New road name honours wartime heroine

A road-naming ceremony was held in Midlothian earlier this week to honour the courage and sacrifice of Jane Haining, a Church of Scotland missionary and Matron of the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, who died in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944.

Official unveiling

Haining Park, on Dandara’s new development near Loanhead, was officially unveiled by the Hungarian Consul in Scotland, Tibor Csaba Szendrei, accompanied by Midlothian Provost, Councillor Peter Smaill.

Jane Haining

Born in 1897, in the Scottish village of Dunscore, Jane Haining studied at Dumfries Academy where she became fluent in Hungarian and German and was proclaimed as Dux – the highest achieving pupil in the school. She went on to become Matron of the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, a day and boarding school run by the Church of Scotland for over 300 Christian and Jewish girls, some of whom were orphans.

Heroine of the Holocaust

Jane’s selfless bravery in protecting the children in her care at the expense of her own life led to her being posthumously awarded a Heroine of the Holocaust medal by the UK Government, and becoming the only Scot to be named Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel’s memorial to victims of the Holocaust.

Local honour

The idea to honour Jane Haining’s memory in this way was suggested by Provost Smaill. He said: “Loanhead already has associations with Margaret of Scotland, Scotland’s saintly Queen, who was born in Hungary in 1045 AD, and as a county, Midlothian has for some years been twinned with Esztergom in Hungary, the seat of Christianity there.

Hungarian street

“In 2010 the Hungarian capital perpetuated the memory of Jane Haining, by calling Jane Haining Rakpart, a street next to the Danube in Budapest, after her. It is thus time to honour this modern heroine in her own land, and to celebrate our Hungarian friendship in return.”

Ceremony

As well as the Consul of the Republic of Hungary, the small ceremony was attended by Provost Smaill, Iain Innes, the Managing Director of Dandara East Scotland and the local Church of Scotland Minister, Rev Graham Duffin from Loanhead Parish Church. Also attending was local resident Mary Millan, who has followed the story of Jane Haining closely for over 50 years. She also attended Dumfries Academy, and lived in Moat Hostel during term time, as did Jane Haining.

Church of Scotland

The Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, convener of the Faith Impact Forum of the Church of Scotland said: “We are delighted that Haining Park in Loanhead has been named after Jane Haining who showed tremendous courage in the face of intolerable evil during a dark period of history. A woman of deep Christian faith, she was fully aware of the risks she was taking but repeatedly refused to leave Budapest and return home to Scotland as the war engulfed Europe.

Extraordinary story

“She was simultaneously an ordinary and extraordinary woman and her story is one of heroism and personal sacrifice and reminds us that when we feel powerless, there is always something that we can do. Her story is moving, humbling, heart-breaking and inspirational and we hope that this honour will help keep her memory alive for generations to come.”

Honoured life

Iain Innes, MD of Dandara East Scotland, said: “Dandara is very pleased to be able to honour the life of Jane Haining at our Ashgrove development, and to play our part to help keep her name alive.”

Pictured

L-R; Iain Innes – Managing Director at Dandara East Scotland; Mary Millan; Provost Peter Smaill; Tibor Csaba Szendrei, Consul of the Republic of Hungary, and Rev Graham Duffin of Loanhead Parish Church.

About Jane Haining

Jane was born in 1897, in the Scottish village of Dunscore, and studied at Dumfries Academy where she became fluent in Hungarian and German and was proclaimed as Dux – the highest achieving pupil in the school. She worked for a while as a secretary in a textile factory, but found her vocation when she applied for the role of Matron of the Scottish Mission School, a day and boarding school run by the Church of Scotland for over 300 Christian and Jewish girls, some of whom were orphans.

Wartime

She was on holiday back in the UK in 1939 when war broke out, but wouldn’t contemplate staying in safety while her girls were at risk, so she immediately returned to Budapest, where she was put under surveillance by the authorities. Ignoring please that she should return home for her own safety, she managed to keep the Jewish children safe for four years until she was betrayed by the cook's son-in-law whom she caught eating scarce food intended for the girls.

Arrested

She was arrested by the Gestapo and charged with eight offences: working amongst the Jews; weeping when seeing the girls attend class wearing yellow stars; dismissing her housekeeper; listening to news broadcasts on the BBC; having many British visitors; being active in politics; visiting British prisoners of war and sending British prisoners of war parcels. She denied any involvement in politics, but was transported to Auschwitz in Nazi occupied Poland where she died at the age of 47.