HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL EVENT 2021 – Mark Ferguson

Jane Haining was born in Dunscore, Dumfriesshire on Lochead Farm in 1897.

A very intelligent and able young women Jane came to our town of Paisley to work for J.P Coats threadmill, firstly as a Clerk then promoted to Secretary (A senior post in the Mill).

Following this Jane spent some time in and Manchester before taking up a position as Matron in a girl’s home at the Scottish Mission to the Jews in .

When the NAZIS turned their attention to Hungary Jane was asked to return to Scotland, however she replied “if these children need me in the days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in the days of darkness?”.

Jane was later to be arrested by the and was charged on 8 counts:

 That she had worked among the Jews.  That she had wept when putting yellow stars on the girls.  That she had dismissed her housekeeper, who was an Aryan.  That she had listened to the news broadcasts of the BBC.  That she had many British visitors.  That she was active in politics.  That she visited British prisoners of war.  That she sent them parcels.

She admitted to all the charges except being active in politics.

Jane was amongst the first transportations from Hungary to Auschwitz/Birkenau in May 1944.

On arrival she was stripped, tattooed with the number 79467 - at the age of 47, disinfected, hair shaved, before being issued with striped clothing and clogs.

In Janes last letter to the head of the mission dated a few days before she died referenced her fondness for her beloved Dunscore stating “even here on the way to heaven are mountains”.

A death certificate issued by the NAZIS stating she died as a result of a “lung infection”, however prior to our study tour the Auschwitz guide found in their records that Jane was gassed along with Hungarian Women and Children.

Birkenau Holocaust Survivors who remember Jane in the camp said that she often shared the very little rations she had with the children.

UNISON Renfrewshire have been working with Janes family and the Dunscore Heritage Centre to ensure that her bravery which is reported to have helped saved over 400 Jewish Girls from the NAZIS is never forgotten.

As part of the Branch Study Tour delegates took part in a memorial service “Workers Memorial Day” outside Block 9 in Birkenau Women’s and Children’s Camp where Jane was held. We also commemorated the Women who smuggled in munitions that were used to destroy crematoria 4. Ella Gartner, Roza Robota, Regina Safir and Ester Wajcblum were hanged in front of the rest of the camp for the part they played.

An act that slowed the process significantly and although it is not known how many of Survivors this saved it will have been significant. Prior to the Study tour we were provided with archive and research material from the BBC and visited the Heritage Centre in Dunscore. The family grave has inscribed Jane details as having died at Auschwitz, Germany. Of course the family was not to know where this was and they understood it to be a concentration camp and not a death camp.

Jane was awarded “Righteous among the Nations” in 1997 by and “British Hero of the Holocaust” in 2010 by the British Government.

There will be a memorial to commemorate Jane in Renfrewshire when the current lockdown restrictions are lifted Branch, Renfrewshire Council & JP Coats. This will involve local schools taking part in an education project to design the permanent memorial cairn.

A new book has been written by Author Mary Miller telling the story of Janes life. The branch provided information through interview for the book about her time in Paisley.

Jane’s family carried this banner through the streets of Paisley as part of our Sma Shot Day Celebrations on Saturday 6th of July 2019.

Whilst Jane’s commitment was to Service and Sacrifice she played a very important role during the darkest of times to the lives of the young girls who grew up never forgetting her and her determination to protect them.

Let us never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust and the Genocide going on around the world – stand up to fascism, racism and all forms of discrimination in our society.

Mark Ferguson

Branch Secretary