DIANE Samuels is reflecting on the period in her life 25 years ago when she sat down to write the play which would change her life.

Kindertransport was the name given to a rescue operation which saw around 10,000 Jewish children being given new homes in Britain 1938 as they left behind their families in Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.

“Even though I’d been to a Jewish school and we’d learned about Jewish culture, it was something I’d never heard of,” said Diane.

“I was in my 30s when a friend mentioned her dad was going to a reunion of those involved in the Kindertransport. It was to mark the 50th anniversary and I started to find out bit by bit by talking to those who had been involved.

“I was also a new mum at the time and I was touched by that huge question of would you send your children away if you thought they would be safe.”

The resulting play - Kindertransport - has become a modern classic telling the story of a young girl who starts a new life with strangers in Manchester, escaping from the horrors of Nazi Germany. As a mother herself she is preparing for her own daughter to leave home when the secrets of the past start to unfold.

The play - which is in Manchester next week as part of a UK tour to mark the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport itself and the 25th anniversary of the play - has become a standard text in schools over the years.

“I do workshops from the play,” said Diane, “and I went to one school in London where they told me that there were three girls in the year group whose mothers had died and that the play had really helped them deal with their grief.

“I found that amazing. I was really glad that my work can do that.

“I suppose my intention is for it to give people a way to deal with loss, so to hear it’s really happening is fantastic.”

At a time when enforced migration is constantly in the news, the questions raised by Kindertransport have a real relevance.

“What is home is an eternal human question,” said Diane. “People have been moving around and looking for a place of safety since human beings were first around. The reasons why they may be displaced is ever-changing but at its heart you still have the issue of families dealing with ways to survive.”

Diane admits that she did not expect Kindertransport to have proved so successful for so long.

“If you write something that comes from the heart then that’s a good starting place,” she said. “How it goes in the world though, you have no idea. I have written other plays which I feel equally strongly about which people haven’t connected with in the same way yet or they haven’t taken off in the same way

“Usually what happen with a play takes me by surprise. It’s an adventure, from the moment you start writing you never really know. You may have an idea of the story you want to tell but you can’t predict what will happen to it.”

Although the play has been staged many times, Diane said that the new tour - which features Suzan Sylvester who was Eva in the original production - has surprised her.

"Ann Simon the director has done some things which I’ve not seen before. She’s been very bold and I think that’s fantastic," said Diane.

"I like that people make of the play what they want. It’s not a child any more."

Kindertransport, Manchester Opera House, Tuesday, May 1 to Saturday, May 5. Details from 0844 871 3018 or www.atgtickets.com