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Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 8:15 am
by Chuck
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/britains-schi ... =u#4u0T44S
Sir Nicholas Winton, who organised the rescue of nearly 700 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, has died in hospital at the age of 106.

Sir Nicholas was nicknamed Britain's Schindler after he saved the lives of 669 children by sending them on trains from Prague to London.

His son-in-law Stephen Watson said Sir Nicholas died peacefully in his sleep at Wexham Hospital in Slough.

Prime Minister David Cameron described Sir Nicholas as a "great man", adding: "We must never forget Sir Nicholas Winton's humanity in saving so many children from the Holocaust."

Sir Nicholas organised eight trains from Prague to London to rescue children he feared would be sent to Nazi-run concentration camps.
WHY does it take so long for people like him to be Knighted or receive some other award yet waste of space footballers, celebrities, corrupt MP's and Bankers get them handed out willy nilly - and usally for no good reason!

Re: Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:13 am
by waterford103
Chuck wrote:https://uk.news.yahoo.com/britains-schi ... =u#4u0T44S
Sir Nicholas Winton, who organised the rescue of nearly 700 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, has died in hospital at the age of 106.

Sir Nicholas was nicknamed Britain's Schindler after he saved the lives of 669 children by sending them on trains from Prague to London.

His son-in-law Stephen Watson said Sir Nicholas died peacefully in his sleep at Wexham Hospital in Slough.

Prime Minister David Cameron described Sir Nicholas as a "great man", adding: "We must never forget Sir Nicholas Winton's humanity in saving so many children from the Holocaust."

Sir Nicholas organised eight trains from Prague to London to rescue children he feared would be sent to Nazi-run concentration camps.
WHY does it take so long for people like him to be Knighted or receive some other award yet waste of space footballers, celebrities, corrupt MP's and Bankers get them handed out willy nilly - and usally for no good reason!
Because honours are given to either - a. to please the masses , or - b. to grease some oily slick corrupt b****** .

Re: Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:34 am
by froggy
Let's imagine a Syrian or Eritrean man, born in London & holding a British passport, chartering a boat of the coast of Libya to bring coreligionist only "refugees" across the Med into Great Britain but that would subsequently refuse to defend Great Britain when attacked ?

Would we give a knighthood to such person ?

Re: Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:47 am
by saddler
froggy wrote:Let's imagine a Syrian or Eritrean man, born in London & holding a British passport, chartering a boat of the coast of Libya to bring coreligionist only "refugees" across the Med into Great Britain but that would subsequently refuse to defend Great Britain when attacked ?

Would we give a knighthood to such person ?
Not sure of the connection

Quite a few of the escaped Jewish refugees from Germany & Austria DID serve the British/Allies against Hitler

Look at the X Troop in 10 Commando...to name but one unit

Re: Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:22 am
by froggy
Look at the X Troop in 10 Commando...to name but one unit

100 % agreed. As a French person, I am well aware there were quite a few in the Leclerc's 2nd DB & many French sefaradi jews served in the French African army taking part in the Italian campaign, the Provence landings & fighting all the way to Berchtesgaden. May their memory be honoured & may they not be forgotten as it is unfortunately too often the case.

On the other hand, Nicholas Winton decided to repay his debt to the country that had welcomed him by refusing to serve in its armed forces during the 2WW.

And for the record I would also question Cameron's choice of words. While we can all appreciate in retrospective what Winton did, he certainly did not at the time knowingly saved jews from the holocaust, ie : when he organised the kindertransport, the discriminatory Nuremberg laws had started to be implimented but the extermination was a very long way away & would not be considered for an other 3/4 years ... Actually nobody could have imagined the holocaust in 1938 as Hitler's initial plans, as Ovenpa's Mein Kampf reading will confirm, was to deport them to Madagascar.

Anyway ... Sadly ... I don't remember Cameron honouring in the same manner any of the Jewish brigade vets that fought & died serving in the 8th army ...

Re: Britains Schindler: Nicholas Winton dies

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:35 pm
by Chuck
Because honours are given to either - a. to please the masses , or - b. to grease some oily slick corrupt b****** .
HMM that would seem about right.

No matter what, he did save some, and that's what matters.