Nicholas Winton

Sir Nicholas George Winton (born Nicholas Wertheim; 19 May 1909 – 1 July 2015) was a British stockbroker and humanitarian best known for organising the rescue of 669 children, mostly Jewish, from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939.

Sir Nicholas George Winton (born Nicholas Wertheim; 19 May 1909 – 1 July 2015) was a British stockbroker and humanitarian best known for organising the rescue of 669 children, mostly Jewish, from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939. His wartime rescue work remained largely unknown for decades and was later recognised publicly, including through a 1988 BBC television appearance and a 2003 knighthood.

Early life

Nicholas Winton was born in London in 1909 to parents of German-Jewish ancestry. He was raised in an Anglican family after baptism and later worked as a stockbroker.

Rescue of children from Czechoslovakia

In 1939, Winton organised a rescue operation that brought 669 children from Czechoslovakia to safety in Britain. The children were transported in the months before the outbreak of the Second World War. The operation became known as the Czech Kindertransport and saved mostly Jewish children.

Public recognition

Winton kept his wartime humanitarian role largely private for decades. His rescue efforts became widely known after a 1988 BBC programme reunited him with some of the survivors he had helped rescue.

Honours and legacy

Winton was awarded an MBE in 1983 and was knighted in 2003 for services to humanity. He died in 2015 at the age of 106. His legacy is often compared to that of other humanitarian figures such as Helen Keller and Princess Diana, and in Canada his story resonates alongside the work of Viola Desmond.