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Charles marks Jewish child rescue | |
(about 12 hours later) | |
Prince Charles has marked the 70th anniversary of a decision to allow thousands of children from Nazi-occupied Europe into the UK. | |
He told Kindertransport refugees at a reunion in London he was proud his own grandmother had sheltered Jewish refugees when WWII broke out. | |
About 10,000 mainly Jewish children were allowed into the UK following a 1938 Commons debate on refugee policy. | About 10,000 mainly Jewish children were allowed into the UK following a 1938 Commons debate on refugee policy. |
The Association of Jewish Refugees says the UK saved them from "certain death". | |
In a speech, the prince said his paternal grandmother, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece, took in a Jewish family when she was living in Athens. | |
'Remarkable lady' | |
He said: "That's one reason why I wanted to be with you today because my grandmother would have approved. She was a very remarkable lady." | |
He added he was "incredibly proud a member of my family did the right thing". | |
"That I think is something we always need to remember on these occasions. What is the right thing to do?" he added. | |
"We must never ever forget the lessons from what you had to go through." | |
He said the refugees' experiences were "almost unimaginable, even though I promise you I have tried to imagine what so many of you had to go through". | |
We are celebrating one of the single most important decisions ever taken by the British government Erich ReichAssociation of Jewish Refugees 'We lived on hope and promises'In pictures: Kindertransport | |
Steven Mendelsson, 82, who now lives in Sheffield, was one of the "kinder" who met the prince. | |
Born in Bresslau, Germany, which is now called Wroclaw in Poland, he arrived in Britain aged 12. | |
Recalling his arrival in Harwich, Essex, he said: "We arrived very thirsty they gave us hot tea which we had never heard of before and bananas. | |
"They put us on a train to Liverpool Street Station. We needed our parents to hug us and tell us it was a bad dream, but they were left behind in Germany." | |
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) estimated the parents of 90% of kinder were murdered in the Holocaust. | |
But Mr Mendelsson's parents were able to follow him to England a few months later. | |
Charitable organisations such as the Red Cross organised the Kindertransport, involving unaccompanied children - aged five to 17 - travelling to Britain by train and boat via Holland. | |
Many were orphaned and remained in the UK. | Many were orphaned and remained in the UK. |
The gathering of the refugees, many of whom are now elderly, took place at the Jewish Free School in Kingsbury. | |
The school was instrumental in helping many of the youngsters to be moved from London to Ely, near Cambridge, at the beginning of World War II. | The school was instrumental in helping many of the youngsters to be moved from London to Ely, near Cambridge, at the beginning of World War II. |
Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, welfare minister Tony McNulty and director Lord Attenborough also attended. | |
Erich Reich, chairman of the Association of Jewish Refugees' Kindertransport committee, said: "We are celebrating one of the single most important decisions ever taken by the British government. | Erich Reich, chairman of the Association of Jewish Refugees' Kindertransport committee, said: "We are celebrating one of the single most important decisions ever taken by the British government. |
"Thanks to its intervention some 10,000 children, myself included, were saved from certain death." | "Thanks to its intervention some 10,000 children, myself included, were saved from certain death." |