
It was a question that remained
unanswered for many of us for years.
521
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:36,079
The question that for a few remains
unanswered to this day.
522
00:49:45,600 --> 00:49:49,679
Liverpool Street Station -
this is where we arrived in London.
523
00:49:49,720 --> 00:49:54,879
It's all changed, of course,
except for all the noise.
524
00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:59,079
What I remember most is
one of those little odd facts
525
00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:01,959
that stick in your mind
your whole life
526
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,439
and that is getting off the train
527
00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:07,959
that you didn't have to climb down
to the rails,
528
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:11,359
but the platform was even
with the train door.
529
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:15,959
I was very, very impressed.
530
00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:21,319
Liverpool Street Station saw the
arrival of another group of refugees,
531
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:24,119
cargo thrown overboard
by the ruthless call
532
00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:26,159
of the modern European temper.
533
00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:29,639
A special effort is being made to
help the refugees.
534
00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:35,039
Then the train arrived and you had up
to 200-250 children getting out,
535
00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:39,359
and you had to get the right child
to the right family.
536
00:50:46,920 --> 00:50:50,639
And you had to treat it
as a business.
537
00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:53,999
When you got the right child
to the right family,
538
00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:59,159
the family had to sign for the child,
so you had some proof of delivery.
539
00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:19,319
They assembled us kids in the corner,
540
00:51:19,360 --> 00:51:22,759
there were bunch of grown ups
behind the barrier,
541
00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:25,839
craning their necks,
waiting to pick us up.
542
00:51:25,880 --> 00:51:29,919
A lady behind a wooden table
called my name. Ben Abeles!
543
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:36,879
A lady my mother's age came over,
embraced me and kissed me.
544
00:51:49,840 --> 00:51:55,199
I remember when I arrived having this
uncomfortable string around my neck
545
00:51:55,240 --> 00:52:00,599
and a big placard on my chest
and I was just totally alone,
546
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:03,759
with nobody around me.
547
00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:08,719
I was waiting for the family
who was going to pick me up.
548
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:11,439
And I was just 3 years old.
549
00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:17,799
There was bound to be
troubles and difficulties.
550
00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:22,199
Some children got left behind
and the police looked after them
551
00:52:22,320 --> 00:52:24,879
until we could sort things out.
552
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:27,759
It was fairly chaotic,
but it worked out.
553
00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:35,159
There were 5 boys
sitting on suitcases,
554
00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:39,759
waiting for somebody to pick us up.
555
00:52:41,880 --> 00:52:43,839
Nobody picked us up.
556
00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:48,959
It was late at night and
a taxi driver came over and asked us:
557
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:54,879
You've been here since 7 o'clock
in the morning, are you hungry?
558
00:52:55,200 --> 00:53:02,919
And he drove us not far away from the
station, to a fish-and-chips shop.
559
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:05,359
I remember him showing us
560
00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:10,199
putting salt and vinegar
for the first time onto the fish.
561
00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:14,999
I know to this day that
the fish and chips was very good.
562
00:53:15,160 --> 00:53:19,399
Later, he took us to his own wife
and small child
563
00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:23,199
in a single bedroom apartment,
in which he put us up,
564
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:26,999
the five of us.
565
00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:33,719
English people as a people
are extremely kind
566
00:53:34,160 --> 00:53:37,119
and I would say
567
00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:44,959
the poorer they were,
the kinder they were.
568
00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:50,359
And we all were ushered
into a big hall
569
00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:53,919
and there were
hundreds of the children.
570
00:53:54,080 --> 00:53:58,039
I had no idea where I was going
and child after child,
571
00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:02,279
hundreds of these children,
one after another went,
572
00:54:02,320 --> 00:54:06,839
and I was left sitting there,
trembling at the knees.
573
00:54:07,880 --> 00:54:12,959
And suddenly the door opened
and a little lady ran towards me,
574
00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:19,639
laughing and smiling at the same time
with tears streaming down her face
575
00:54:19,680 --> 00:54:26,279
and she hugged me and she spoke words
I didn't understand then
576
00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:29,959
and they were: You shall be loved.
577
00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:35,879
And that's the most important words
any child can hear.
578
00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:45,239
Mr. and Mrs. Num, the family
that took us in, were Methodists,
579
00:54:45,680 --> 00:54:48,959
farmers in Redgrave in Suffolk,
East Anglia.
580
00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:53,039
Their cottage had a thatched roof.
581
00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:56,039
I have never seen a thatched roof.
582
00:54:56,520 --> 00:55:00,839
My cousin and I were going around
the walls knocking -
583
00:55:00,960 --> 00:55:04,039
we were afraid it may fall down.
584
00:55:04,320 --> 00:55:07,879
And the toilet was outside.
There was no electricity.
585
00:55:08,240 --> 00:55:09,919
And they were good to us.
586
00:55:09,960 --> 00:55:14,479
They were true Christians,
in the real sense of the word.
