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Sir Nicholas Winton, an inspiration

July 2, 2015 Ken 0 Comments

I haven’t posted on this blog for a couple of weeks, just been too busy. I’m converting a website to WordPress (real-memory-improvement.com), and it’s quite a long, slow process, working on it page-by-page. Well over 200 pages and I’m making steady progress, but I’m having to focus on doing the job to the exclusion of virtually everything else. I feel it’s the only way I can get it done (I have difficulty enough focusing on things these days, without interrupting myself when I’m busy).

But today I read that Nicholas Winton had died. He was 106 years old and a shining light in what sometimes seems a very dark world. I couldn’t carry on with the site conversion without taking time to post a few words about this great man. And when I use that phrase, ‘great man’, I’m not using it lightly. He did something truly amazing, in a time when the world was teetering on the edge of an abyss, and he did it when so many others just stood by thinking there’s nothing we can do.

He decided to just do it, regardless that it seemed almost impossible (and that he had no experience or qualification to do such a thing). And because of that there are literally thousands of people alive now who would have perished, or whose parent and grandparents would have perished.

Even one man can make a difference

Sir Nicholas Winton greeted gratefully by a friendNicholas Winton was just a young man visiting Prague in the late 1930s, and he saw the virtually hopeless situation of many families who couldn’t get their children to safety. He returned to London and started a one-man mission to save them. He organised the entire thing alone (apart from enlisting the help of family members), forging documents where necessary and creating the impression he represented an organisation. One way or another, he managed to transport hundreds of children to Britain, to stay with families willing to take on the expense and the responsibility. It must have taken a tremendous amount of work and persuasion to achieve what he did, not to mention a constant struggle against bureaucracy, both here and abroad.

Time passed, and he never said a word about what he had done. Eventually, about fifty years later, his wife found an old briefcase in the attic. Inside she found a scrapbook and lists of the children he’d saved, and the families they’d ended up with. She contacted a TV programme and he was eventually invited to a recording of the show. He had no idea it was a setup! Watch this clip to see what happened, but I warn you it will bring a tear to your eyes, even if you’re the toughest, most hard bitten soul who ever lived.

Today there are about 6,000 people alive due to the actions of this ‘British Schindler’, and they refer to themselves proudly as Nicky’s Children.

The great man was knighted in 2002, to go along with many other honours heaped on him. I could fill a whole page just listing the honours, both from the British government and from various other governments and organisations. It’s wonderful to know that at least, many years after his selfless acts of charity that saved so many, he was finally recognised for his great work. It should be noted, however, that he never sought recognition; he merely looked on what he had done as taking care of a problem that he saw needed fixing. That job, fixing that problem, resulted in more than 600 children being saved from the Holocaust.

I can’t go into his entire story, it would take pages and pages, but I encourage you to learn more about Sir Nicholas for yourself. A good place to start would be the Wikipedia page that has been written about him.

Also, it’s well worth reading this page, and this one. There are many other pages detailing his incredible story, but these are definitely worth your time.

A truly great man

Probably best if I just quote some of the things people have said about this truly great man.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who was chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991-2013, said of him:“He was ‘the British Schindler’, all the more impressive for thinking that there was nothing special about what he did, seeking neither honour nor recognition … Our sages said that saving a life is like saving a universe. Sir Nicholas saved hundreds of universes. He was a giant of moral courage and determination, and he will be mourned by Jewish people around the world.”

Michael Zantovsky, the Czech ambassador to London who became close friends with Winton after they met 20 years ago, said he was “a positive man who radiated good”. “It was incredibly moving to be present at some of the gatherings of him with his so-called children,” he said, “and the children of his children. They all owe their existence to him.”

Sir Nicholas Winton looking determinedHome Secretary Theresa May, Maidenhead’s MP, said Sir Nicholas was a ‘hero of the 20th century’.
She said: “Against the odds, he almost single-handedly rescued hundreds of children, mostly Jewish, from the Nazis – an enduring example of the difference that good people can make even in the darkest of times.”

Sir Nicholas Winton – a decent, quiet, unassuming man, determined, pro-active, kind, modest … I have to stop here, I could go on and on listing adjectives that describe this wonderful, sincere man. I wish I had met him, it would have been an honour.

When I look at some of the truly shocking things that are happening in the world today it’s good to be reminded that there are decent people as well. This man stands head and shoulders above nearly all of them. Truly a giant among men.

The world is a poorer place now you’ve left it, sir.

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#heroism#inspiration#persistence

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