The family of Fred Barschak, a Kindertransport survivor and JC contributor, have paid tribute to their "big, beautiful, philosophical tank" of a father, who has died at the age of 85 after suffering a heart attack.

Tamara Barschak, his daughter, said: "He was full of culture, full of kindness for people, and with an insatiable curiosity."

Mr Barschak arrived in Britain from Vienna in 1939 aged seven as the only surviving member of his family. He worked as a property developer, but devoted his free time to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, as a council member for the Yad Vashem Trust.

Aaron Barschak, his son, said: "He wore the mantle of an English Jew very proudly and remained grateful to this country for giving him a home."

Mr Barschak is survived by his wife Miriam, 82, and his two children.