In May 2019, Mrs Rosie Whitehouse visited Archive of P. Pitter and O. Fierz. She is working on a publication on ´45 Aid Society. We found out, that the stories of some of the „Boys“, who founded this company in 1963, are connected with the story of Přemysl Pitter and „operation castles“.
After World War 2, the British government agreed to take in 1,000 orphaned child survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Only 732 could be found. They were flown to special hostels set up in Lancashire, Windermere, Southampton and Scotland for rehabilitation and recovery.
About 40 children left for Great Britain from the Přemysl Pitter´s castle sanatoriums, about 300 orphans from all over Czechoslovakia. They were transported there by aircraft that brought the Czechoslovak pilots back to their homeland.
They built successful new lives – in Britain, the US, Israel, Australia and elsewhere. They forged a lifelong bond as members of an extraordinary extended family. Even though there were 80 girls among them, they are known collectively as The Boys. In 1963 they established the ’45 Aid Society to raise money for charitable causes, give back to society and to look after each other.
The 2nd Generation are the children & grandchildren of The Boys. They are the custodians of the remarkable testimonies and life stories, and keep them alive and relevant for future generations through educational activities, community events and fundraising.
Children leaving Prague for Great Britain, 1945
The Boys and their families, Prague 2019