Sir Nicholas Winton

Former resident of Maidenhead, Sir Nicholas Winton, was born in Hampstead, London in May 1909 to Jewish parents who had emigrated to Britain.  This local hero was known as the 'British Schindler'; his actions led to the rescue of 669 children, most of whom were Jewish, from the hands of the Nazis just before World War II.

His fascinating story is now the subject of a film, One Life, which is released in UK cinemas on 1 January 2024.  You can watch the trailer below and you can watch the film at Norden Farm Centre of the Arts during January 2024.

The story of Sir Nicholas Winton

Sir Nicholas left school without qualifications, although he excelled at fencing and was selected for the British Olympic team in 1938 but unfortunately the games were cancelled because of the war.  After spending some time abroad and earning a banking qualification, he returned to London and became a broker at the London Stock Exchange.  He was an ardent socialist and befriended many Labour Party members, including Aneurin Bevan, and became part of a left-wing circle concerned by the dangers posed by the Nazis.

It was in 1938 that a friend, who was aiding refugees in western Czechoslovakia, asked Winton to fly to Prague and assist him.  At this time in Britain there was a programme called Kindertransport which allowed unaccompanied Jewish children from Germany and Austria into the country to stay with host families.  Winton created a similar operation in Czechoslovakia and here began a time of great danger, bribes, forgery and secret contacts with the Gestapo.  He registered more than 900 children and in early 1939 he returned to London to raise money, find foster homes and arrange transportation.  Eventually in March 1939 Winton’s plans paid off and the first 20 children left Prague by train.  In the next five months, eight trains made it through bringing the total children rescued to 669.

Winton ‘Square’ from Maidenhead Tapestry

In 1940, having rescinded his registration as a conscientious objector, Winton joined the Royal Air Force and rose from sergeant to the rank of war substantive flying officer.  When he relinquished his commission in May 1954 he retained the honorary rank of flight lieutenant.

Whilst working in Paris after the war, Winton met Grete, a Danish secretary, and they married in 1948 and went on to have three children.  They moved to Maidenhead and after retirement Winton did a lot of voluntary work.  He attempted to stand for election to the Maidenhead Town Council in 1954 but was unsuccessful.  Sadly his son Robin died of meningitis aged six and this prompted Winton to support a local organisation which became Maidenhead Mencap of which he was president for over 40 years.  He was also co-founder and president of the Abbeyfield Maidenhead Society and it was in 1983 when he was appointed MBE for his work in establishing the Abbeyfield homes for the elderly in Britain.

Winton said nothing about his rescuing children from Czechoslovakia and it only came to light when Grete discovered a long-hidden scrapbook with names, pictures and letters from grateful families.  She gave the scrapbook to a Holocaust historian and this led to newspaper articles and an appearance on BBC’s That’s Life, which then led to worldwide publicity.

In this 1988 episode of That’s Life, Winton, aged 78, was reunited with some of the adults who he had rescued as children.  He was invited on to the show, unaware that the audience consisted of those whose lives he had saved.

Sir Nicholas Winton's honours

Winton went on to receive many honours.  He was knighted in 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II for 'services to humanity, in saving Jewish children from Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia'.  He received The Freedom of the cities of both Prague and London, and in 2014 was awarded The Order of The White Lion, which is the Czech Republic’s highest honour.

The Order of the White Lion

Winton was always a very reluctant hero quoted as saying: “Why are you making such a big deal out of it?  I just helped a little; I was in the right place at the right time”.

Winton saved many notable people, including Alf Dubbs, British Labour Party politician and former MP; Renata Laxova, paediatric geneticist; Gerda Mayer, poet and Karel Reisz, filmmaker.

Winton was still very active into his later years and celebrated his 100th birthday flying over White Waltham airfield in a microlight!  His 105th birthday was spent at the Czech Embassy in London with 100 guests, many of whose parents were saved by him.

Poignantly, his death on 1 July 2015, aged 106, came 76 years to the day that 241 of the children he saved left Prague by train.

His daughter Barbara wrote one of many biographies of Sir Nicholas entitled If it’s not Impossible...The Life of Nicholas Winton.  The title is taken from her father’s personal motto which was “If something is not impossible, then there must be a way to do it”.

One Life | Sir Nicholas Winton

The film One Life is a biographical drama about Sir Nicholas Winton and his efforts to help groups of mostly Jewish children hide and flee German-occupied Czechoslavakia just before World War II.  The film stars Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as Winton and is released in UK cinemas on 1 January 2024.

Oaken Grove Park, Maidenhead

Maidenhead places to visit associated with Sir Nicholas Winton

Sir Nicholas has certainly left a legacy in Maidenhead.  

•    Maidenhead railway station: a statue commemorating Winton's life can be seen at Maidenhead railway station and was unveiled by Theresa May MP in 2010.  There are also statues of him at Liverpool Street station and in Prague.
•    The Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Garden opened in Oaken Grove Park Maidenhead in July 2017.  The garden features wooden sleepers from railway lines; ‘milestones’ representing the children’s journey, all with little poignant quotes on them; and a bridge and island representing their journey over to the UK.  Words cast into the concrete circle in the centre of the garden read ‘Save one life, save the world’.
•    The Order of the White Lion sculpture (the highest honour from the Czech Republic) and plaque outside Coppa Club in Maidenhead's waterside quarter.
•    Information board within Maidenhead Library.
•    Winton 'square' from Maidenhead tapestry within Maidenhead Heritage Centre.
•    Sir Nicholas Winton is buried at Braywick Cemetery, Maidenhead.

Useful links

Find out more about Sir Nicholas Winton on Maidenhead Heritage Centre's Hall of Fame.

Visit the BBC website to find out more about our local hero including his son Nick speaking to Victoria Derbyshire about his father and Anne Diamond chatting to a Henley woman who was saved by Sir Nicholas.

Stone with motto