Nicky Winton - A Hero Hidden in Plain Sight

Nicholas George Winton

Saving the Children 

For years the work of Nicholas George Winton went unheralded.  The fact is he organized the transport of more than 600 children out of Prague from 1938 to 1939 and saved them from the hands of the Nazis.  He was a hero that was not honored for five decades.  During those five decades he married, worked in the financial industry, raised three children, and lived a long and rather uneventful life to the age of 106.  

In 2021 Peter Sis has told the story of Winton and one of the children he saved, Vera  Gissling.  He talks about how the book came about in an interview with Irene Connelly.  
Connelly, Irene Katz.  (2021 Jan. 26). Culture: How Celebrated Illustrator Peter Sis Found a Holocaust Hero in His Own Backyard. http://bit.ly/PeterSis-storiesinhistory. 

Sis’s book focuses on Winton and one child, six-year-old Vera Gissing who was among the many children saved.  The story does not dwell on the Nazi atrocities but rather on the children and the life they left behind, and their rescuer — Nicky & Vera: The Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. (Norton Young Readers, 2021).  The book is marketed to young readers ages 6-9 but its story is important and is a powerful book to stimulate discussions among older elementary and secondary readers (not to mention adults who may have their own memories of learning about or living through the war years)

Sir Nicholas Winton (‘nee Wertheim) (May 19, 1909-July 1, 2015) lived his life in England, and for most of that time he worked in the financial world.  But for a brief period in 1938-1939 he also became a savior—a man who rescued 669 children from Nazi extermination.  For over 50 years his story was untold.  He seldom spoke of his efforts, and only when his wife discovered (in the late 1980s) documents he saved regarding his work to free the children did his extraordinary role in saving so many come to light.  In May 2014 his daughter's book, meant for an adult readership, If it's Not Impossible... the Life of Sir Nicholas Winton (Troubador Books, 2014) was published.

In 2021, in a book for young readers age 6-9, Peter Sis tells the story of this man and his courageous efforts to transport children from Czechoslovakia to save them.  As noted in a NPR article (see citation below) Winton seldom spoke of his role in their passage to England, not even to his wife.    

Sir Nicholas Winton married his Danish wife Grete (1919-1999), in 1948. They lived in England much of their lives.  Both Nicholas's and Grete's ashes are buried with their son, Robin (who died of meningitis, one day before his sixth birthday) in the children's section of the Braywick cemetery in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England.  They were survived by a son, Nicholas, and a daughter, Barbara, who authored the biography of her father's life.

Using Peter Sis's Picture Book Biography to Think Creatively

Connect with http://www.google.com/doodles#archive to explore the past doodles showcased on Google.com.

Connect with Irene Connelly's interview with Peter Sis at http://bit.ly/PeterSis-storiesinhistory and discuss perspectives in history.

Other articles/resources about Nicholas Winton:

AccidentalTalmudist. (2020 Dec. 16). The British Schindler: He Saved 669 Children.  Accidental Talmudmist.  https://www.accidentaltalmudist.org/holocaust/2020/12/16/the-british-schindler/

Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust. (2019). Home: Sir Nicholas Winton. (website). https://www.nicholaswinton.com/ 

For More Reading 

Check out this list of Holocaust Remembrance books:

Katherine. (2021, January 27). Holocaust Remembrance Day: 60 Mighty Girl Books About the Holocaust.  A Mighty Girl.  https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11586

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Cite this blog post:
McElmeel, Sharron. (2021, Jan. 31). Nicky Winton - A Hero Hidden in Plain Sight.  McBookwords (Blog). http://bit.ly/WWII-hiddenhero