On a magical, if chilly, boat ride along beautiful Windermere last autumn, the tour guide was pointing out some of the places of interest on the shoreline.
This included the spot where wartime munitions workers built the iconic four-prop Sunderland flying boat, which really grabbed my attention as my dad flew one during the war – out of faraway Durban harbour!
But what the guide failed to tell us, which would have been of even greater interest to me, was that the barracks were subsequently used as a respite for survivors of the Holocaust – the so-called Windermere Children – which became the subject of a recent BBC television drama.
I had known nothing of this, so my thanks to the Beeb for highlighting the harrowing, yet heart-warming, story of the 300 children who somehow lived through the horrors of Auschwitz to find peace and welcome at last among these tranquil fells.
Dread Turns to Joy
What a shocking contrast of experiences it must have been for those youngsters – now seeing the Beauty of Lakeland instead of the Beast of Nazism that had vented its fury on God’s chosen people. Of course, they weren’t at all sure they would be treated well, especially when they saw the barracks, reminding them of the camps. But dread turned to joy when they discovered they had the luxury of their own bedrooms, complete with clean sheets and other comforts.
They arrived at Calgarth, near Windermere, on 14 August 1945, unable to communicate and, as they were soon to discover, with their families virtually wiped out. So it was with bittersweet memories that 91-year-old Polish-born Arek Hersh re-visited the idyllic venue from his home near Leeds.
He and his companions (played in the film by Polish actors) had just witnessed the unspeakable brutality of the death camps, and the news was unimaginably bleak when the Red Cross brought word of their families. “I lost everybody”, Arek told the Radio Times.1 “About 80 people – parents, cousins, uncles, everybody…”, though he did eventually trace his sister Mania.
Like the others, he adapted admirably to his adopted country and is very happy here. In 2009 he was awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education.
“Whatever I can do, I do, and I’m happy I can do it. I was lucky to come out alive. Very few did.”
What a shocking contrast of experiences it must have been for those youngsters – now seeing the Beauty of Lakeland instead of the Beast of Nazism.
Inconsistent Britain
The children had been airlifted in ten Lancaster bombers in a rescue mission organised by the Committee for the Care of Children from Concentration Camps, funded by the Central British Fund for German Jewry and supported by the UK Government.
However, not everything we did at the time was as helpful to Jewish people as this. For example, after being given the sacred trust – at San Remo, 100 years ago this April – of preparing a homeland for the Jewish people, we effectively sentenced thousands to death by denying them entry when they were in peril.
Call to Rescue
Now, 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Jews are still in great danger. And many in the Church wash their hands of responsibility, believing it is not their problem.
Yet new figures produced by the Community Security Trust show a record 1,805 anti-Semitic acts were recorded in the UK last year. Of these, 158 of the attacks were violent, representing a 25% increase over the previous year.
Louise Hay, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against anti-Semitism, said: “It is shameful the Jewish community has been subjected to another year of racist abuse. We are beyond a stage of saying that more be must be done. Immediate action is required.”2
The word of God has this to say: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Prov 24:11f)
References
1 Radio Times, 25-31 January 2020
2 VFI News, 11 February 2020