587
00:55:20,440 --> 00:55:24,279
And the only people who objected to
what I was doing
588
00:55:24,400 --> 00:55:28,199
was when one day a couple of rabbis
arrived at home
589
00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:33,559
and said that they understood
that some of the good Jewish children
590
00:55:33,680 --> 00:55:39,079
I was bringing over to this country
were going to Christian homes.
591
00:55:39,360 --> 00:55:41,519
And that must stop.
592
00:55:41,720 --> 00:55:46,919
And I said: Well, it won't stop and
if you prefer a dead Jew in Prague
593
00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:51,479
to an alive one who is being brought
up in a Christian home,
594
00:55:51,520 --> 00:55:53,999
I said that is your problem,
not mine.
595
00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:58,799
My guardian came from
a distinguished Scottish family.
596
00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:01,999
She had an enormous influence
on my life,
597
00:56:02,760 --> 00:56:05,719
she provided me
with an ethical yardstick.
598
00:56:05,760 --> 00:56:10,279
The lessons from her life were
the extraordinary unselfishness.
599
00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:15,079
Marnie gave me this wonderful dog,
a great dane, and I was very small,
600
00:56:15,120 --> 00:56:19,399
I could ride on his back,
on the dog's back.
601
00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:24,839
-We used to play mothers and
fathers. You remember? -Yes.
602
00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:27,519
We just played happily together.
603
00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:30,639
We did. And then we played
cowboys and Indians.
604
00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:42,599
My first day in London, Audrey,
my guarantor's daughter,
605
00:56:42,720 --> 00:56:44,879
took me to Harrods here.
606
00:56:45,240 --> 00:56:49,719
There were so many new sights for me.
We had a great time.
607
00:56:51,840 --> 00:56:56,479
I decided I was going to marry
Audrey, even though she had pimples.
608
00:56:56,800 --> 00:57:00,079
But I wanted to live
in that rich house of theirs.
609
00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:07,399
Once the children had arrived
and were with their new families,
610
00:57:07,440 --> 00:57:10,239
I had no contact with them anymore.
611
00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:13,399
I knew that they were being
well looked after
612
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:16,999
and some went to the Czech school
in Wales.
613
00:57:22,160 --> 00:57:25,879
We had many pillow fights in school.
614
00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:31,239
And many times these pillows burst
and the feathers blew out
615
00:57:31,320 --> 00:57:33,399
and we had to clean it up.
616
00:57:34,640 --> 00:57:36,279
I liked it there.
617
00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:39,919
It was a good atmosphere
with boys and girls together.
618
00:57:54,200 --> 00:57:58,799
Let's face it: I couldn't run down
those stairs like that any longer,
619
00:57:58,840 --> 00:58:03,879
but I do remember those days
as though they were yesterday.
620
00:58:05,160 --> 00:58:08,199
Despite the separation
from our families,
621
00:58:08,240 --> 00:58:11,359
despite the fact
that we missed them so much,
622
00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:14,839
those were some of the happiest
times in my life
623
00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:17,359
and in that of many
of my schoolmates.
624
00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:21,439
We also did things in the community.
625
00:58:21,480 --> 00:58:25,719
We went to old-age home
and spent time with the people there.
626
00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:29,679
We learned that you are not
the center of the universe,
627
00:58:29,720 --> 00:58:33,879
that there are other people out
there who had problems and needs
628
00:58:34,240 --> 00:58:37,119
and maybe
you can do something about it.
629
00:58:37,240 --> 00:58:40,159
So it was fun, it was great fun.
630
00:58:40,320 --> 00:58:42,999
Also, we acquired an education.
631
00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:54,399
We were all crazy about the boys.
All of us girls, you know.
632
00:58:54,880 --> 00:58:59,519
We tried to attract their attention
in every way it was possible
633
00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:03,639
and when I look back at it,
we were absolutely nuts.
634
00:59:05,520 --> 00:59:11,239
I was inexperienced with girls
and I asked my brother
635
00:59:11,360 --> 00:59:17,439
how to arrange girls
when I finally took them out.
636
00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:21,639
His advice was I should take them
to the cinema
637
00:59:21,840 --> 00:59:24,599
and when the lights went down,
638
00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:29,439
to put my arm around her
and everything else would follow.
639
00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:31,959
But...
640
00:59:41,600 --> 00:59:46,479
So I'm afraid his advice was good
in theory,
641
00:59:46,520 --> 00:59:49,159
but not very good in practice.
642
00:59:49,560 --> 00:59:53,639
Month of August, which is normally
a happy month of holidays,
643
00:59:53,680 --> 00:59:57,079
has been passed in Europe
in the shadow of war.
644
00:59:57,120 --> 01:00:00,439
Hitler demanded Danzig
and the Polish corridor.
645
01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:08,879
I've got a letter here, which my
father wrote to the foster parents.
646
01:00:09,520 --> 01:00:12,239
You will, I suppose,
feel how it aches us
647
01:00:12,360 --> 01:00:14,799
to be separated from our own child.
648
01:00:14,840 --> 01:00:18,279
Here the possibility
to care for her suitable future
649
01:00:18,320 --> 01:00:20,519
is smaller with every day.
