Jane Haining: The Scottish Missionary Who Refused to Abandon the Jewish Girls in Her Care

Jane Haining: The Scottish Missionary Who Refused to Abandon the Jewish Girls in Her Care

Would you remain with the children in your care, even after being warned that your own life was in danger?

Today I want to find out a little about Jane Haining. She was a Scottish missionary who remained in Hungary during the Holocaust and continued caring for Jewish schoolgirls until she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz.

Jane was born on the 6th of June 1897 near Dunscore in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Her mother died when Jane was only five, and she was raised on the family farm alongside her siblings.

She was an exceptionally talented student, and went to Dumfries Academy. While she was there  she won numerous prizes and became the highest-achieving pupil in her year. She later trained in Glasgow and worked for the thread manufacturer J. and P. Coats.

Jane was deeply involved in her church and taught at Sunday school. After hearing about missionary work in Europe, she decided that she had found the purpose she wanted to dedicate her life to.

In 1932, Jane travelled to Budapest to become matron of a boarding home connected to a school run by the Scottish Mission. The school educated both Jewish and Christian girls, and Jane became responsible for their care.

When the Second World War began, Jane was advised to return to Britain. But, she chose to remain in Budapest, she believed the girls needed her.

Increasing numbers of Jewish refugees arrived in Hungary and Jane worked tirelessly to support them. She searched markets for food, repaired the children’s shoes and attempted to make sure that every girl was treated with dignity and kindness.

Germany occupied Hungary in March 1944. Jewish people were forced to wear yellow stars, and mass deportations soon began.

Jane reportedly wept as she helped sew the stars onto the clothing of the Jewish girls. On the 25th of April 1944, she was arrested by the Gestapo. Among the accusations against her were that she had worked with Jewish people, listened to British radio broadcasts and sent parcels to prisoners of war.

Jane was eventually deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she was registered as prisoner number 79467. She tragically died there on the 17th of July 1944, aged only forty-seven. The precise circumstances of her death is unclear, although starvation, illness and the appalling camp conditions probably contributed.

In 1997, Jane Haining was recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. She was later named a British Hero of the Holocaust.

Jane had been offered the chance to leave, but she refused to abandon the girls who depended upon her.

Do you think Jane Haining’s courage deserves to be more widely remembered?

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