Evelyn Irons
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Irons was a Scottish
journalist
, the first woman war correspondent
to be decorated with the Croix de Guerre
.
She was born in Glasgow
and attended Somerville College, Oxford
. Her career in journalism began at the Daily Mail
, where the editor assigned her to the beauty page even though she herself had never worn makeup. She was ultimately fired for "looking unfashionable". At the Evening Standard
she edited the "women's interest" pages, but when World War II
broke out she informed the news editor "From now on I'm working for you." Though General Montgomery objected to women reporters on the battlefield, she gained the support of French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
and became one of the first journalists to reach liberated Paris
. She was the first woman journalist to reach Hitler's Eagle's Nest
after its capture; after climbing there through the snow she helped herself to a bottle of Hitler's "excellent Rhine wine".
Her relationship with the writer Vita Sackville-West
was well-known - months before her death, an Evening Standard headline identified her as the "war correspondent who broke Vita's heart" - but the romance was brief. Afterward she became the life partner of fellow journalist Joy McSweeney, with whom she lived until McSweeney's death in 1978.
She travelled to the United States in 1952 to cover the presidential election and stayed on afterward, settling near Brewster, New York
. In 1954 she broke a news embargo
on the overthrow of Guatemala
n President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
by hiring a mule to take her to Chiquimula
while other journalists, forbidden to cross the border, waited in a bar in Honduras. She became the first reporter to reach the headquarters of the Provisional Government; a reporter for a rival paper received a telegram from his editor ordering him to "offget arse onget donkey".
She died on April 3, 2000, at age 99.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, the first woman war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
to be decorated with the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
She was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and attended Somerville College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Her career in journalism began at the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, where the editor assigned her to the beauty page even though she herself had never worn makeup. She was ultimately fired for "looking unfashionable". At the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
she edited the "women's interest" pages, but when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out she informed the news editor "From now on I'm working for you." Though General Montgomery objected to women reporters on the battlefield, she gained the support of French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny, GCB, MC was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the First Indochina War.-Early life:...
and became one of the first journalists to reach liberated Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She was the first woman journalist to reach Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Kehlsteinhaus
The Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
after its capture; after climbing there through the snow she helped herself to a bottle of Hitler's "excellent Rhine wine".
Her relationship with the writer Vita Sackville-West
Vita Sackville-West
The Hon Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH , best known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author, poet and gardener. She won the Hawthornden Prize in 1927 and 1933...
was well-known - months before her death, an Evening Standard headline identified her as the "war correspondent who broke Vita's heart" - but the romance was brief. Afterward she became the life partner of fellow journalist Joy McSweeney, with whom she lived until McSweeney's death in 1978.
She travelled to the United States in 1952 to cover the presidential election and stayed on afterward, settling near Brewster, New York
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
. In 1954 she broke a news embargo
News Embargo
In journalism and public relations, a news embargo or press embargo is a request by a source that the information or news provided by that source not be published until a certain date or certain conditions have been met...
on the overthrow of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán
Colonel Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who served as Defense Minister of Guatemala from 1944–1951, and as President of Guatemala from 1951 to 1954....
by hiring a mule to take her to Chiquimula
Chiquimula
Chiquimula is a city in Guatemala. It serves both as the capital of the department of Chiquimula and as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name....
while other journalists, forbidden to cross the border, waited in a bar in Honduras. She became the first reporter to reach the headquarters of the Provisional Government; a reporter for a rival paper received a telegram from his editor ordering him to "offget arse onget donkey".
She died on April 3, 2000, at age 99.