Dozens of descendants of Holocaust survivors have retraced the journey taken by the Windermere Boys in a 50 km fundraising walk across Cumbria, 80 years after the first group of child survivors arrived in Britain.
The two-day walk began at Carlisle Airport on 8 June, the same place where 301 child survivors of Nazi concentration camps landed on 14 August 1945 aboard RAF Stirling bombers from Prague. Known as the Windermere Boys, they were taken to the Calgarth Estate by Lake Windermere to begin rebuilding their lives.
The symbolic journey raised over £57,000 for The Fed’s My Voice project, which records and publishes first-person testimonies from Holocaust survivors who settled in the UK. The initiative has produced 47 books, with another 13 in development, and is used in schools, universities and football clubs to enrich Holocaust education.
Among the walkers were children and grandchildren of survivors, including relatives of Jack Aizenberg, Ike Alterman BEM, Sam Laskier, Harry Olmer, Abraham Pawlawski, and Lydia Tischler – all featured in the My Voice collection. Families of other survivors who arrived in the UK by different routes also joined.
Windermere child Harry Olmer
On the second day, participants were joined by Harry Olmer MBE, now 96, who travelled from London with his family to attend the event’s conclusion at Calgarth, now home to The Lakes School. His daughter read a message of thanks on his behalf, and My Voice books were presented to the school.
The group also heard reflections from Paul Montefiore, whose late grandfather Leonard G. Montefiore helped bring 732 child survivors to the UK after the war and raised funds for the Kindertransport.
The walk recreated moments described in the My Voice books, including the children’s first taste of butter and jam sandwiches after years of starvation. Organisers said the event aimed to honour survivors’ memories and continue their legacy through education.
The Fed and My Voice project say funds will support ongoing publishing and distribution of survivor stories in schools nationwide.
