Kindertransport refugee knighted by Queen Elizabeth

Erich Reich, one of thousands of Kindertransport children sent from Nazi-occupied Europe to safety in Britain during World War II, was among the people knighted by Queen Elizabeth as part of the annual New Year's Honours list, the Telegraph reported Thursday.

Reich, 74, is chairman of the Kindertransport Group of the Association of Jewish Refugees, who organized the celebrations last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the British Parliament's decision to allow the children to enter the country.

Reich is among hundreds of unknown Britons who are honored by the queen for a lifetime of good work.

He has helped raise around 60 million pounds for charities through his company Classic Tours, which organizes international fundraisers.

"It is a tribute to the work of my team at Classic Tours who tirelessly support my original concept to help charities fundraise through overseas challenge events, and to my kindred spirits and fellow survivors of the Holocaust who benefited from, and in turn give back to, the Kindertransport movement," Reich told the Telegraph.

"I want to thank the people of Britain for allowing the Kinder to come to the U.K. and for this amazing honor," he added.

Born in 1935 in Vienna, Austria, Reich arrived in Britain at the end of August 1939.