I have a motto that if something isn’t blatantly impossible, then there must be a way of doing it. ~ Sir Nicholas Winton
When the Holocaust broke out many lives were put at risk, however people like Nicholas Winton became heroes for their deeds. Nicholas Winton’s deed was that he saved 669 children from death. Emigration wasn't an option. The world's doors were closed to refugees. Conditions in the camps were brutal for the 150,000 people trapped there, especially for the children. And no one focused on them until Nicholas Winton.
Instead of spending time pondering whether or not he should actually go, he headed to Prague and came up with a plan that would save the children before the war broke out. Winton found camps of refugees living in …show more content…
Mr. Winton sent a lot of money, some for bribes and some to cover expenses for children whose parents that could not afford it and had been arrested and shot or had fled into hiding, while many of the Czech families sold possessions to pay for their children’s escape. The 'Children's Section' operated from a tiny office in central London. Winton's mother was in charge. The staff was all volunteers. During the day, Winton worked as a stockbroker. Evenings, he wrestled with the British bureaucracy. Hundreds of families volunteered to take children, and money trickled in from donors, not enough to cover everything, but Mr. Winton made up the difference himself. He also made an urgent request to the Home Office for entry visas, but the response was slow and they were running low on time. “We went to them urgently asking for permits, only to be told languidly, 'Why rush, old boy? Nothing will happen in Europe.' ” ("The Power of Good - The Nicholas Winton Story"). This was a few months before the war broke out, so they forged the Home Office entry permits. Winton and his partners arranged for forged transit papers and bribes to be passed to key Nazis and Czech railway officials, who threatened to halt trains or seize the children unless they were paid
When the Holocaust broke out many lives were put at risk, however people like Nicholas Winton became heroes for their deeds. Nicholas Winton’s deed was that he saved 669 children from death. Emigration wasn't an option. The world's doors were closed to refugees. Conditions in the camps were brutal for the 150,000 people trapped there, especially for the children. And no one focused on them until Nicholas Winton.
Instead of spending time pondering whether or not he should actually go, he headed to Prague and came up with a plan that would save the children before the war broke out. Winton found camps of refugees living in …show more content…
Mr. Winton sent a lot of money, some for bribes and some to cover expenses for children whose parents that could not afford it and had been arrested and shot or had fled into hiding, while many of the Czech families sold possessions to pay for their children’s escape. The 'Children's Section' operated from a tiny office in central London. Winton's mother was in charge. The staff was all volunteers. During the day, Winton worked as a stockbroker. Evenings, he wrestled with the British bureaucracy. Hundreds of families volunteered to take children, and money trickled in from donors, not enough to cover everything, but Mr. Winton made up the difference himself. He also made an urgent request to the Home Office for entry visas, but the response was slow and they were running low on time. “We went to them urgently asking for permits, only to be told languidly, 'Why rush, old boy? Nothing will happen in Europe.' ” ("The Power of Good - The Nicholas Winton Story"). This was a few months before the war broke out, so they forged the Home Office entry permits. Winton and his partners arranged for forged transit papers and bribes to be passed to key Nazis and Czech railway officials, who threatened to halt trains or seize the children unless they were paid