Sir Nicolas Winton to accept the Order of the White Lion in person

Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved the lives of 669 children by bringing them out of German-occupied Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War, is to come to Prague at the end of October to receive the Order of the White Lion, the Czech Republic’s highest state distinction. The award is to be presented to him by the President Miloš Zeman on the occasion of the country’s public holiday October 28th. President Zeman told journalists on Thursday that Sir Nicolas Winton had accepted the invitation and was looking forward to the visit. Nicolas Winton organized train transports of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia to Britain in 1939, securing departure permits from the German authorities, entry permits from Britain and their admission to British families. The children would otherwise have ended up in concentration camps and gas chambers. Czech top officials have repeatedly nominated Sir Nicholas Winton for the Nobel Peace Prize.