Kindertransport to Paddington Bear

Dec. 2, 2024 was the 85th anniversary of the arrival of the first Kindertransport in London, so here you go…

They began arriving on a cold day in December of 1938. Eventually almost 10,000 would arrive at the Liverpool Street Station in London. These were the kids of the Kindertransport, little Jewish kids put on trains in Germany by their devastated parents in a desperate effort to save their lives. Each one carried a little suitcase, and wore a name tag. What a sight this must have been for Londoners - all those little kids, without their parents, speaking not a word of English! One of the onlookers would later honor these brave little folks by writing of a little bear, lost and alone, wearing a tag saying, “Please look after this bear. Thanks.” And so Paddington Bear was born…

Well, every English child may know that, but I didn't see Paddington Bear until he had tea with Queen Elizabeth II.