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in 1940 by issuing them illegal
Palestine certificates, thus enabling them to leave for the Middle East via Turkey. This was irregular, as it greatly exceeded the number approved by the British government for immigrants to Palestine. At least 400 forged copies of the Preston visas were discovered by
199:. In this position he was promoted to secretary 2nd class on 10 February 1930, secretary 1st class on 17 July 1935 and counsellor in the Diplomatic Service on 1 December. He was appointed Officer of the
134:
and was haunted later by the idea that he might have been able to save the
Russian royal family. At a telegraph office on 18 July, he attempted to send the message "The Tsar
156:
to perform intelligence duties and on 30 October 1919, he was appointed as consul there. He was then employed for a time in the
Overseas Trade Department of the British
460:"Thomas Hildebrand Preston, Esquire, to be His Majesty's Consul for the Republic of Lithuania, including the Memel Territory (Klaipedas Krastas), to reside at Kovno."
685:
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On 4 August 1922, Preston was assigned to the
British Trade Mission to Moscow. After the conclusion of the same, he was appointed as the British consul in
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168:
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award in
January 2018 for saving Jewish lives. Preston's efforts were recognised in 2018 in the exhibition "Building Bridges" at the
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Preston was a capable musician who studied harmony, counterpoint and orchestration under noted
Russian musicians. In 1937 he wrote
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715:
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In this position, he provided 800 Jews with legal travel certificates, a few hundred of which were able to cross the
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struck out
Preston's text, rewriting "The hangman Tsar Nicholas was shot last night – a fate he richly deserved."
560:
294:
He married Ella
Henrietta von Shickandantz (1889 – 1989) on 3 October 1913. While in Petrograd she acquired some
196:
38:
award for saving Jewish lives in
Lithuania in 1940 by issuing documents that permitted them to travel. He was
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and Sir Thomas
Preston who issued almost 1,500 Jews with certificates to enable them to escape to Palestine."
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35:
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In September 1940, he was transferred to Istanbul on the dissolution of his previous post following the
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256:"Special Search List Great Britain"), a list of 2820 persons who were to be arrested by the
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231:. Other diplomats in Kaunas that issued documents that permitted Jews to travel included
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130:, still with his residence in Ekaterinburg. He was there in July 1918 at the time of the
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274:. From 18 June 1941 to 1948, he held the post of counsellor at the British Embassy in
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Before his appointment to Lithuania, Preston had worked as a gold prospector in the
340:, Norfolk on 7 December 1963 with the death of a cousin. He lived at Beeston Hall.
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313:. In 1958, Preston composed a ceremonial march intended to accompany visitors to
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in 1927, he left on 3 June 1927, being transferred to the post of consul in
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On 7 December 1929, Preston was appointed "His Majesty's Consul for the
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73:. He emigrated to New Zealand with his father who started farming at
609:"A NATO hymn?", North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 20 October 2016
228:
30:(2 June 1886 – 30 December 1976) was a British diplomat. He was a
622:"Britain honors eight Holocaust 'heroes' for saving Jewish lives"
123:
94:
93:. Preston lost an eye due to a school cricket injury and wore a
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74:
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387:"Preston, Thomas Hildebrand", National Library of New Zealand
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172:
481:"Thomas Hildebrand Preston, Esq., His Majesty's Consul and
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United Kingdom's diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
167:
in November 1922. Following the temporary severance of the
561:"Sanctuary and Humiliation: The Wartime Haven in Shanghai"
114:. On 23 May 1913, he was appointed British vice-consul in
588:"A rare Soviet propaganda porcelain platter 'Sovnarkom'"
118:
in Russia. On 29 July 1916, he was appointed consul for
175:, which he held from 23 September 1927 to 3 July 1929.
426:
The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg
239:, honorary consul of the Netherlands. Students of the
218:
to neutral Sweden. He also assisted an additional 400
62:, the son of William Thomas Preston and of Alice Mary
351:, and in 2022 at the Kaunas Holocaust Memorial Day.
328:and maintained mining interests. He wrote the book
85:where he studied Russian. He later studied at the
305:, a ballet in one act, that was performed at the
686:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
657:
309:, as well as a piano score for a second ballet,
260:in the event of a German occupation of Britain.
209:envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary
69:. He was a grandson of Sir Jacob Henry Preston,
701:People educated at Westminster School, London
706:People who rescued Jews during the Holocaust
251:
696:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
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110:Around 1910, he joined the United Kingdom
22:Sir Thomas Hildebrand Preston, 6th Baronet
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399:"Sir Thomas Preston recalls Ekaterinburg"
354:Some of Preston's papers are held at the
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479:(Supplement). 1 June 1934. p. 3567.
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152:In October 1919, he was transferred to
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508:"Britain honours its Holocaust heroes"
349:Embassy of the United Kingdom, Vilnius
207:. On 12 June 1940, he was promoted to
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58:Thomas Hildebrand Preston was born in
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122:, the Western Siberian government of
63:
243:were among those enabled to travel.
428:. St. Martin's Press. p. 200.
189:Memel Territory (Klaipedas Krastas)
145:; the Bolshevik military commissar
105:
13:
14:
727:
681:Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
648:"Sir Thomas Preston papers", Jisc
77:, but was educated in England at
559:Freedman, Harry (18 July 2023).
281:
246:In 1940, Preston was placed on '
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620:Eytan Halon (28 January 2018).
602:
458:. 24 January 1930. p. 495.
272:loss of Lithuanian independence
676:20th-century British diplomats
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539:"Diplomatic Rescue by Country"
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265:Soviet occupation of Lithuania
197:temporary capital of Lithuania
1:
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345:British Hero of the Holocaust
87:Ecole des Sciences Politiques
46:in Russia at the time of the
36:British Hero of the Holocaust
332:(1950). He succeeded as the
138:was shot last night" to the
132:murder of the Romanov family
48:murder of the Romanov family
7:
361:
201:Order of the British Empire
10:
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716:The Holocaust in Lithuania
368:The Holocaust in Lithuania
343:He was a recipient of the
424:Rappaport, Helen (2017).
253:Sonderfahndungsliste G.B.
100:
290:Beeston Hall in Norfolk
83:Trinity Hall, Cambridge
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298:propaganda porcelain.
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278:. He retired in 1948.
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128:Territory of Akmolinsk
358:Special Collections.
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227:British officials in
185:Republic of Lithuania
307:Kaunas State Theatre
147:Filipp Goloshchyokin
91:University of Munich
50:there in July 1918.
524:"British Diplomats
356:University of Leeds
338:Beeston St Lawrence
334:6th Baronet Preston
311:The Dwarf Grenadier
224:Mandatory Palestine
179:Lithuania and later
165:Petrograd/Leningrad
136:Nicholas the Second
97:over his good eye.
71:2nd Baronet Preston
711:Sciences Po alumni
627:The Jerusalem Post
476:The London Gazette
455:The London Gazette
330:Before the Curtain
319:Palais de Chaillot
292:
112:Diplomatic Service
89:in Paris, and the
79:Westminster School
514:. 23 January 2018
483:Chargé d'Affaires
315:NATO headquarters
140:Foreign Secretary
34:recipient of the
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405:. 11 March 1972
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237:Jan Zwartendijk
233:Chiune Sugihara
220:Lithuanian Jews
191:", residing at
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158:Foreign Office
143:Arthur Balfour
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235:of Japan and
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631:. Retrieved
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592:. Retrieved
590:. Christie's
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570:. Retrieved
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542:. Retrieved
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526:John Carvell
516:. Retrieved
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116:Ekaterinburg
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44:Ekaterinburg
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671:1976 deaths
666:1886 births
471:"No. 34056"
450:"No. 33573"
401:. No.
303:White Roses
241:Mir Yeshiva
160:in London.
154:Vladivostok
660:Categories
486:ad interim
374:References
216:Baltic Sea
32:posthumous
594:18 August
572:19 August
544:18 August
409:17 August
321:, Paris.
203:(OBE) in
362:See also
270:de facto
229:Istanbul
126:and the
317:at the
124:Tobolsk
95:monocle
81:and at
566:Moment
518:3 July
432:
296:Soviet
193:Kaunas
101:Career
75:Timaru
40:consul
633:9 May
490:Kovno
336:, of
276:Cairo
173:Turin
635:2019
596:2023
574:2023
546:2023
520:2019
430:ISBN
411:2023
267:and
205:1934
120:Perm
54:Life
488:at
250:' (
65:née
42:in
27:OBE
662::
624:.
563:.
510:.
497:^
492:."
473:.
452:.
258:SS
211:.
24:,
637:.
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