CHILDREN who were rescued from Nazi Europe returned to Harwich to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Kindertransport which saved their lives.

A special train took passengers from London to Parkeston Quay, where thousands of Jewish children arrived as part of a rescue operation before the Second World War.

They were given a civic reception before a double-decker bus took them on a tour of Harwich and Dovercourt, past the holiday camp where many of the children were housed while they waited for British families to foster them.

Peter Hedderly, organiser of the commemorative event, which was part-funded by Abellio Greater Anglia, said: “The end of the Kindertransport in September 1939 is significant as it marked the accomplishment of saving 10,000 children."

At the event, children from All Saint’s Primary School, in Dovercourt, met survivors of the Kindertransport and gave them white gerbera flowers to signify remembrance and peace.

A special screening of a BBC documentary of the Winton trains, part of the Kindertransport movement, was held at the Electric Palace and a service of remembrance was also held at St Nicholas Church.