In 1938, he planned to go on a ski vacation but a phone call changed his mind. This call was from his friend, Martin Blaker, who introduced him to be the organizers of the British Committee for Refugees to help hopeless local children from Prague.
1938年，他本来打算去滑雪度假，却因为一通电话改变了主意。电话是他的朋友马丁·布莱克从布拉格（当时捷克斯洛伐克的首都）打来的，他介绍温顿做英国难民援助理事会的组织者，去帮助当地无助的孩子们。
温顿到达布拉格后，第一件事就是去看望那些难民们。
难民营的景象让他十分痛心：
The snow was on the ground and it was very cold. The conditions were pretty terrible and many refugees were in bad shape. How could they save themselves?
白雪铺地，天气寒冷，条件恶劣，许多难民健康状况不佳。谁来救助他们？
不仅如此，那些心急如焚的家长恳求温顿，希望他能够帮助他们把孩子安全地送出捷克。
温顿感到事态比他在英国时想象得还要严重，于是，他和同事们立马开始了救援工作。
没想到，救援过程却困难重重。
He turned to many countries for help but most of these countries kept their eyes and ears closed.
他向很多国家求助，但是这些国家都坐视不管。
他也曾给美国总统罗斯福写过信，却被拒绝了......
“I tried to get the United States involved, but in vain. If the US had only agreed to take them too, I could have saved at least 2,000 more.”
我曾试图让美国加入（救援），但一切都是徒劳。如果美国也同意接收他们的话，我本来能够至少多救2000个孩子的。
最终，只有英国向他们伸出了援手。
可是，即便英国承诺接受难民，但相关部门工作人员的办事效率极低，加上布拉格的局势越来越紧张，战争一触即发，这让他们举步维艰。
Frustrated by the slowness of the British authorities, Winton made newspaper appeals and personally organized the children’s placements, with no time to check for suitability or haggling over who should go where.
温顿对于英国相关部门的低效率感到失望，于是他选择借助报纸发声，并亲自组织解决孩子的安置问题。他没有时间去检查是否合适，也没时间去讨论谁到底该送去哪儿。
在不得已的情况下，温顿决定铤而走险：
With no alternatives, he took to forging Home Office entry permits.
在没有其他选择的情况下，他伪造了英国内政部的入境许可证。
