When did the Kindertransport start?
Great Britain & the Holocaust: The Kindertransport. (December 1938 - September 1939) The Kindertransport was the movement of German, Polish, Czechoslovakian and Austrian Jewish children to England before the outbreak of World War II.
What is Kindertransport Memorial?
Kindertransport Memorial commemorates the rescue operation of Jewish children between 1938 and 1940. Share. The Kindertransport was a rescue operation of Jewish children from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Nazi Germany, and Poland to the UK and other European nations.
What is an example of Kindertransport?
The term "kindertransport" is sometimes used for the rescue of mainly Jewish children, without their parents, from Nazi Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. An example is the 1,000 Chateau de La Hille children who went to Belgium.
Where can I find media related to Kindertransporte?
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kindertransporte. Educational site focusing on the children arriving in Britain. The Kindertransport Webpage maintained by the Association of Jewish Refugees in London, UK, with links to the Kindertransport Association of the United Kingdom.
Who was Florence nankivell?
But he was not alone. My mother, Mrs Florence Nankivell, masterminded the very first train of Jewish children to safety, this one from Berlin in the centre of the Nazi world, where she was hassled by Nazi police. A Protestant priest who was to accompany her fled in fear before the outgoing train entered Germany.
When was Kindertransport written?
November 1938In November 1938, after nights of violence against Jews across Germany and Austria, the British government introduced a programme called the Kindertransport (children's transport), which gave Jewish children—and only children—safe passage to the UK.
What was Kindertransport BBC?
The Kindertransport (Children's Transport) was a unique humanitarian rescue programme which ran between November 1938 and September 1939. Approximately 10,000 children, the majority of whom were Jewish, were sent from their homes and families in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Great Britain.
How does Kindertransport end?
The program began after the Kristallnacht pogroms of November 9–10, 1938, when Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property and conducted mass arrests, and largely ended on September 1, 1939, with the outbreak of World War II, although children continued to be rescued as late as 1940.
What is the theme of Kindertransport?
Kindertransport is a short play, written by Diane Samuels. The play reflects various themes throughout, including the contrast between past and present, childhood memories, mother and daughter relationships, and most importantly the role of identity.
Who is Lil in Kindertransport?
Lil Miller – Working-class English woman from Manchester. Ages throughout play from around early thirties through to her eighties. Helga Schlesinger – Mother of Eva, German Jewish woman. At the start of the play she is in her thirties, by the end around forty.
How many children did Kindertransport save?
10,000 childrenThe 1938 Kindertransport saved 10,000 children but it's hard to describe it as purely a success.
How was the Kindertransport successful?
All the parents who allowed their children to go showed tremendous courage.” Some parents promised their children that they would follow them to the UK soon after they left. A small number did manage this by obtaining visas and, for example, taking up positions in domestic service.
When did the first Kindertransport train leave?
The first Kindertransport arrived in Harwich, Great Britain, on December 2, 1938. It brought some 200 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin which had been destroyed in the Kristallnacht pogrom.
When did Diane Samuels write Kindertransport?
1993Diane Samuels' fascinating 1993 play, Kindertransport, tells three stories simultaneously, one of them extraordinarily well.
When did Germany invade Poland?
September 1, 1939 – October 6, 1939Invasion of Poland / PeriodSeptember 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. German forces broke through Polish defenses along the border and quickly advanced on Warsaw, the Polish capital.
When did Britain declare war on Germany?
September 3, 1939September 3, 1939 Honoring their guarantee of Poland's borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
When did the first Kindertransport train leave?
10 December 1938Most were from a Berlin Jewish orphanage burned by the Nazis during the night of 9 November, and the others were from Hamburg. The first train from Vienna left on 10 December 1938 with 600 children.
How many children did Kindertransport save?
10,000 childrenThe 1938 Kindertransport saved 10,000 children but it's hard to describe it as purely a success.
Where did Kindertransport take place?
The first Kindertransport arrived in Harwich, Great Britain, on December 2, 1938. It brought some 200 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin which had been destroyed in the Kristallnacht pogrom.
