Holocaust victim

Most people would think that escaping the horrors of war would mean making a quick dash across enemy lines. But for eight-year-old Peter Briess, it involved making a clever deal with a Nazi officer.

In March 1939, the Nazis invaded Peter's homeland of Czechoslovakia. The temple in his town was burned and Peter's father, Hans, was imprisoned in a dark cell in a prison.

Soon, Peter's young cousins were sent off to London on a special train by his family. However, when Hans was finally released and came home, a Nazi commander appeared at their doorstep. He told the family to get out of the house, as he would be moving in.

Hans quickly came up with a plan. He told the commander that he would give him the keys and all of their property if the commander could get them the papers they needed to leave the country.

The commander agreed and in June 1939 Peter and his family left their homeland for good. They finally came to Britain as terrified refugees.

Unfortunately, the courageous individuals who had sent the children away were not as fortunate.

Peter could not save his own country, but he did eventually create a great new life in another country. He was a member of the air force and after that studied chemistry in Switzerland, before embarking on a successful business venture based on his father's old trade. Now he has his own children.

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