Further to another thread this weekend about visiting the former Concentration camps- after the war about 300 orphaned children were rescued from the liberated concentration camps and brought to the former Calgarth Village (near Windermere) in the Lake District, to begin their process of recovery from the horrors.
Their story is told in a very powerful exhibition upstairs at Windermere Public Library (from the Lake District Holocaust Project). There is also a simple oak tree and plaque in commemoration on public land at The Lakes School, Troutbeck Bridge - built on the site of Calgarth.
The Project also has a long term aim to "establish an iconic education facility and cultural centre that will send out a statement that Windermere is building on the legacy of the survivors who came in 1945, and the welcome they received from the local community, by producing an internationally renowned centre for the teaching of issues including peace, tolerance, and global citizenship." The funding for this was only raised by the local MP in Parliament last Thursday.
I commend both sites, but especially the exhibition, to anyone visiting the Lake District.
A few years ago there was a documentary 'The Windermere Children' made jointly by the BBC and PBS- which I assume is still available on PBS for anyone wanting more information ahead of their visit.
Calgarth itself was interesting, as it was a worker's village built in conjunction with the building of sea planes on Windermere- for both civilian and military use. There are several memorials to that industry, including one near the Windermere car ferry.
The very first seaplane to fly successfully in the UK was built at Windermere in 1911.
A replica of that plane, Waterbird, has been built and has done several trial flights at Windermere recently including tonight. Last night's flight was accompanied by a flypast of the Lancaster of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight