Mary Elmes

Mary Elmes
Born Marie Elisabeth Jean Elmes[1][2]
5 May 1908[1][2]
Cork, Ireland[1][2]
Died (2002-03-09)9 March 2002
(aged 93 years, 308 days)
Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales France[3][4]
Known for
Spouse(s) Roger Danjou[2]
Children 2 children[1]
* Caroline
* Patrick

Marie Elisabeth Jean Elmes (5 May 1908 – 9 March 2002)[2] was an Irish businesswoman and aid worker credited with saving the lives of at least 200 Jewish children during the Holocaust, by hiding them in the boot of her car.[1][2][4] In 2015, she became the first and only Irish person honoured as Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel, in recognition of her work in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.[1][5][6][7]

Biography

Winthrop Street in Cork's city centre. The pharmacy was located where McDonald's is shown (4 Winthrop Street)[8][9]

Elmes was born on 5 May 1908 in Cork, Ireland to chemist Edward Elmes and Elizabeth (née Waters). Edward Elmes was originally from Waterford, and moved to Cork after qualifying as a pharmacist, to run a pharmacy on Winthrop Street, while Waters grew up in Cork.[1][10][11] She had one brother, John, who later took over the family business.[1][7]

Elmes attended Rochelle School in Cork and then in 1928 enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin where she was elected a Scholar, and gained a first in Modern Literature (French and Spanish).[12][10][11] In 1935, as a result of her academic achievements, Elmes was awarded a scholarship in International Studies to study at London School of Economics. She received a certificate in International Studies as well as a further scholarship to continue her education in Geneva, Switzerland.[10][11][3][5][6][7]

Spanish Civil War

In February 1937, after the completion of her studies, Elmes joined the University of London Ambulance Unit and was sent to a children's hospital in Almeria in then war-torn Spain.[2][13][7]

Imprisonment

In January[12] (or February[4]) 1943, Elmes was arrested on suspicion of aiding the escape of Jews[12] and was imprisoned in Toulouse,[4] later being moved to the notorious Fresnes Prison near Paris, where she spent six months.[4][12][11][14][7]

Honours

  • After the war Elmes was awarded the Legion of Honour (French:Légion d'honneur), the highest civilian award in France at the time, which she refused to accept on the grounds of unwanted attention for what she did.[10][4]
  • On 23 January 2013, 11 years after her death, she was posthumously recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations, her children and grandchildren receiving the award on her behalf.[4][7]
  • On 30 September 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Trish Murphy Award at the Network Ireland Business Woman of the Year awards in Cork, which was accepted by her nephew, Mark Elmes, on behalf of her family.[11][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Finn, Clodagh (17 September 2016). "Meet Mary Elmes: The Irish woman who saved children from the horror of WWII concentration camps". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wilson, Bernard (28 April 2012). "Mary Elmes 1908 – 2002". Toulouse Quakers. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Justes et persécutés durant la période nazie - Mary-Elmes". www.ajpn.org (in French). Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Forsythe, David. "The incredible life of Mary Elmes, Ireland's "Righteous Among the Nations"". westcorktimes.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Cork woman receives first Irish honour for saving Jewish victims of the Holocaust". The Irish Times. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 Sheridan, Colette (14 September 2016). "New play tells of the Cork woman who helped Jewish children escape the Nazis". Irish Examiner. Dublin. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Irish woman who was dedicated to saving lives during the Holocaust to be honoured for the first time in Ireland". Cork Chamber of Commerce. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Guy's City and County Cork Almanac and Directory for 1907 (Business Directory). Cork. 1907. p. 193. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Berker, Tommy (3 July 2014). "They're lovin' it". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Butler, Paddy (31 Jan 2012). "Corkwoman helped Jewish brothers and many others avoid Auschwitz". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "'Irish Schindler' to be honoured in Cork". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Butler, Patrick (15 May 2013). "Cork woman receives first Irish honour for saving Jewish victims of the Holocaust". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Crossey, Ciaran. "Irish non-combatants in Spain during the SCW". irelandscw.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  14. ↑ Ellis, Fiona (16 September 2016). "Meet the 'Irish Oskar Schindler' who saved countless Jews from Nazis". The Irish Sun. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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