A WOMAN who rescued 25 children from the horrors of Nazi Germany has died, aged 100.

Ilse Karger, pictured above, was a committed Quaker and travelled the world, living in the USA, Switzerland and Tasmania before finally settling in York.

She was born in Germany, but fled to New York in 1935 with 25 children from a Berlin children's home. When she arrived in the U.S., after a 12-day journey by ship, she was told by an immigration officer the children would be sent back to Germany as they did not have enough money.

But she refused to give in and asked him whether he expected her to fish the money out of the ocean before marching herself and the children straight past him.

She lived in New York for a time and was a trained paediatric nurse. She then took up a number of other professions including clothes designing.

She retired to Tasmania before moving to the UK when her brother, who lived in York, became ill. For a time she lived in Bridlington and then moved to Malton and settled at Lyngarth Retirement Home at Escrick, where she died.

Brian Smedley, who was a close friend of Ilse's for ten years, said she had a very strong personality, enormous vitality and was very clever. She was also very active, enjoying hobbies such as painting and in her 90s wrote two books about her experiences. Just over a week before her death Ilse was sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and chatting to friends.

He said: "She was a widely-talented person who had worked in a range of occupations and travelled extensively. A lover of freedom, her strong, vehement personality will be missed by many."

The funeral will take place at Mowthorpe Garden of Rest, near Terrington, on September 29.

Updated: 11:43 Monday, September 09, 2002