Man known as British 'Schindler' dies

Sir Nicholas Winton, who died today at age 106, was an English stockbroker who saved 669 Jewish Czechoslovakian children from Nazi death camps during World War II.

While on a ski vacation in 1938, then 29-year-old Winton—a clerk at the London Stock Exchange who came from a wealthy, Jewish family—encountered Jewish Czech refugees desperate to move their children out of harm’s way. Over the next nine months, he bribed and blackmailed politicians to secure visas for the children. He provided, and sometimes forged, their biographies to give to prospective adoptive families.

In all, Winton orchestrated safe passage for seven trainloads of children. They traveled to Holland and boarded boats to England, where they met adoptive families. Nazi officials stopped an eighth train carrying more than 200 children.

Winton’s story remained unknown for decades. His wife uncovered his secret when she found a book of pictures containing a list of names and some letters from the children’s parents. The forged documents and faded pictures told the story, later revealed in a 1980s BBC program That’s Life! A segment from the program on YouTube has had more than 13 million views.

“He believed that if there was something that needed to be done you should do it,” his daughter Barbara said. "Let's not spend too long agonizing about stuff. Let's get it done.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.