Peter Middleton

On the 15th December 1938, a young 10 year old boy stood on the platform at Hamburg’s Hauptbahnhof central station with his mother, nervously awaiting the arrival of a train that would transport him from his homeland to a country far away, one where he didn’t speak the language and where he knew not a soul. It would be 10 years before he saw his mother again.

The month previous, escalating persecution of the Jewish community had culminated in the violent anti-Jewish pogroms of Kristallnacht or, as it became known, ‘The Night of Broken Glass’. For those Jewish families living in Nazi-controlled territory, it became increasingly clear that it was no longer safe, and they sought refuge for their children.

The young boy on the train – Siegfried Feitlowitz – was one of 10,000 Jewish children brought over to England as part of the kindertransport; as she waved off her only son, Siegfried’s mother promised him that he would be going to a country that would look after him, and that the Queen of England would be there to greet him on arrival and present him with flowers.

Whilst the latter never transpired, the young boy did indeed find himself in a country – and a county – where he would be well looked after, and likewise enabled to thrive.

A New Home and a New Beginning

Initially placed in a refugee camp in Ipswich with 700 boys, each day young Siegfried would check the noticeboard at the end of the dining hall where lists appeared of boys for whom a home had been found. Days passed; weeks passed; his name did not appear. Months passed. Still nothing.

Then, 10 months after arriving in England by boat, Siegfried’s name at last appeared on the list. He was to be sent to a small town on the Welsh border called Oswestry.

Traveling to Shropshire with another boy- who would be taken in by a local farmer- the taxi from Gobowen station took Siegfried to the gates of Oswestry School which, in later life, he reflected was a moment where his life changed.

Whilst an independent fee-paying school, the Headmaster Ralph Williamson waived all fees and welcomed the young Siegfried into his school with open arms on a full bursary. He personally provided the young Siegfried – whose name was soon anglicised to Samuel ‘Sigi’ Faith- with pocket money and ensured that he was looked after in school holidays, often indeed staying with the Headmaster’s family.

A daunting prospect at first- the young Sigi didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived- he quickly settled in to boarding life, reflecting that “compared to the refugee camp, it was a paradise… a home from home.” He found in Oswestry School a welcoming community, a place where he was accepted, valued and appreciated. “In Germany as a Jew one felt inferior, even hated,” Sigi noted in an interview towards the end of his life. “At Oswestry School I was treated as an equal.”

It was a place where he thrived, quickly learning English and excelling in academics, indeed ending up as a greater linguist in French than he was in his native German.

The Foundations for Success

Seven years on from arriving as a young Jewish boy speaking no English, Sigi’s time at Oswestry School was one of thriving and flourishment, achieving academic success and going on to become Captain of Cricket, President of the Aeromodelling Club, and – in his final year- Head Boy.

Sigi described his time at Oswestry School as the best years of his life, and they were strong foundations upon which to build, going on to become a successful entrepreneur as the founder of Faith Shoes, established in 1964 when he opened his first shoe shop in Wood Green, north London, trading as Faith Footwear. The business grew quickly and expanded to 58 stores and employing over 2,500 people. It was a remarkable journey from that young lad on the train platform in Hamburg without a word of English to a businessman whose very name was emblazoned on the shop fronts of High Street stores up and down the country.

When he died at the age of 82 in 2010, he was described by those who knew him as enormously generous, a gentleman, and with very high moral and ethical standards which he never compromised. His was a life well lived.

Foundational Responsibilities

Over the last year, I have thought a great deal about Sigi’s remarkable and inspiring story, reflecting upon my own responsibilities as Headmaster of a school that for over 615 years – and from its very foundations- has always sought to provide the opportunity for as many as possible to access an Oswestry education. Through our bursary programme, we continue to support many families for whom an independent education – and access to a small-school nurturing environment such as ours- would otherwise not be possible, and we continue in our commitment to this bursary programme knowing just what a transformational impact it can provide.

Likewise, in the same way that Oswestry School embraced the young Sigi Faith and provided a sanctuary for him as he fled war and persecution, over the course of the past year we, like other independent schools, have sought to do the same for a number of Ukrainian pupils, many of whom have arrived in the country as part of the UK Government’s ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. Without question, we have sought to provide safety, security and sanctuary to these young children, embracing them – and their families- in seeking to provide that little bit of paradise that Sigi himself experienced- an escape from the horrors of war, and the opportunity to flourish and thrive in a nurturing, caring environment.

A Lasting Legacy

Sigi was eternally grateful for the opportunities provided to him by Oswestry School and for the ways in which his years here prepared him for life, and the foundations for thriving.

Perhaps more than anyone else, Sigi Faith lived out our school motto, ‘We Learn not for School but for Life’, and his story continues to inspire. It will be a story that our school community will hear more of when we welcome on Founder’s Day as our Guest of Honour his daughter Nicky, who joins us in formally reopening our Sixth Form Centre following a major transformational refurbishment this summer made possible by the generous legacy donation of the Faith family. Fittingly, it will be renamed the Sigi Faith Sixth Form Centre, and I can think of no greater example to our senior pupils of living life to the fullest.

Through Sigi’s inspiring story, I hope that future generations of Oswestrians can be encouraged to follow their dreams and aspirations, and might know that in the face of adversity and hardship, where there is humanity and goodness, there is always hope. And that in the face of challenge and difficulty, where there is resilience and determination, there is always opportunity.

His lasting message to us? Work hard; make the most of your opportunities; have faith in yourself; have faith in others.