When did World War 2 End?
September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945World War II / Period
When did Kindertransport end?
The program began after the Kristallnacht pogroms of November 9–10, 1938, when Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property and conducted mass arrests, and largely ended on September 1, 1939, with the outbreak of World War II, although children continued to be rescued as late as 1940. The name Kindertransport came into use in the late 20th century.
Where is the Kindertransport sculpture?
Kindertransport—The Arrival, sculpture by Frank Meisler, 2006; at Liverpool Street Station, London. It commemorates the arrival at Liverpool Street Station of children rescued as part of the Kindertransport; from the station the children were sent to foster homes and hostels.
What is the meaning of Für das Kind Wien?
Für das Kind—Wien (“For the Child—Vienna”), sculpture by Flor Kent, 2008; at the West Railway Station, Vienna. It commemorates children relocated as part of the Kindertransport (1938–39). Herbert r. The success of the reunion spurred the formation of the Kindertransport Association in 1989.
What organizations helped settle the children in the London camps?
Among the organizations that helped settle the children were B’nai B’rith, the Refugee Children’s Movement, the YMCA, the Society of Friends, the Chief Rabbi’s Religious Emergency Council, and a variety of other organizations (both Jewish and non-Jewish). Private donations—from money and clothing to houses—also played an important role.
Where did the first transport leave Germany?
They were admitted with temporary travel documents. On December 1, 1938, less than one month after Kristallnacht, the first transport left Germany. It arrived at Harwich, England, the following day, bringing 196 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin that had been burned by the Nazis on November 9.
How many people were interned in the Arandora Star?
Opposition to further internment mounted among the British public in July 1940 after a German U-boat sank the Arandora Star, carrying more than 1,200 internees (including Italians as well as German and Austrian refugees), with the loss of some 800 lives.
Where were the children from the Kindertransport held?
In 1940, British authorities interned as enemy aliens about 1,000 children from the Kindertransport. They were held in internment camps on the Isle of Man, Canada, and Australia. Despite their classification as enemy aliens, some of the boys from the children's transport program later joined the British army and fought in the war against Germany.
Where did the children travel on the Kindertransport?
Children chosen for a Kindertransport convoy traveled by train to ports in Belgium and the Netherlands, from where they sailed to Harwich. At least one of the early transports left from the port of Hamburg in Germany. Some children from Czechoslovakia were flown by plane directly to Britain.
How many children were brought to safety by the Kindertransport?
From December 1938 until May 1940, the Kindertransport efforts brought about 10,000 children to safety in Great Britain.
Where did the children without sponsors go?
After the transports arrived in Harwich, children with sponsors went to London to meet their foster families. Children without sponsors were housed in a summer camp in Dovercourt Bay and in other facilities until individual families agreed to care for them or until hostels could be organized to care for larger groups of children.
Where did children from the Children's Transport Program go?
Many children from the children's transport program became citizens of Great Britain, or emigrated to Israel, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Most of them would never again see their parents, who were murdered during the Holocaust.
When did the last transport leave Germany?
The last transport from Germany left on September 1, 1939, just as World War II began. The last transport from the Netherlands left for Britain on May 14, 1940, the same day that the Dutch army surrendered to German forces.
Who helped bring refugee children to Britain?
Inside Britain, the Movement for the Care of Children from Germany coordinated many of the rescue efforts. Jews, Quakers, and Christians of many denominations worked together to bring refugee children to Britain.
What was the purpose of the Kindertransport?
Kindertransport refers to the rescue and adaptation to a new way of life of about 10,000, mainly Jewish children who were sent between 1938 and 1939 by their parents as a last resort to countries such as Britain, Sweden, Holland, and Belgium to escape Nazi persecution. The groundwork for the rescue program was laid by the Central British Fund for German Jewry (CBF). Several organizations came together to help make the transport possible, including the CBF, its subcommittee the Movement for the Care of Children from Germany, and the Society of Friends. The emigration of some of the Polish Kinder was arranged by an Anglo-Jewish group - the Polish Jewish Refugee Fund.
What is the British national narrative of the Kindertransport?
