Figure 1.-- This photograph was taken at RAF Crosby-on-Eden air base (August 1945). We see Jewish orophans who had survived the Holocaust. They were at the Theresienstadt Ghetto when it as liberated by the Red Army. They have been flown to Britain for rehabilitation Windermere Camp prepred for them. Most remained in britain. the vyounger children were adiopted. the older children got bin with theur education and lives. Here we see the children being lifted down from a RAF Bomber Command Short Stirling bomber. The Windermnere 'children' is a bit of a mismnomber. Chikldren hd very little chbce iof survuving the Hilocaust. The staff expected children like the ones oictured here, but why theygot was teengers, including some older teengers who had a chance to survive. .

Children were especially targeted by the NAZIs. As non workers, chuldren abd the elderly were usually the first to be murdered. Some were mirdered in the ghetties, vitrtually ll were murdered upon arrival at concentration camps. As a result, very few Jewish children survived. And precious few were among the survivirs when the camps ware liberted t the end of the War. An estimsted, 90 percent of the Jewish children in occupied Europe were murdered in the Holocaust. Most of the child survivors were children that had been hidden durung the war by brave souls willing to risk their lives. There were some children whon survived in Theresienstadt, primarily because there were transports into the camp after the transports to the death canp ended (October 1944). British philanthropist Leonardo G. Montefiore, the founder of the Central British Fund (CBF), was shocked by his visit to Paris where he saw the first liberated camp survivors. He managed to persuade the British government to allow 1,000 displaced children under the age of 16 into Britain. Eventully only 732 came. Of those were 300 children from Theresienstadt who Montefiore arranged to bring to Windermere in he Lake District. The children came from Theresienstadt in Czechoslovkia, but that does not mean they were all Czech. The Germans used Theresienstadt as a kind of holding pen for Jews being sent to the death camps in occupied Poland. Many of the Jews in Theresienstadt were from Germany and other countries. Many of 'children' were actually older than 16 becuse so many of the youngr children has been murdered. And for the most part they were recent residents of Theresienstadt. The NAZIs opened the ghetto in 1941 and most of the inmtes arriving in 1941-43 were transported to the deathcamops and mirdered. the Winderemere children were the most recent arrivals (late 1944-45). As many of the 'children' had no documents, it was ofen impossible to tell age precisely. The CBF (now the World Jewish Relief) was the major group organizing the children‘s rescue. The RAF brought the children from Prague to Crosby-on-Eden in Cumbria aboard RAF Bombers (August 1945). The older children had m knowledge of life before the war. The younger children had no experience of life before life in ghettoes and camps. A camp was prepared for the children at Windermere in the Lake District. Narcks were converted to rooms so bthechildren woukd hve theur own rooms. Most of the children came with little mire than the shirts on their back. Everyting the children needed was provided. There was a closely chosen staff. The Camp was overseen by the psychologist Dr. Oscar Friedman who was a Jewish refugee from Berlin himself. The goal was to reintrgrate these severly traumatised children back into society. Many od the children after wht they had been through were suspicious. For all they knew this was just anotyher murder ruse. The Windermere stiory is one of the most heart-warming of the Holocaust. The horrifying aspect is what a miniscule fraction of the children tagetted were involved.

Created: 1:22 AM 8/23/2022
Last updated: 1:22 AM 8/23/2022