María Edwards: The Chilean Woman Who Helped to Save Jewish Children in the
Second World War.
Today I am going to find out a little bit about María Edwards. She was a
Chilean-born woman who became involved with the French Resistance and helped to
save Jewish children during the German occupation of Paris.
María Edwards McClure was born in Santiago in Chile, on the 11th of December
1893. She was the youngest of nine children and came from a prominent Catholic
family.
In 1913, María married Chilean diplomat Guillermo Errázuriz Vergara. His
career took the couple to Europe, and in 1917 their daughter, María Angélica,
was born in England. The family later moved to Paris.
Sadly in 1922 Guillermo died and María went on to marry the French writer
Jacques Feydeau, although the marriage was short-lived.
When the Germans occupied Paris in the Second World War, María volunteered
as a nurse at the Rothschild Hospital. The hospital treated many Jewish
patients, including children whose families were being targeted.
María became involved with a resistance network operating around the
hospital. She helped Jewish children who had been separated from their parents
and were in danger of being deported. Working with others, she helped to
arrange their escape and concealment, placing herself at considerable risk.
María was eventually brought to the attention of the German authorities. She
was arrested and interrogated, but she continued to risk her life through her
resistance work.
After the liberation of France, her courage was recognised. In 1953, she was
awarded the French Legion of Honour.
María eventually returned to Chile in 1960. She died in Santiago on the 8th
of June 1972, at the age of 78.
More than thirty years after her death, Yad Vashem recognised María Edwards
as Righteous Among the Nations in 2005 for the part she played in helping
Jewish children survive the Holocaust.
Image info:
Artist: William Orpen
Date: 1915
Collection: Mildura Arts Centre
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