The British national narrative of the Kindertransport suggests that Britain stood alone in rescuing the Kinder.
How did the United States differ from the British Kindertransport scheme?
America. The United States scheme differed from the British Kindertransport scheme because it was not government-backed like the British operation. The Wagner-Rogers Bill proposed an extra quota for refugee children to enter the States, but it never passed through Congress.
How did the identity of the Kinder develop?
The identity of the Kinder developed from that of being a Jewish refugee and a foreign presence to being a welcome member of society. This identity would develop again after the war as many of the Kinder became British citizens.
Why did the Kinder become double refugees?
In the course of the war, which began in September 1939, the Kinder became double refugees when they were evacuated to the countryside to escape from the bombings.
What are some examples of Kindertransportees?
Kindertransportees, often late in life, wrote memoirs about their experiences. An example is Edith Milton’s The Tiger in the Attic (2007) . Several well-known fictional works include reference to the Kindertransport, such as Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1989), and W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz (2001). One of the most moving novels about the Kindertransport is Alison Pick’s Far to Go (2010).
What are the sculptures called in Kindertransport?
The sculptures are called “The Final Parting” (Hamburg), “The Departure” (Gdansk/Danzig), “Trains to Life – Trains to Death” (Berlin), “Channel Crossing to Life” (Netherlands)and “The Arrival” (London). Photographs relating to the Kindertransport need to be understood in historical context.
Where did the Kindertransport start?
Mrs. Gertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer organized the first Kindertransport from Austria on December 10, 1938 after negotiations with the authorities who, on short notice, gave her 600 children to frustrate her ambitions to transport them to any destination. Nonetheless, she managed to send 500 to Britain and 100 to Holland. She would later, on May 14, 1940, facilitate boat transport for 74 children from Holland to the UK after Germany invaded the country. Belgium, France, and Sweden also accepted some children through the facilitation of Jewish communities in the countries. Kindertransport from Poland started in February 1939 while from Czechoslovakia started in March 1939 after Germany invaded the country. Kindertransport ended on September 1, 1939 after the declaration of war. After the end of Kindertransport, Britain sent 160 children who had no foster families to the Whittingehame Farm School, Scotland. Habonim, and Bnei Akiva, Jewish youth organizations, also hosted several children hostels in the UK.
Who were the Kindertransport children?
Some of the Kindertransport children grew to become notable people. They include Alfred Bader who became a philanthropist in Canada, Alfred Dubs, Bar on Dubs who became a politician in the UK, as well as Rolf Decker the former US Olympian. Others include British painter and Arno Penzias and Walter Kohn (American physicists and Nobel laureates).
What was the Kindertransport?
The Kindertransport was the movement of German, Polish, Czechoslovakian and Austrian Jewish children to England before the outbreak of World War II. On November 15, 1938, a few days after Kristallnacht, a delegation of British Jewish leaders met with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain requesting, among other measures, ...
How many children were brought to the safety of Great Britain by the Kindertransport rescue?
In all, the Kindertransport rescue operation brought approximately 10,000 children to the relative safety of Great Britain – a large-scale act of mercy unique in a tragic historical period marked by brutality and widespread indifference.
What happened to the Kinder in 1940?
On one shipment to Australia aboard the HMT DuneraI, many of the Kinder were mistreated and a scandal that followed revelations about the mishandling of internment led to a program of releases in late 1940. Men in particular were offered the chance to do war work or to enter the Alien Pioneer Corps.
Where were Kinder sheltered?
Upon arrival at port in Great Britain, Kinder without prearranged foster families were sheltered at temporary holding centers located at summer holiday camps on the cold windy coast of East Anglia – Dovercourt near Harwich – and, for a short period, Pakefield near Lowestoft.
Why did children stop receiving letters in 1942?
By 1942, many of the children stopped receiving letters for reasons they would not understand until later. Older children suffered a different hardship.
When did the last children leave Germany?
The last group of children from Germany departed on September 1, 1939, the day the German army invaded Poland and provoked Great Britain, France, and other countries to declare war. The last known transport of Kinder left from the Netherlands left on May 14, 1940, the day the Dutch army surrendered to Germany.