650
01:00:25,280 --> 01:00:28,639
As the moths passed,
Winton knew the end was near,
651
01:00:28,760 --> 01:00:33,799
so he kept on pressing even harder
for permits for more children.
652
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:40,799
I mean there were
thousands of children on the list
653
01:00:40,920 --> 01:00:43,559
who wanted to get out.
654
01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:47,519
We had organized
8 transports from Prague.
655
01:00:48,320 --> 01:00:51,159
No transport completed the operation.
656
01:00:51,200 --> 01:00:54,279
I mean it was an operation
without end.
657
01:00:55,880 --> 01:00:57,999
For the beginning of September,
658
01:00:58,040 --> 01:01:00,559
we had arranged
our biggest transport,
659
01:01:00,600 --> 01:01:03,679
which could have comprised
250 children.
660
01:01:03,760 --> 01:01:06,719
All the paperwork was done,
661
01:01:06,760 --> 01:01:09,039
all the families were prepared,
662
01:01:09,080 --> 01:01:12,159
all the children were waiting
in the train...
663
01:01:46,840 --> 01:01:51,279
We shall defend our island,
whatever the cost.
664
01:01:51,680 --> 01:01:54,479
We shall never surrender.
665
01:02:10,480 --> 01:02:12,599
I was in London.
666
01:02:12,840 --> 01:02:16,639
We watched the planes coming over,
dropping bombs.
667
01:02:16,680 --> 01:02:22,439
I remember the houses fell down
like cards or domino sticks.
668
01:02:22,480 --> 01:02:25,119
Just collapsed.
669
01:02:27,960 --> 01:02:31,279
I was afraid to go out
on the street afterwards.
670
01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:34,439
It was a terrifying experience.
671
01:02:36,160 --> 01:02:40,839
And our neighbors got a direct hit
on their shelter in their garden
672
01:02:40,880 --> 01:02:43,119
and all of them were killed.
673
01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:54,319
During the Battle of Britain, bombs
were raining down on us every night.
674
01:02:54,360 --> 01:02:58,719
I was then in an apprentice cook
at the Bailys hotel in London
675
01:02:58,760 --> 01:03:03,679
as a dishwasher and a pot washer
and every night, practically,
676
01:03:03,800 --> 01:03:06,359
we ended up in the air raid shelter.
677
01:03:07,880 --> 01:03:13,559
I was sitting next to a maid
and when a bomb was falling,
678
01:03:13,600 --> 01:03:15,759
she clutched my knee.
679
01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:22,719
And I asked her whether we could
share a blanket and she agreed.
680
01:03:22,760 --> 01:03:27,679
And then I put my hand on her knee
and she didn't object.
681
01:03:28,160 --> 01:03:33,079
And my hand started roaming
and she didn't object, either.
682
01:03:33,320 --> 01:03:36,799
So I really looking forward to
these air raids.
683
01:03:36,840 --> 01:03:42,279
But then there was a lull in the air
raids and I missed her so much.
684
01:03:46,440 --> 01:03:53,439
My mother was absolutely heartbroken
and she wrote us long letters.
685
01:03:54,600 --> 01:04:00,319
My dearest children, I am very happy
that you are over there
686
01:04:00,440 --> 01:04:03,039
and don't know about evil.
687
01:04:03,200 --> 01:04:08,039
All Jews under 50 here
must work in labor camps.
688
01:04:08,080 --> 01:04:12,119
We will come through somehow
and you mustn't worry about us.
689
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:17,399
But I am very happy
that you are not here.
690
01:04:17,520 --> 01:04:20,959
If you were,
I would have many more worries.
691
01:04:25,320 --> 01:04:28,719
We learned about
the concentration camps
692
01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:33,879
and the possibility that our parents
might have been taken to them.
693
01:04:34,840 --> 01:04:38,799
We all hoped that nothing awful
happened to them,
694
01:04:38,960 --> 01:04:42,119
that they were well.
695
01:04:43,440 --> 01:04:49,799
The last letter from my father
came in 1942.
696
01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:54,079
He wrote that they had received
orders to pack up,
697
01:04:54,120 --> 01:04:58,079
that they would be transported
somewhere else.
698
01:04:58,880 --> 01:05:01,559
And in which he wrote his sons,
699
01:05:01,840 --> 01:05:08,279
telling them not to forget
the precepts they were taught at home
700
01:05:08,960 --> 01:05:13,199
and he hoped the almighty would
allow us to grow up
701
01:05:13,320 --> 01:05:17,519
into just and decent men.
702
01:05:20,320 --> 01:05:24,999
And that was last thing
I heard from my parents.
703
01:05:51,920 --> 01:05:55,319
Our greatest regret was
that our biggest transport,
704
01:05:55,440 --> 01:05:57,039
which was 250 children,
705
01:05:57,160 --> 01:06:00,799
which was due to leave
at the beginning of September,
706
01:06:00,840 --> 01:06:03,159
was canceled because war started.
707
01:06:03,840 --> 01:06:07,279
And almost none
of those children survived.
