The Kinder Transport was an organised effort to rescue thousands of Jewish children from Nazi controlled territory in the months leading up to the Second World War.
The Kinder travelled across Europe seeking refuge in various countries. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakian and Poland. These children arrived into Harwich which was the main point of entry for most of the nearly 10,000 children of the Kindertransport between 1938 and 1939.
The sculpture ‘Safe Haven’ was unveiled at Thursday’s ceremony in Harwich, Essex, and depicts five children descending from a ship’s gangplank.
Tendring Brass played a variety of music during the arrival of many guests prior to the statue unvailing. These Guests included more than 30 refugees who originally arrived in Britain on the Kindertransport in 1938 and 1939, the German Ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, and Lord Eric Pickles, United Kingdom Special Envoy for post-Holocaust Issues.
The Kinder Transport Memorial and Learning Trust’ commissioned a new composition entitled Gateway to Freedom alongside the sculpture Safe Haven to commemorate Harwich’s part in the Kinder Transport. Gateway to Freedom is a programmatic composition in 5 linked movements for brass band composed by Craig Sanders.
The composition takes the listener on a musical journey from the Kristallnacht, to the parting at the train station, the trains journey across Europe before the arrival into Harwich and the gateway to freedom and a life ahead.
This composition had its premiere performance by Tendring Brass at the Electric Palace Cinema Harwich after the statue unveiling as part of the memorial event.
We were incredibly proud to have been part of this historic event.
If you would like more information on the Kindertransport please see the link below to the official Harwich Kindertransport Memorial web-site at https://kindertransport-memorial.org/.
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