Sir Nicholas Winton
By Claire
Mar 5, 2009 - 5:22:14 PM
Dolphin was honoured by a visit from Sir Nicholas Winton, organiser of the
Kindertransport which saved many hundreds of children from persecution in Czechoslovakia just before the outbreak of World War Two, and Dr Pavel Seifter, former Czech Ambassador to the UK.
Sir Nicholas is Godfather to Dolphin pupil, Sophie, whose grandfather Sir Nicholas saved on one of his transports. Sophie's grandfather lost his parents in Terezin and Auschwitz and did not know who was responsible for saving him. Fifty years later he discovered it was Nicholas Winton he had to thank for his rescue. Sophie's mother arranged for her father to meet Nicholas and they subsequently became close friends.
We are very grateful to Anita Grosz for arranging Sir Nicholas's visit to Dolphin where, despite approaching his one hundredth birthday, he spent an hour and a half answering the older children's questions in a special assembly.
Pavel Seifter, Czech Ambassador to the UK from 1997 to 2003 explained his own childhood story and told us how important and highly regarded Sir Nicholas is in the Czech Republic today.
When asked by one of the children if he regarded himself as a hero, Sir Nicholas said no, but we all agreed, that in our opinion, he certainly is.