708
01:06:07,440 --> 01:06:11,199
Nothing that happened
prior to the war starting
709
01:06:11,600 --> 01:06:14,919
was really
of any importance anymore.
710
01:06:16,520 --> 01:06:18,399
What was done was done,
711
01:06:18,440 --> 01:06:21,639
what couldn't be done
couldn't be done.
712
01:06:21,680 --> 01:06:24,679
Once you can't stop a war
and there is a war
713
01:06:24,720 --> 01:06:27,319
you go to the defense
of your country.
714
01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:30,359
And I joined the RAF.
715
01:06:44,040 --> 01:06:48,799
I joined the royal air force,
our Czech squadron number 31 1
716
01:06:49,040 --> 01:06:53,479
and our job was to look for
enemy shipping.
717
01:07:02,480 --> 01:07:05,519
I volunteered for the Czech RAF
718
01:07:05,560 --> 01:07:08,639
and I was able to help
to hunt German submarines.
719
01:07:09,520 --> 01:07:12,959
I wanted to help to liberate my country.
720
01:07:37,760 --> 01:07:41,879
We decided to go to town to see
how everybody was celebrating.
721
01:07:41,920 --> 01:07:46,679
Trafalgar Square, I remember,
in London
722
01:07:47,120 --> 01:07:52,559
where everybody went around
putting up their two - V for victory,
723
01:07:52,880 --> 01:07:55,319
everybody laughed - that was so gay,
724
01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:57,959
we were dancing
with American soldiers.
725
01:08:04,680 --> 01:08:08,879
We returned to Prague
with the whole squadron,
726
01:08:09,160 --> 01:08:12,119
all of us really happy to be home,
727
01:08:12,400 --> 01:08:17,799
there was a huge parade in Prague,
in which I took part as well.
728
01:08:20,680 --> 01:08:23,519
All the girls were dressed
in national dress
729
01:08:24,200 --> 01:08:26,479
and all of us enjoyed it.
730
01:08:46,480 --> 01:08:48,759
The war was over.
731
01:08:49,080 --> 01:08:53,199
But still no news of our families.
732
01:08:53,400 --> 01:08:57,359
I came to Prague,
here to this building behind me,
733
01:08:57,480 --> 01:09:02,319
which served as a clearinghouse
for separated families.
734
01:09:02,600 --> 01:09:05,399
Inside, wall upon wall
filled with notices
735
01:09:05,440 --> 01:09:09,119
put up by people
looking for their missing loved ones.
736
01:09:09,160 --> 01:09:15,119
Of my parents, though, not a trace.
I know they were deported to Poland,
737
01:09:15,240 --> 01:09:19,239
but to this day, I am not certain
how they came to die.
738
01:09:20,200 --> 01:09:22,879
My first stop in Prague was the house
739
01:09:23,040 --> 01:09:26,999
from which my parents
were deported to Terezin.
740
01:09:27,600 --> 01:09:31,439
There was a minimal chance
that they would have come back.
741
01:09:33,880 --> 01:09:39,679
I lingered for a while as if I were
waiting for them to appear suddenly.
742
01:09:41,960 --> 01:09:43,519
But in vain.
743
01:09:46,720 --> 01:09:51,119
My mother and my brother
together with about 10 other children
744
01:09:51,240 --> 01:09:52,999
arrived to Auschwitz
745
01:09:56,800 --> 01:09:59,919
and were sent to the gas chamber.
746
01:10:00,440 --> 01:10:04,719
An old friend of the family
who took care of the dead bodies
747
01:10:04,840 --> 01:10:07,519
immediately recognized my mother.
748
01:10:07,600 --> 01:10:10,959
He told her: Please,
take your children in,
749
01:10:11,200 --> 01:10:16,399
sit down in the corner
and start to sing with them.
750
01:10:16,920 --> 01:10:24,719
Because if you sing and you inhale
the gas, you will die very quickly.
751
01:11:36,280 --> 01:11:39,559
When my parents went to
concentration camps
752
01:11:39,600 --> 01:11:42,599
and when they saw other children
around them,
753
01:11:42,640 --> 01:11:45,959
young boys and girls
being taken to gas chambers
754
01:11:46,200 --> 01:11:49,319
and so forth that they
must have then...
755
01:11:58,800 --> 01:12:05,119
they must have then realized
what they had done...
756
01:12:11,000 --> 01:12:13,879
when they sent their children...
757
01:12:42,720 --> 01:12:49,279
My family, my parents -
none of these people survived.
758
01:12:50,280 --> 01:12:55,119
So after the war we had to continue
living, to overcome the past.
759
01:12:56,320 --> 01:13:01,679
We were all young, we were beginning,
we had to build careers.
760
01:13:02,000 --> 01:13:06,439
We spread all over the world,
some of us in Canada, in the States,
761
01:13:06,480 --> 01:13:08,959
in Israel, in Australia, in Britain.
762
01:13:10,240 --> 01:13:14,279
Wherever we ended up,
the most important thing for us
763
01:13:14,520 --> 01:13:18,119
was to start a new life
with new families.
