Empire: World History

Snapshot · Empire: World History

370. The First British Indians: Saving Jews In Nazi Germany (Ep 2)

Explore episode Jun 21, 2026

Where this was said

The Indian Schindler: Rescuing Jewish Families from the Gestapo

At 34:20 · chapter starts 32:24

Anita Anand reveals the new research dimension that makes this episode remarkable: Sophia's goddaughter remembered 'dirty people' arriving at Hampton Court — people smuggled in on coal barges, cleaned, fed, and sent on their way — who she now believes were Jewish refugees helped out of Germany by Catherine. Historian Peter Bunz has been tracking what he calls the 'Indian Schindler,' and the context he provides is essential: Britain in the 1930s required a named, credible British citizen to personally guarantee every refugee would not become a burden on the state. Without that signature, the visa was refused. Catherine, with her British passport and her title, signed for at least six families — and bought a manor house in Buckinghamshire, remotely and sight unseen, to house them. It is, Anand argues, an act of pure humanity: saving lives across every barrier of colour, religion, and ethnicity.

History
A Meeting in a Doctor's Waiting Room That Saved a Family

370. The First British Indians: Saving Jews In Nazi Germany… · Jun 21, 2026 History

In 1938, Catherine sat next to Ilse Hornstein in a Kassel doctor's waiting room. Ilse's Jewish lawyer husband had just been taken to the SS camp Sachsenhausen. Within minutes, Catherine — a perfect stranger — offered to sponsor the entire family's British visas. Wilhelm got out, the family escaped, and Sophia sheltered them at Hampton Court.

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