Beatrice Wellington (born 15 June 1907 – died 1971) was a Canadian woman who worked to evacuate children from Prague during the early stages of the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

overseeing the operation of the

Kindertransport The ''Kindertransport'' (German for "children's transport") was an organised rescue effort of children (but not their parents) from Nazi-controlled territory that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World ...

from Czechoslovakia.

Life and work

Beatrice Gonzales was a Quaker who was born 15 June 1907 in Canada. Her father abandoned the family when she was young and her stepfather, George Wellington, insisted over her objections that Beatrice adopt his last name. When she applied for her first Canadian passport to travel abroad he made sure her last name was listed as Wellington, something she resented for many years. Before she died, while teaching in

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, she changed her name back to Gonzales. Wellington enrolled at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

at the age of 17, and was a 1927 graduate in English and History. She immediately took a job teaching at Point Grey Junior High School (1928–1931) and then high school in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

(1931–1936). To see for herself the nature of the growing conflicts in Europe in the mid-1930s, Wellington took a year's leave of absence from teaching and went to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland, though the details of her employment remain obscure. A 1938 report from a

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

newspaper said that she "was appointed to take charge of a YWCA summer camp in Czechoslovakia." Living in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

during the fall of 1938, Beatrice, a Canadian who held a British passport, was able to work independently of any agency to acquire documents from

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

officials to allow children to leave Prague for England on Kindertransports that she organized. Using a similar tactic, she was also able to acquire documents for adults and families who were unable to get exit visas themselves. After her death in 1971, her family endowed the Beatrice Wellington Gonzales Memorial Scholarship at the University of British Columbia and cited " ellington'sstrenuous and successful efforts to protect and salvage the lives of political refugees in Europe prior to and during World War II. In making this award, special consideration will be given to students who like Miss Gonzales are concerned about the plight of individuals."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington, Beatrice 1907 births 1971 deaths Female resistance members of World War II Canadian activists Canadian women activists Kindertransport University of British Columbia alumni