764
01:13:18,840 --> 01:13:23,199
50 YEARS LATER
765
01:13:40,560 --> 01:13:45,399
I hadn't got a clue
where all these 700 children were.
766
01:13:45,480 --> 01:13:48,399
I wasn't in touch with any of them.
767
01:13:48,680 --> 01:13:50,719
For me it was an episode
768
01:13:55,160 --> 01:13:58,119
and it was something that happens.
769
01:13:58,200 --> 01:14:03,439
So many to me more important things,
happened in the meantime.
770
01:14:05,160 --> 01:14:08,719
He is very keen on his gardening
771
01:14:09,200 --> 01:14:11,999
and he spends a lot of time
in the garden.
772
01:14:12,040 --> 01:14:14,959
But he is a very
domesticated husband,
773
01:14:15,120 --> 01:14:17,999
he does a lot of helping out
in the house.
774
01:14:18,440 --> 01:14:22,839
I get annoyed
because he is very untidy.
775
01:14:23,120 --> 01:14:28,839
I am not all that tidy,
but he is really very untidy.
776
01:14:30,560 --> 01:14:35,159
I'm fairly happy with Greta.
With what we do together.
777
01:14:35,200 --> 01:14:39,839
-Fairly! I like that!
-Very happy. Very happy.
778
01:14:44,280 --> 01:14:47,679
Any good marriage
is a marriage of compromise.
779
01:14:47,920 --> 01:14:53,079
The only thing was,
Greta compromised more than I did.
780
01:14:53,280 --> 01:14:55,719
She was quite a very special person.
781
01:14:56,400 --> 01:15:01,039
If you're in love with somebody,
everybody says when that person dies:
782
01:15:02,920 --> 01:15:06,079
After time things will get better.
783
01:15:06,120 --> 01:15:08,839
It's not true. It gets worse.
784
01:15:09,480 --> 01:15:12,679
Instead of living you just exist.
785
01:15:18,480 --> 01:15:21,559
And I spend my time with carpentry,
786
01:15:22,280 --> 01:15:24,639
mending the bicycle, photography.
787
01:15:26,520 --> 01:15:31,519
I listen to music and I do my
embroidery, I do a bit of gardening.
788
01:15:32,120 --> 01:15:36,279
My father has been involved
in helping charities all his life.
789
01:15:36,320 --> 01:15:41,439
A lot of his work has been
with a charity helping old people.
790
01:15:41,760 --> 01:15:46,079
I'm just building
a home for Alzheimers.
791
01:15:46,120 --> 01:15:48,159
It costs 4 million pounds.
792
01:15:49,200 --> 01:15:51,719
He still acts as if
he's half his age.
793
01:15:51,760 --> 01:15:55,519
He's still very active
and still likes making mischief.
794
01:15:55,560 --> 01:15:58,999
His current plan is to
try to be arrested
795
01:15:59,040 --> 01:16:03,319
to show what a silly law we have
to do with helping old people.
796
01:16:05,560 --> 01:16:08,479
Well, I drive
and I like driving quickly.
797
01:16:09,240 --> 01:16:13,639
You got a speeding ticket last month.
What were you doing?
798
01:16:13,840 --> 01:16:17,319
I got a speeding ticket
in a one-way road
799
01:16:17,440 --> 01:16:19,879
where there was no other car
800
01:16:20,000 --> 01:16:23,879
and I was doing 50 miles an hour
in a 40 miles area.
801
01:16:29,200 --> 01:16:34,199
And the police said: Have you got any
excuse, why you were for doing it?
802
01:16:34,320 --> 01:16:37,799
And I said that I had to go
to the lavatory.
803
01:16:44,200 --> 01:16:47,359
Being so active must be
a recipe for longevity -
804
01:16:47,480 --> 01:16:50,039
just to keep going and not stop.
805
01:16:50,960 --> 01:16:53,479
Nicky, last words before you go?
806
01:16:53,760 --> 01:16:57,039
My words are that I hope
I will come back.
807
01:17:04,880 --> 01:17:07,799
One thing I've learned
from grandpa is
808
01:17:07,840 --> 01:17:11,079
that you should always
try to help people.
809
01:17:11,400 --> 01:17:13,919
I don't mind if you tell the truth.
810
01:17:14,120 --> 01:17:18,199
Of course I love my grandpa.
With all heart. Everything.
811
01:17:23,080 --> 01:17:26,079
When you're young
you take everything in life,
812
01:17:26,120 --> 01:17:28,319
including survival, for granted.
813
01:17:28,360 --> 01:17:31,519
As I grew older
I began to wonder more and more
814
01:17:31,560 --> 01:17:33,959
how it was that when so many died -
815
01:17:34,000 --> 01:17:37,679
our parents, friends, families
and millions of others -
816
01:17:37,720 --> 01:17:39,479
how it came to be that we,
817
01:17:39,520 --> 01:17:42,679
the fortunate few on those trains,
were spared.
