Teach Primary Issue 18.4

• Why were children forced to leave their home countries in the late 1930s? • How was the journey a difficult one? • Why is it important to remember not just the Kindertransport, but also the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust? to purchase from the museum’s online shop. Ask pupils to predict why this was such a difficult journey for both the parents and their children. Explain to the class the different rules of the journey, such as that children had to be able to carry their own suitcase. The children packed both practical and sentimental items, including clothes, dolls, photographs, and religious objects. The scheme did not allow adults to come with their children as the government was concerned about the impact this could have, with jobs being taken from British citizens. As a result, there were not many visa waivers offered. Families also had to provide financial assurance for the children so that there was no apparent burden on the British government or public. government agreed to waive the usual immigration rules for this small group of unaccompanied children, leaving their families behind under Nazi rule. Ask your class to create a short headline and paragraph from a typical 1939 British newspaper that explains why Jewish children would be arriving from Europe. 2 | DIFFICULTIES Next, turn pupils’ attention to the stories of two or three different children. If possible, find the stories of children who settled in your local area, as this can add greater relevance and interest. You can find the stories of survivors on the National Holocaust Museum website ( holocaust.org.uk/survivors ) as well as elsewhere, for example in books such as Journeys , which is available • Explain that, in many ways, these children were extraordinarily fortunate. 1.5 million children died in the Holocaust. A challenging question could be to ask why we memorialise the Kindertransport in the UK more than we do those children who died. • Ask the children to consider their own behaviour and how they treat people who are different from themselves. • To stretch pupils’ thinking and creatively assess what they have learned in the lesson, ask them to plan and create a memorial for the Kindertransport children. Thinking about the different stories of these child survivors and the objects they brought with them to the UK, how could we remember them? The children could create a sculpture, painting, symbol, poem or song, for example. Importantly, ask pupils to think about what message their memorial gives about the Kindertransport and what both children and adults would gain from experiencing it. EXTENDING THE LESSON Sometimes, families received financial help from British foster families and charities. Those who were not able to afford the costs, including many who had seen their assets taken by the Nazis, had to stay behind. Next, using maps of Europe and England, explain that the children boarded trains from Germany, Austria, or Czechoslovakia to the Netherlands, where they were given a warm welcome and hot chocolate. From there, they boarded a ferry to Britain, eventually arriving at Liverpool Street Train Station in London. At the station, the children were given to their foster families. Ask pupils to discover the stories and objects of your chosen children. Guide their discussions by asking them to think about the children’s first experiences in England: the language; streets; houses; people; schools; and even food. Do the students think the children were happy? How might their early experiences in England have been difficult and what memories of home did the children bring with them, and miss? 3 | REMEMBRANCE Finally, explain to pupils that the transports stopped when Britain declared war on Germany. That day, a train carrying 200 children was stopped. Those children did not gain freedom and it is thought that most of them died in the Holocaust. Return to the stories of the child survivors that you chose. What contributions did they make to Britain during their life? What did the world lose when so many children were not able to reach safety? Charlie Stansfield is a teacher with a master’s degree in the Second World War. He currently works at the National Holocaust Museum, whose team visit schools across the country. “Although anti-Jewish racism existed throughout Europe before the rise of the Nazis, many German Jewish families were happy and patriotic” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net | 73