March 2023: This month’s invited speaker was author Clare Mulley who talked about Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children. The meeting was also broadcast via Zoom using a link sent by email.
The Woman Who Saved the Children: 100 years ago, Eglantyne Jebb was arrested in Trafalgar Square for distributing leaflets. It was 1919 and few in London were sympathetic to a woman hoping to help the children of Britain’s former enemies. Nevertheless within weeks the audacious Jebb secured the first donation to her ‘Save the Children’ fund - from the public prosecutor at her trial. Five years later, she drafted the pioneering statement of children’s human rights that has since evolved into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet she was never particularly fond of individual children. Eglantyne’s inspirational story speaks of the power of passion, compassion and leadership in the face of national opposition. Claire Mulley’s book The Woman Who Saved the Children won the Daily Mail Biographers Club Prize, and all author royalties are donated to the charity.
Clare Mulley is an award-winning author and broadcaster focused on female experience during the Second World War. Her recent television work includes the BBC’s Rise of the Nazis, and several series for Channel 5, Channel 4 and Sky History. Clare writes for the Spectator and TLS, and has been chair of the judges for the Historical Writers Association non-fiction prize.
Watch Claire in the trailer for her book here or below: The Woman Who Saved the Children.
| Event type: | Meeting - past event |
| Date: | Wednesday 15th March 2023 |
| Time: | 2:30 pm |
| Group: | monthly speaker meeting |