818
01:17:42,800 --> 01:17:48,639
That is, until 50 years later
when this scrapbook surfaced.
819
01:17:48,680 --> 01:17:50,559
Then we knew.
820
01:17:59,720 --> 01:18:03,879
The scrapbook and its story
gathered dust for decades
821
01:18:04,000 --> 01:18:08,439
in the Winton's attic until one day,
Nicky's wife Greta found it,
822
01:18:08,640 --> 01:18:12,119
opened it, became fascinated,
and yet was puzzled.
823
01:18:12,320 --> 01:18:15,319
And so 50 years after it happened,
824
01:18:15,400 --> 01:18:20,599
Nicky finally told his wife
what he had for so long kept secret.
825
01:18:23,320 --> 01:18:25,679
I suppose there's number of things,
826
01:18:25,720 --> 01:18:28,239
which husbands don't tell
their wives.
827
01:18:30,440 --> 01:18:33,039
And his wife went to London
828
01:18:33,080 --> 01:18:37,159
and she tried to give this story
to several people,
829
01:18:37,200 --> 01:18:40,959
but nobody was interested
until she came to me.
830
01:18:41,040 --> 01:18:44,999
I was given the scrapbook
and this list of names
831
01:18:45,080 --> 01:18:47,439
and I thought it was very moving
832
01:18:47,680 --> 01:18:53,079
because there were ordinary names
of people and Czech children,
833
01:18:53,120 --> 01:19:00,479
for instance Berman Thomas,
Bekefi Jiri, Benedict Ruth...
834
01:19:01,000 --> 01:19:03,799
and we wrote to every one of them
835
01:19:03,920 --> 01:19:09,319
and from these over 600 names
we got 250 answers.
836
01:19:09,800 --> 01:19:12,679
And most of the children
were delighted,
837
01:19:12,960 --> 01:19:18,519
they didn't know who saved them
and didn't know their own story.
838
01:19:19,120 --> 01:19:25,239
It caught the eye of Esther Rantzen
who was working for the BBC.
839
01:19:25,480 --> 01:19:30,359
So we did some search and we managed
to track down some of those children,
840
01:19:30,400 --> 01:19:33,079
now adult, living in England.
841
01:19:33,480 --> 01:19:35,559
We were absolutely thrilled.
842
01:19:35,760 --> 01:19:38,999
This lady said to me:
What's your name?
843
01:19:39,360 --> 01:19:41,879
So I said: Pinkasovic.
844
01:19:42,480 --> 01:19:46,559
When I saw my name and my brother's
name printed in this -
845
01:19:48,120 --> 01:19:51,479
the biggest shock of my life.
846
01:19:53,680 --> 01:19:59,759
I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe,
I had goose bumps all over my arms...
847
01:20:02,040 --> 01:20:04,439
All these years, 50 years.
848
01:20:10,200 --> 01:20:13,559
Nobody knew
who masterminded our rescue
849
01:20:13,840 --> 01:20:16,879
and then, out of the blue,
850
01:20:17,040 --> 01:20:20,919
I was asked to take part
in a television show That's Life
851
01:20:21,040 --> 01:20:23,279
where, to my joy and...
852
01:20:24,760 --> 01:20:27,359
oh such fulfillment I came to face,
853
01:20:27,800 --> 01:20:33,119
face to face, with the man
who saved my life.
854
01:20:34,240 --> 01:20:37,839
They got me there in a way
under false pretenses.
855
01:20:37,880 --> 01:20:42,639
Then I was sat in a seat, which was
focused on the camera and...
856
01:20:46,160 --> 01:20:48,159
I became part of this program.
857
01:20:48,200 --> 01:20:51,639
I didn't know I was going to meet
for the first time
858
01:20:51,680 --> 01:20:55,279
the children that I brought over
so many years before.
859
01:20:55,320 --> 01:20:59,599
...who managed to save 664 children.
This is his scrapbook.
860
01:20:59,640 --> 01:21:04,359
There are all sorts of fascinating
pictures in it, perhaps you can see -
861
01:21:04,400 --> 01:21:07,239
this is a picture
of Nicholas Winton himself
862
01:21:07,280 --> 01:21:09,679
with one of the children he rescued.
863
01:21:09,720 --> 01:21:13,119
If you look at the very back
of the scrapbook...
864
01:21:13,160 --> 01:21:18,319
fascinating things in it, but back
here is the list of all the children.
865
01:21:18,760 --> 01:21:22,559
This is Vera Diamant,
now Vera Gissing.
866
01:21:22,840 --> 01:21:25,399
We did find her name on his list.
867
01:21:25,520 --> 01:21:29,039
Vera Gissing is with us here tonight
- Hello Vera -
868
01:21:29,240 --> 01:21:30,839
and I should tell you
869
01:21:30,880 --> 01:21:34,559
that you are actually sitting
next to Nicholas Winton.
870
01:22:00,360 --> 01:22:02,479
Thank you.
871
01:22:03,800 --> 01:22:06,199
I wore this around my neck
872
01:22:06,400 --> 01:22:10,879
and this is the actual pass that we
were given to come to England.
