School Radio
Assemblies - Special days
THE LAST TRIAN FROM Nine-year-old Milena Fleischmann
was one of those children. Milena
PRAGUE was excited. Excited to be walk-
ing through the city streets so late
by Rob John at night; excited to be carrying
her own little suitcase which her
Prague. The capital city of Czecho- mother had helped her to pack that
slovakia. July 1, 1939. 11:30 at afternoon. But most of all excited
night. that she and her four year old sis-
ter Eva and their little cousin Helen
It was a cold night for July. A chilly were going on a train journey. A
wind blew sheets of newspaper very long train journey which would
across deserted streets. As the take them to a country far away; a
owner of a cafe near the station country called England.
said goodnight to his last cus-
tomer and prepared to lock up for Milena had first heard about
the night he noticed something England a few weeks earlier. She
strange. knew that the German Nazis had
come to her country and there were
People had started appearing as if rumours that some people -
from nowhere, hundreds of people, particularly Jewish people - might
carrying suitcases, all heading in not be safe. The Germans had
the same direction, all heading for already come looking for Milena’s
the station. father and he had gone into
hiding and one night as she lay in
‘That’s odd’, thought the cafe bed Milena heard her mother
owner. ‘Last train’s gone. Won’t talking to her uncle.
be another train leaving tonight.
What’s going on?’ They were talking about trains...
special trains...trains that could
Then as the people came closer take children somewhere where
and started to pass his door he they’d be safe.
noticed something else odd.
Although it was very late at night
many of these people walking
towards the station were children.
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School Radio
Assemblies - Special days
Her mother said that she had to ‘Oh, its lovely,’ said her mother.
get Milena and Eva on one of those ‘The people there are very kind and
trains but her uncle wasn’t sure. they have nice cakes and...a king.’
‘Let’s leave it for a few weeks’, he Next day Milena’s mother taught
said. ‘Things aren’t so bad. Maybe her the words to the National
everything will be alright. Anyway Anthem and on that chilly July night
we can’t put the children on a train as she carried her case to the sta-
and just send them away all by tion Milena found herself quietly
themselves. Can we?’ singing, ‘God save our gracious
king. Long live our noble king.’ They
‘Yes, we can,’ Melina heard were the only words of English that
her mother say. ‘We must. she knew.
Time is running out.’
The train was waiting for them at
A few days later Melina’s mother the station. Melina’s uncle helped
told her that a great adventure the three children up into the
was about to happen. She had carriage and they found their
managed to get three seats on a seats. Milena sat little Helen on her
train which would take children to lap and tightly held Eva’s hand.
England. Parents wouldn’t be able Milena’s mother, grandfather and
to go so Milena would have to be grandmother stood on the platform
very grown up and look after her holding white handkerchiefs ready
four-year-old sister Eva and her to wave as the train drew away.
little cousin Helen who was only
two. Some of the grown-ups were using
their handkerchiefs to wipe away
‘How long will we be away from tears. The train was ready to depart
home?’ Milena asked. and the grown-ups and the children
stared at each other through the
‘Just a few weeks’ said her moth- engine smoke. Melina’s mother kept
er. ‘Just until things have settled a brave smiling expression on her
down.’ face as if to say ‘This is going to be
fine. Trust me. You’re all going to
‘What’s England like?’ asked be fine.’
Milena.
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School Radio
Assemblies - Special days
A little girl sitting near Milena She remembered that her case was
started to cry and suddenly a full of new clothes which her moth-
woman on the platform couldn’t er had made for her. The clothes
bear it any more. She climbed up had been made two sizes too large
into the carriage picked up her so they would still fit her as she
little girl and carried her back grew bigger. She remembered the
down to the platform. At the very autograph book which her grand-
last minute she’d changed her father had given her the night she
mind and decided that she couldn’t got on the train. He had written in
be parted from her daughter. The it ‘Your grandfather loves you very
train whistle blew. much.’
Then just as the train started to She remembered arriving in
move the woman changed her Holland and people giving them
mind yet again. She pulled open bananas and cocoa and she
the carriage door and passed the remembered crossing the sea on a
little girl back up onto the train. boat from Holland to England;
The girl sobbed even louder as the being given sandwiches and cups
train pulled away but she wasn’t to of English tea. She remembered
know that by putting her back on that soft white English bread tasted
that train her mother had almost horrible after the strong dark raw
certainly saved her life. bread she was used to and she was
shocked to find that English people
The journey to England took two actually put milk in their tea.
days and two nights. To Milena it
seemed a blur; a dream. Later she Soon they were in London where
remembered little things like the they were met by English families
other girls in the carriage taking it who had agreed to look after them.
in turns to hold little Helen and the The three girls went to live with a
way everyone admired Eva’s long kind family near Manchester.
curly hair. She remembered eat-
ing gherkins and meat sandwiches
which her mother had made with
dark rye bread. She remembered
the train stopping at the German
border and soldiers coming into
the carriage and searching their
luggage.
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School Radio
Assemblies - Special days
Later both of Milena’s parents man- ‘No,’ she said. ‘I was just a little
aged to escape from Czechoslovakia girl having an adventure. It was
and eventually found the children our parents who were brave. Our
safe and well and speaking perfect parents deserved medals for put-
English. Eva had actually forgotten ting us on that train.’
how to speak Czech.
Milena and the two hundred and
forty other children who travelled
on that train with her were some of
the lucky ones.
On the 1st of September another
train prepared to leave Prague. Two
hundred and fifty children were on
board and once again hundreds of
grown-ups lined the platform with
white handkerchiefs and tears in
their eyes. But this train never set
off. Germany had invaded Poland
earlier that day. It was too late. The
war had started and the children
were taken off the train. It’s be-
lieved that all but four died during
the War.
Milena has never forgotten that
journey. Somebody said to her
recently that she must have been
very brave to get on a train at the
age of nine with no grown-up to
look after her.
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