We had a curious visit to our showroom on 17th July, a group of 30 Survivors from those who came by train to Britain in 1938/9, saying goodbye to their families on the railways stations in Germany and Europe never to see them again. They were the Kindertransport survivors saved as children from the Holocaust and the Gas Chambers by an Association of British Jews guaranteeing their costs and only young children with a maximum limit of 10,000 were permitted into this country by the Chamberlain Government.
The visitors were very sprightly for their advanced years, refusing any assistance with walking or climbing stairs. They stayed for a couple of hours trying out all of our seating and lighting. They were particularly fascinated with the motion chairs and large animal figures. We were privileged to host them for a short while during their week long stay on the Fylde coast.
Despite their traumas of losing their families, roots and expectations in Nazi Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia, they were very positive and forward thinking. It must have been a heart-breaking wrench for the parents to decide to convey their kids to a foreign land as little refugees when after kristallnacht it became evident that their country was in the grasp of a monster. Thank God Britain proudly, was a kind and compassionate host for them.