British Man Who Saved 669 Children From The Holocaust Dies At Age 106
A man who prevented the deaths of hundreds of children during the Holocaust passed away at the age of 106.
According to BBC News, Sir Nicholas Winton, the "British Schindler," died peacefully with his daughter and two grandchildren by his side.
Winton's parents were Jewish, but he was raised Christian, Daily Mail reports.
He was working as a stockbroker in London when he visited a friend in occupied Prague in 1938.
Appalled by what was going on, Winton returned home and arranged for eight trains to take children out of Prague and into Britain before the start of World War II.
In order to ensure the children's safety, he found British families who volunteered to house some of the kids until they were 17, and he obtained residency permits from the UK's immigration office.
According to BBC Winton, who was knighted in 2003, died on the same day his largest train took 241 children out of Prague in 1939.
His son Nick said,
[His legacy] is about encouraging people to make a difference and not waiting for something to be done or waiting for someone else to do it.
Winton saved a total of 669 children almost entirely on his own. Today, when their offspring are taken into account, this achievement is thought to be responsible for the existence of approximately 6,000 people.
Winton kept his heroism a secret from everyone, including his family, until 1988 when his wife found a scrapbook that listed the names of the children and the families who took them in.
In February of that year, Winton's family revealed the scrapbook on a talk show, so he could finally be publicly honored for his incredible selflessness.
To Winton's surprise, the studio audience contained some of the children he saved.
Citations: British Schindler Sir Nicholas Winton dies aged 106 (BBC), Sir Nicholas Winton Britains Schindler who saved hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi concentration camps dies aged 106 (Daily Mail), British Schindler Sir Nicholas Winton dies aged 106 (The Guardian)