873
01:22:12,000 --> 01:22:15,919
And I am another of the children
that you saved.
874
01:22:20,000 --> 01:22:23,359
Can I ask, is there anyone
in our audience tonight
875
01:22:23,400 --> 01:22:26,079
who owes their lives
to Nicholas Winton?
876
01:22:26,120 --> 01:22:29,119
If so, could you stand up, please?
877
01:23:20,920 --> 01:23:23,039
We are part of his family.
878
01:23:23,120 --> 01:23:27,199
He has now accepted us
as a sort of the honorary father
879
01:23:27,320 --> 01:23:33,319
and he is accepting our children
as the honorary grandfather,
880
01:23:33,480 --> 01:23:37,719
hes the head, I think,
of the biggest family in the world.
881
01:23:39,440 --> 01:23:41,439
70 YEARS LATER
882
01:23:41,480 --> 01:23:45,119
When our memorial train from Prague
arrived in London,
883
01:23:45,280 --> 01:23:49,359
the man who had waited for us
at the station in 1939
884
01:23:49,400 --> 01:23:52,319
was waiting for us once again.
885
01:24:01,240 --> 01:24:06,959
This time, though, at age 100,
we knew who he was.
886
01:24:08,760 --> 01:24:12,119
It was a wonderful thing
that Nicky Winton did
887
01:24:12,680 --> 01:24:17,519
and without him nobody in this room
would be sitting here.
888
01:24:17,760 --> 01:24:21,319
I wouldn't be here,
dad wouldn't be here.
889
01:24:21,760 --> 01:24:24,759
So it's quite a wonderful thing
that he did.
890
01:24:31,600 --> 01:24:33,959
A lot of us have a feeling
891
01:24:34,000 --> 01:24:37,879
that we have to somehow
repay Winton for all what he did.
892
01:24:38,240 --> 01:24:41,479
We do it by doing work,
which is useful and good
893
01:24:41,520 --> 01:24:43,079
and help other people.
894
01:24:44,160 --> 01:24:46,959
For the last 12 years I work
as a volunteer
895
01:24:47,000 --> 01:24:50,559
at the Schneider's children's
hospital and I enjoy it.
896
01:24:52,800 --> 01:24:58,599
I did some work in research
on ballistic missiles,
897
01:24:59,120 --> 01:25:02,759
but after that
I changed my career completely.
898
01:25:04,440 --> 01:25:06,559
We built this church first
899
01:25:06,880 --> 01:25:11,079
and then a home for adults
with severe mental handicap.
900
01:25:12,200 --> 01:25:16,679
I've always felt that I owe something
to Nicky Winton,
901
01:25:16,920 --> 01:25:20,479
to my parents who were so courageous
and sent me off.
902
01:25:22,040 --> 01:25:24,839
And so I always felt I need to
help people
903
01:25:24,880 --> 01:25:27,399
and I've done that in a soup kitchen
904
01:25:27,520 --> 01:25:31,759
and throughout my life I've always
tried to be very helpful.
905
01:25:33,720 --> 01:25:38,039
I spent most of my professional
career working on semiconductors.
906
01:25:38,080 --> 01:25:41,479
We invented the thermoelectric
power generator,
907
01:25:41,520 --> 01:25:45,839
which provides electric power
to the spacecraft Voyager I and II
908
01:25:46,000 --> 01:25:49,959
on the way to Jupiter, Saturn
and the outer planets.
909
01:26:00,000 --> 01:26:04,319
Nicky's deed is like a small stone
thrown into a small lake.
910
01:26:05,360 --> 01:26:08,399
And the ripples and the waves
from that stone
911
01:26:08,600 --> 01:26:11,719
are getting wider and wider
and wider.
912
01:26:11,920 --> 01:26:16,719
And the wider it gets, the more good
is being done in the world.
913
01:26:19,360 --> 01:26:24,759
Nicholas Winton saved grandma
and he didn't have to
914
01:26:24,800 --> 01:26:28,159
and that made me
want to help people, too.
915
01:26:30,000 --> 01:26:35,239
And I heard about people who had
cancer and lost all their hair.
916
01:26:35,880 --> 01:26:38,759
And I cut 10 inches off my hair
917
01:26:38,800 --> 01:26:43,879
and they made it into a wig
for one kid who had cancer.
918
01:26:43,920 --> 01:26:46,239
And I feel very good about doing.
919
01:26:46,280 --> 01:26:49,959
This summer, I helped organize
a peace camp for girls.
920
01:26:50,440 --> 01:26:52,559
There were 7 Jews and 7 Arabs.
921
01:26:52,600 --> 01:26:54,679
We realized that we're the same
922
01:26:54,720 --> 01:26:59,319
and that we are living in the same
place and we need to find a peace.
923
01:26:59,920 --> 01:27:04,559
Right now I have 7 new Palestinian
friends, which I very much like.
924
01:27:08,000 --> 01:27:10,719
Any young people
from different countries
925
01:27:10,760 --> 01:27:14,959
were eager to show Winton what good
they themselves were doing.
