Esther Rantzen's Role in Holocaust Survivor's Meeting with Sir Nicholas Winton Revealed

Broadcaster Esther Rantzen played a pivotal role in enabling a Holocaust survivor to meet and thank Sir Nicholas Winton, the man credited with saving her life. Rantzen, who died this week at age 86 after a battle with stage four lung cancer, orchestrated a television moment that reunited dozens of children with Winton, one of World War II's lesser-known heroes.

Sir Nicholas, a stockbroker from Hampstead, had kept his wartime efforts a secret for nearly five decades. The discovery came in 1987 when his wife, Grete, found a scrapbook in their attic containing the names and photographs of hundreds of children. It revealed that a 29-year-old Winton had helped rescue 669 children, predominantly Jewish, from Nazi-occupied Prague before the war. These children were brought to Britain via train, with Winton securing sponsorships and homes for them.

One of the children rescued was Milena Fleischmann, who later became Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines. Rescued at nine years old along with her three-year-old sister, Lady Milena was among the few not of Jewish faith saved by Winton. Her father had been targeted by the Nazis for assisting author Thomas Mann's escape. Lady Milena's own escape to Britain and her parents' subsequent safe departure from Czechoslovakia remained unclear to her until a phone call in 1988.

The call came from Rantzen, the founder of Childline, who had discovered records of Lady Milena in Sir Nicholas's scrapbook. Initially skeptical, Lady Milena recalled her response to Rantzen's introduction: 'And I'm the Queen of England.' However, Rantzen persuaded her of her identity and invited her to a recording of her show, 'That's Life!', to meet Sir Nicholas.

During the program, Rantzen's co-presenter read a statement from her: "If it was Nicholas Winton who helped me to escape, my sister and my cousin with me, then I would be honoured to meet him – to thank him. If it were not for him, I would have gone the same way as my [other] cousins, who both ended up in concentration camps."

Lady Milena was able to meet Sir Nicholas after the show, though he reportedly left quickly, uncomfortable with the public attention. He returned for a second episode on July 3, 1988, where he was joined by dozens of the children he had saved. When asked if anyone owed their life to him, approximately two dozen individuals in the studio stood up, all evacuated children from Prague due to his efforts. Sir Nicholas was visibly moved, wiping tears from his eyes.

Sir Nicholas's decision to travel to Prague in 1938 at the request of his friend Martin Blake, who was working with Czech refugee groups, set in motion the Kindertransport operation. Over three weeks, he organized the transport of children, covering costs, navigating bureaucracy, and reportedly forging documents and bribing officials to overcome delays. The first train departed on March 14, 1939, the day before the Nazi occupation of the country. Each child required a £50 guarantee for repatriation costs. A total of eight trains departed, with collaborators in Prague seeing them off before Sir Nicholas and others met them in London and settled them with British families.

The final train was canceled by the Nazis on September 1, 1939, the day Poland was invaded and borders closed. Of the 250 children scheduled to travel, only two are believed to have survived the war, a fact that reportedly haunted Sir Nicholas.

Following the television appearance, Lady Milena maintained a friendship with Sir Nicholas, visiting him regularly. She also stayed in touch with Rantzen until the broadcaster's death. Rantzen reportedly considered the second 'That's Life!' episode featuring Sir Nicholas the most significant evening of her life.

In the months before her death, Rantzen contributed a foreword for a new book about the Kindertransport, further ensuring Sir Nicholas's story and legacy would be remembered. By bringing his actions to national attention, Rantzen helped create a national hero.