The Windermere Children

They tore me out from my father's arm...

...and took me away.

This moment, I will never, never forget.

We were unloaded from the trains,

and boys and men in one queue,

women and children in the other queue.

And they told us to move forward...

I was ten months old when I arrived in Theresienstadt.

At night, we could see the chimneys were glowing...

You had dead bodies all laying on the floor.

Well, I hope it's not me tomorrow.

We were starving all the time.

All we were thinking of was food.

We were supposed to be eliminated...

They got the 10,000 children, took them to Chelmno

and they gassed them and then they buried them to mass graves.

I only believed that the war was over

when I actually saw German soldiers captured by the Russians.

And they told me that we're going to England.

I didn't know anything about England.

- I couldn't speak any... not a word of English - I knew two words.

I know "OK"... I came with absolutely nothing

because I had no clothes of my own, no toys.

Didn't know where we were going or what we're going to do.

This is the last group.

It's been a long day, let's get them settled as soon as possible.

Welcome! It's warm inside.

Geht bitte weiter, Kinder. Willkommen.

Willkommen in England.

Off you get. That's it.

Welcome to Windermere.

This way.

Welcome. Welcome to...

Ah. Ah...

My dear boy, it's nothing a damp cloth can't sort out.

Now, please... Please follow your friends.

Please remove all your clothes and put them on the pile.

We have to get rid of them for typhus.

You will be given new clothes in the morning.

Cough for me.

I need you to remove all clothes and shoes.

On the pile here. We've got some blankets...

Next one, please.

Oscar!

Ah.

May I introduce you to Edith and Georg Lauer

kept prisoner with some of the children in Theresienstadt.

Edith, Georg,

overseeing our project, our esteemed director, Oscar Friedmann.

Travelling all day, you must be exhausted.

We are glad to finally be here.

Before coming to England, Oscar ran an institution for

troubled boys in Germany.

He has since become quite the expert with regards to child refugees...

...which is why I asked him to lead this project.

They are going to be here for four months?

Yes.

And after?

We are working very hard at what will happen to them

after Windermere.

Come. You look shattered.

Mr Friedmann.

One of the lads is refusing to get off.

Refusing?

I tried to explain he's got nothing to fear, but he won't budge.

What happened?

We talked. And now we wait.

And how long you...?

Take him inside, Jock, would you?

This way, Salek.

Come inside.

Come this way.

Now, let's get you seen quickly.

Nurse?

Good lad.

My name is Jock Lawrence.

And you?

Arek. Arek Herszlikowicz.

Arek. And where are... where are you from, son?

Otoschno. Auschwitz.

Buchenwald. Theresienstadt.

He was in four camps?

Again, physically smaller than we might expect for his age.

Various scars across his back and arms.

Burn scars.

Damage to the fingers. Healed.

Badly.

Open your mouth please, son.

Four missing teeth.

Several in decay.

Again, almost certainly due to malnutrition.

Yet another for the dentist.

Problem?

At the last minute, another boy on the flight went back to Poland.

This boy took his place,

but there was no more time to amend the roster.

Oh, my dear boy, calm yourself.

We shall sort everything out.

In the meantime...

...welcome to England.

Compared to survivors in newsreels I've seen,

they look more normal than I was expecting.

Three months ago, you wouldn't have recognised a single child.

This way, please.

- Mr Friedmann is quite clear. - Girls and boys must sleep separately.

How, when these boys and these girls are inseparable?

We want them to leave the chaos of their former life behind

and restore order.

And I understand. They will not.

Then we must explain it to them.

May I suggest explaining it tomorrow?

- Once they and I. - have slept.

Would you prefer me to? I can manage.

Most strangers get a slap.

He must like you.

I...I did not expect such little ones to survive.

They were exceptions.

Hidden.

Living off scraps.

Like rats.

I will be most curious to see how it has affected them.

Turn around.

Wherever Bela goes, they go too.

Inseparable.

Leonard, you know, the Lauers think four months is not enough.

Well, you've certainly got your hands full.

One of the boys said to me, "The reason I am alive

"is because I was strong enough to take bread

"from someone who was too weak to eat it."

The camps taught them survival at any cost.

Four months.

Not much time to bring them back to civilisation.

Keeping them all together in one place was your idea.

We've achieved that.

I wish I could give you longer.

We raised as much as we could.

Salek!

Ah, Oscar, if you ask me, they look a tad peckish.

Hertha! More bread! What?!

More bread. Let them see it will never run out.

Do you think every meal's going to be like this?

Let's hope not.

So how do you plan to tame them?

"Tame" them?

Jock, they're not animals.

Next. Stand there, please.

Next!

Close your eyes.

Next!

Right, next.

Ey-up!

What's going on here?

You seen these?

Who you looking at, Fritz?

Aw, look. Adolf wants to shake hands!

Go on, shake hands, Malc. Go on.

Now yank the Kraut bastard over!

Go on, Malc. Pull a bit harder.

What is he doing? What are you doing?

I'm trying! He's stronger than he looks!

Get off me! Let go!

Hey!

Get off! Lads! Lads!

Come on. Get off!

That's good. Next!

Woohoo!

Woo! Woohoo!

Woohoo!

Mrs Lauer?

Good morning.

I would like to apologise for the ill-judged comments

I made about the little children last night.

No apology necessary.

I would like to understand them more.

To that end, I was wondering if you might bring them

to my classroom to paint.

Paint?

I have developed a therapy where we invite children to paint

without instruction or critique.

They choose the colours and the themes that they want.

I've discovered that this freedom allows their subconscious

to reveal itself upon the paper.

It would be fascinating to know what...

...the...the little leader...

Bela.

To see a visual representation of her psychology

would be extraordinary.

I am taking them for a walk.

Come with.

What's your name, and why are you dressed like that?

Perhaps wear some trousers next time!

He's perfectly friendly!

It's not your dog. It's any dog.

Kinder!

Are these the Jewish children we've been told about?

Some of them, yes. Bela!

We were promised that land would be

given back to the local community after the war.

Why can't their own people take them?

Oh, well, most Jewish communities have been established in the cities.