Terry Hiscock: Save the Children

Numbers were low today so we had a buffet lunch instead of the usual waiter service. We finished the meal in record time, which was a bonus because our enthusiastic speaker,Terry Hiscock, had plenty to say.

Terry spoke about Save the Children from its beginnings just after the end of WWI to the present day. It was founded by a feisty lady called Eglantyne Jebb who was horrified by the stories of the children suffering in post-war Berlin. She was branded a traitor for wanting to aid the children of our former enemy and was tried for treason. She defended herself and made such an impassioned speech in court that the judge only fined her £5, which was the lowest punishment available to him. The counsel for the prosecution was so moved by her words that he paid her fine. She said the £5 was the first contribution to her fund.

Struggling to gain any further support, Eglantyne wrote to various famous people of the day. George Bernard Shaw didn’t send any money but wrote to The Times:

“Dear Sir, I have no enemy under the age of seven.”

This became the society’s motto.

Eglantyne also went to Rome for an audience with the Pope. The Pope instructed all Catholic Churches to support her and also gave a donation of £25,000. Eglantyne spent £20,000 on supplies for the children in Germany and controversially spent the remaining £5,000 on advertising the charity.

In 1923 the charity was instrumental in the Declaration of Rights for the Child, which was subsequently endorsed by the League of Nations. Eglantyne died in 1928 at the age of 52 and her work was continued by her sister Dorothy. Save the Children worked to alleviate suffering during the Great Depression here and in the US, lobbied for free school meals and free milk to be included in the 1944 Education Act, and worked with Barnardo”s to evacuate children in WWII. Nowadays they work in 128 countries throughout the world in partnership with other agencies such as Oxfam, UNICEF, The Children’s Society, Christian Aid, The British Red Cross and Barnado’s.

For the second week in a row the raffle was won by the President. Last week it was President Keith. This week it was President Anne!