When did the BBC start fostering?
On November 25 , 1938 , the BBC Home Service radio program aired a public appeal for British citizens to volunteer foster homes and quickly more than 500 offers were received. The RCM did not insist that prospective homes for Jewish children be Jewish homes nor did they probe too deeply into the motives or character of the foster families - it was sufficient for the houses to look clean and the families to seem respectable.
What ship did the internees travel on?
The letter was accompanied by this sketch, which details the internees’ journey on board the infamous HMS Dunera.
When did Ramon Gärtner travel to England?
Ramon Gärtner came to England in August 1939 via a Kindertransport flight. He later drew a picture of the plane in a letter to his parents.
How many daughters did Alfred Wiener have?
Courtesy of The Wiener Holocaust Library Collections. Alfred Wiener had three daughters, Mirjam (right), Eva (left), and Ruth (middle). In 1943, the three girls were imprisoned with their mother in Westerbork. They were then deported to Bergen-Belsen in 1944.
When did Katerina Buchwald emigrate to England?
In February 1939, Katerina managed to emigrate to England with her son Wilhelm. Courtesy of The Wiener Holocaust Library Collections. This letter, dated 23 December 1938, was sent from Lady Violet Bonham-Carter to Katerina Buchwald, who had written previously asking for her help with her son, Wilhelm.
Who was Katerina Buchwald?
Katerina Buchwald (pictured) was a Jewish woman from Bratislava. She had two children, Rosa (born in 1925) and Wilhelm (born in 1929). In 1938, as the threat of the Nazi persecution increased, she began attempting to find ways to flee Czechoslovakia and find safe passage for her children.
What was the situation in Kitchener Camp?
This situation became even more difficult after the outbreak of the Second World War, and many of the men struggled to adjust to camp life and separation from their families.
What is Kindertransport?
The word ‘Kindertransport’ is used to describe the large scale transportation by train of ten thousand endangered, mostly Jewish, children from Austria and Germany to safety in the UK in 1938 and 1939 (Kinder means children in German). The same term became used for the Czech and Slovak rescue of endangered children which was organised in 1939 by Nicholas Winton with the help of Trevor Chadwick and other volunteers both in Prague and London. View Timeline and broader Kindertransport description
Who was Nicky's friend in Kindertransport?
View Timeline and broader Kindertransport description. Just before Christmas 1938, Nicky had a phone call from his good friend Martin Blake, another Labour party member. They were due to take a party of schoolboys from Westminster School, where Martin was a teacher, on a skiing holiday.
When did the first group of children leave Prague?
The first group of children left the day before the Germans invaded the whole of the country on 15th March 1939. Hitler had broken the Agreement, as Nicky and others believed he would and Prague came under German occupation. From then on Trevor Chadwick had to deal with the Gestapo to get exit permits stamped for each group of children ready to travel. As foster families and guarantors came forward to offer help through the spring and summer, eight transports bringing 669 children left Prague for London.
Why did Hitler give the Sudetenland to Hitler?
This gave the Sudetenland to Hitler in return for “peace in our time”, a guarantee by Hitler of no further expansionist claims.
Where was Nicky's scrapbook donated?
The scrapbook was donated by Nicky to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1989. The crisis unfolding in Czechoslovakia became clear to Nicky over the first few days as he assisted at the offices of aid agencies and visited refugee camps that surrounded the capital.
Who was the Czech rescuer in 1939?
The same term became used for the Czech and Slovak rescue of endangered children which was organised in 1939 by Nicholas Winton with the help of Trevor Chadwick and other volunteers both in Prague and London. View Timeline and broader Kindertransport description. Just before Christmas 1938, Nicky had a phone call from his good friend Martin Blake, ...
What did Doreen discuss with Doreen?
He discussed with Doreen the possibility of trying to do something for the children who were not being considered by other aid groups. Distressed parents were already asking him if there was any way of their child being sent to safety in Britain and, with Doreen’s encouragement, he decided he should try and help them.
