Thousands of Jews saved by the Kindertransport will, for the first time, uncover vital details about their escape from Nazi-occupied Europe, thanks to the discovery of long-lost historical records.
The documents, which were used by border officials in the Netherlands to facilitate the safe passage of Jewish children fleeing Nazi persecution, have been found in archives at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Israel.
The files detail the journeys of nearly 10,000 Jewish children who were transported from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Italy to the UK and the Netherlands between December 1938 and August 1939, as part of the rescue mission.
Dr. Amy Williams, a freelance research fellow and alumna of Nottingham Trent University, discovered the historic papers after years of research into the Kindertransport. Previously, it was believed that such records no longer existed.
Dr. Williams explained: “Since I started my research into the Kindertransport ten years ago, I was told repeatedly that the lists of children travelling to Britain and Holland did not exist. But I have found them here—these are the lists of the Kindertransportees.
The documents were discovered in the archives at Yad Vashem by NTU alumna Dr Amy Williams (Picture: Nottingham Trent University)
“Many of the Kindertransportees who are still alive today, who were so young that they cannot recall their journeys, will for the first time learn how they fled the war to start new lives in the UK and Holland.”
The newly found documents include detailed information about the children’s names, birth dates, home addresses, and their parents’ and chaperones’ names. Crucially, they also list Kindertransport numbers, departure dates, and the exact routes the children travelled.
The records were created by the Dutch Jewish Children Committee, which worked to ensure the safe passage of the children.
The lists provide a unique insight into the logistics of the Kindertransport, allowing survivors and their families to trace the precise details of the trains they were on, where they travelled, and even the names of the children who sat next to them.
The records document all the details of the children, including their parents' names, their home addresses and the route they took to safety (Picture: Nottingham Trent University)
Professor Bill Niven, Emeritus Professor at NTU and Dr. Williams' collaborator on the project, emphasised the historical importance of the discovery: “These documents are of huge historical significance and will help answer questions that many Jewish people have carried for their entire lives.”
For surviving Kindertransportee Hanna Zack Miley, now 92 and living in Arizona, the discovery has been deeply emotional. “I am still feeling the reverberations of seeing my details on the Kindertransport list. Reclaiming the past is an ongoing journey for me,” she said.
“My first reaction was a feeling of authentication—this actually did happen, I was really there. I’m embracing more deeply both the losses and the deliverance, the saving of my life.”
Hanna continued, “I am comforted by a fresh sense of belonging to the kinder and our shared history. I think Dr. Williams has gifted us with a sense of dignity, in the honouring of our story. Already the discovery of the lists has led to a Zoom meeting with two of Doris Aronowitz’ sons. Her name was next to mine on the list. I think it’s only the beginning.”
The lists will soon be made available to the public through organisations such as the Association of Jewish Refugees and World Jewish Relief.
