A memorial tribute to the child refugees who came to Britain on the Kindertransport will be unveiled in the autumn in Harwich, the point of entry for most of the arrivals.

Award-winning Essex artist Ian Wolter has created a statue depicting five children descending a ship’s gang-plank.

A campaign to raise £160,000 for the memorial and associated learning programmes is nearing its target, helped by a significant contribution from the German government and £22,500 from the Association of Jewish Refugees.

The grant from the Harwich Haven Authority Community Fund towards the project will finance an audio bench in the Mayor’s garden and information boards which will be dotted around the port town, detailing the history of the Kindertransport.

German Embassy chargé d’affaires Julia Gross said that with the documenting of Nazi atrocities more important than ever, “I am immensely proud that the Federal Republic of Germany is supporting the establishment of this unique memorial.

“I hope that the memorial and the stories behind it will become another powerful call to all of us to remain vigilant and to take action against injustice, prejudice and tyranny in every form — today, tomorrow and in the future.”

Mike Levy, who has chaired the project appeal, believed the memorial and educational programmes “will finally recognise the role of Harwich and its people in saving the lives of 10,000 children. Our aim is that the memorial will act as a catalyst for a new generation of exciting learning opportunities which will highlight the role of ordinary people in that unprecedented act of altruism which we call the Kindertransport.”