926
01:27:15,000 --> 01:27:17,559
They started filming
their activities,
927
01:27:17,600 --> 01:27:20,039
interviewing various personalities,
928
01:27:20,080 --> 01:27:24,439
all for a special program
which they will present in Prague.
929
01:27:40,800 --> 01:27:44,759
In Australia, we shipped our clothes
to people in Ecuador
930
01:27:44,800 --> 01:27:49,439
and it was nice getting letters
back from them as they were writing
931
01:27:49,480 --> 01:27:52,719
and expressing how appreciative
they were to us
932
01:27:52,760 --> 01:27:54,879
that their lives have changed.
933
01:27:54,920 --> 01:27:58,559
Winton is showing that with
perseverance and determination
934
01:27:58,600 --> 01:28:00,279
you can achieve anything.
935
01:28:03,360 --> 01:28:07,959
In Cambodia when we arrived we have
seen children dying on the street.
936
01:28:08,000 --> 01:28:12,159
Then there was no organization
helping HIV positive children.
937
01:28:12,720 --> 01:28:16,439
And we have decided that we have to
help these children.
938
01:28:16,480 --> 01:28:20,199
The problem was that everybody
was against this idea,
939
01:28:20,240 --> 01:28:25,639
saying that what two Slovak people
can do in faraway Cambodia.
940
01:28:26,080 --> 01:28:28,999
But we have decided not to give up.
941
01:28:30,600 --> 01:28:32,679
I remember Nicholas Winton said
942
01:28:32,720 --> 01:28:36,879
everything is possible
if it's fundamentally reasonable.
943
01:28:39,400 --> 01:28:43,519
All stories that help children
grow in a world,
944
01:28:43,680 --> 01:28:48,439
in which humanity is being
celebrated and inhumanity denounced -
945
01:28:48,760 --> 01:28:51,839
these stories are important.
946
01:28:53,360 --> 01:28:54,919
Everybody can help.
947
01:28:54,960 --> 01:28:57,799
Children can send their letters
to the kids
948
01:28:57,840 --> 01:29:02,119
to show them that there is somebody
faraway thinking about them.
949
01:29:03,400 --> 01:29:04,959
It's a big help.
950
01:29:07,920 --> 01:29:10,919
We have saved and treated
over 5 000 children,
951
01:29:10,960 --> 01:29:13,479
but still we have
a lot of work to do.
952
01:29:15,760 --> 01:29:19,039
A lot of children
are still waiting for us.
953
01:29:23,120 --> 01:29:26,519
We need special effort to bring up
954
01:29:26,560 --> 01:29:33,079
our basic nature of human beings -
compassion.
955
01:29:35,920 --> 01:29:39,359
Here is example of Nicholas Winton -
956
01:29:39,400 --> 01:29:46,959
we should learn from his motivation
and from his courage, from his act.
957
01:29:47,520 --> 01:29:51,719
We must carry his spirit
generation to generation.
958
01:29:51,920 --> 01:29:55,439
Then humanity's future
will be brighter.
959
01:29:57,200 --> 01:30:01,559
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sir Nicholas Winton!
960
01:30:07,560 --> 01:30:10,919
We've been so much impressed
with Nicholas Winton
961
01:30:10,960 --> 01:30:14,399
that we started our project,
Suitcases for Cambodia.
962
01:30:14,520 --> 01:30:17,639
Suitcase is our symbol
of help for children.
963
01:30:25,200 --> 01:30:29,079
I think that every single person
on the Earth needs to know
964
01:30:29,120 --> 01:30:31,959
that they are special,
that they're loved.
965
01:30:36,880 --> 01:30:41,119
Nicholas Winton has influenced
so many people all over the world
966
01:30:41,160 --> 01:30:44,159
to help someone
who is very ill or in danger.
967
01:30:50,080 --> 01:30:54,919
If you have ever helped
someone in need show it now.
968
01:31:07,760 --> 01:31:12,599
You don't have to be a politician or
a millionaire to make a difference.
969
01:31:12,960 --> 01:31:16,479
All you have to have
is some ambition and courage.
970
01:31:17,600 --> 01:31:20,199
Hello, Cambodia!
971
01:32:04,120 --> 01:32:16,119
NICKY'S FAMILY
972
01:32:27,600 --> 01:32:31,039
I never thought what I did
70 years ago
973
01:32:31,200 --> 01:32:36,799
was going to have such a big impact
as apparently it has.
974
01:32:37,080 --> 01:32:39,239
And if it is now got a story,
975
01:32:39,320 --> 01:32:43,599
which helps people to
live for the future,
976
01:32:44,320 --> 01:32:47,439
well, that will be an added bonus.
977
01:32:57,640 --> 01:33:05,039
Everything is possible
if it's fundamentally reasonable.
978
01:33:05,080 --> 01:33:07,599
Nicholas Winton
979
01:36:58,960 --> 01:37:05,199
There are some stories
which we are not only an audience to,
980
01:37:05,240 --> 01:37:08,879
but may become their participants.
81640