Lilian Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Lilian Gertrude Woolf, better known as Lilian Wolfe (born in London, 22 December 1875; died in Cheltenham
, 28 April 28, 1974), was an English anarchist, pacifist and feminist. She was for most of her life a member of the Freedom Press
publishing collective.
whom Wolfe would describe as "a very frustrated woman" who left the family when Wolfe was thirteen years of age in order tour the world with an operatic company, while her father, Albert Lewis Woolf was a Liverpudlian jeweller of Jewish descent and of a conservative outlook. She had three brothers and two sisters, and had a comfortable and orthodox middle-class upbringing, educated first by governess
es and later for a short period at the Regent Street Polytechnic
.
As an employee of the General Post Office
, Wolfe was an active member of the Civil Service Socialist Society. She became disillusioned with parliamentary politics as a suffragette
, and came to consider the granting of the voting franchise to women
a mere "palliative". She was thus attracted to the British anarchist movement and was a founding contributor to the anarchist periodical The Voice of Labour.
by the Military Service Act
, The Voice of Labour published an article on civil disobedience which encouraged readers to dodge the draft and go into hiding in the Scottish Highlands
. Wolfe was arrested during a subsequent raid of Freedom offices along with her partner Thomas Keell
. They were charged and found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act. Wolfe received a sentence of a fine or two months in prison, and chose the latter option. Keell too chose prison over payment, though his sentence was for £100 or three months respectively. In prison however, the forty-year-old Wolfe discovered that she was pregnant and so paid the fine and secured her release.
She lived in Marsh House in London with Nellie Dick, Fred Dunn, and Gaston Marin in 1917, with Keell, their son and W C Owen in Willesden
around 1920, and with Keell in the Tolstoyan
Whiteway Colony
, Gloucestershire
from the 1920s until his death in 1938. At Whiteway, she cared for a time for Richard Blair, the son of George Orwell
, when the writer was incapacitated in a sanitorium. When Vernon Richards
established the periodical Spain and the World in support of the Spanish anarchists in the civil war
, Wolfe (aged 60) acted as its administrator. During this time, she would stay in with Richards and his partner Marie-Louise Berneri
in London. She was still politically active well into her old age, selling Peace News
in her 90s and acting as manager and administrator of the Freedom Press bookshop until the age of 95.
In the centennial edition of Freedom, anarchist historian Nicolas Walter
hailed Wolfe as "one of the least public but most important figures in the Freedom Press for more than half a century".
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, 28 April 28, 1974), was an English anarchist, pacifist and feminist. She was for most of her life a member of the Freedom Press
Freedom Press
The Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the nation and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is based at 84b Whitechapel High Street in the East End of London...
publishing collective.
Early life and radicalisation
Wolfe was born in her father's jewellery shop on Edgware Road, London on December 22, 1875. Her mother, Lucy Helen Jones, was an actress from BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
whom Wolfe would describe as "a very frustrated woman" who left the family when Wolfe was thirteen years of age in order tour the world with an operatic company, while her father, Albert Lewis Woolf was a Liverpudlian jeweller of Jewish descent and of a conservative outlook. She had three brothers and two sisters, and had a comfortable and orthodox middle-class upbringing, educated first by governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
es and later for a short period at the Regent Street Polytechnic
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
.
As an employee of the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
, Wolfe was an active member of the Civil Service Socialist Society. She became disillusioned with parliamentary politics as a suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
, and came to consider the granting of the voting franchise to women
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
a mere "palliative". She was thus attracted to the British anarchist movement and was a founding contributor to the anarchist periodical The Voice of Labour.
Activism and later years
In 1916, following the introduction of conscriptionConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
by the Military Service Act
Military Service Act
Military Service Acts were introduced to enact conscription:*Military Service Act , introduced in January 1916 in the UK during World War I*Military Service Act , introduced in Canada in 1917 during World War I...
, The Voice of Labour published an article on civil disobedience which encouraged readers to dodge the draft and go into hiding in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Wolfe was arrested during a subsequent raid of Freedom offices along with her partner Thomas Keell
Thomas Keell
Thomas Henry Keell was an Englishman compositor who edited the anarchist periodical Freedom. He attended the International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam in 1907, where he was hailed by Emma Goldman as "one of our most devoted workers on the London Freedom"...
. They were charged and found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act. Wolfe received a sentence of a fine or two months in prison, and chose the latter option. Keell too chose prison over payment, though his sentence was for £100 or three months respectively. In prison however, the forty-year-old Wolfe discovered that she was pregnant and so paid the fine and secured her release.
She lived in Marsh House in London with Nellie Dick, Fred Dunn, and Gaston Marin in 1917, with Keell, their son and W C Owen in Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
around 1920, and with Keell in the Tolstoyan
Tolstoyan
The Tolstoyan movement is a social movement based on the philosophical and religious views of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy . Tolstoy's views were formed by rigorous study of the ministry of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mount....
Whiteway Colony
Whiteway Colony
Whiteway Colony is a residential community in the Cotswolds in the parish of Miserden near Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK. The community was founded in 1898 by Tolstoyans and today has no spare land available with over sixty homes and one hundred and fifty colonists...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
from the 1920s until his death in 1938. At Whiteway, she cared for a time for Richard Blair, the son of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, when the writer was incapacitated in a sanitorium. When Vernon Richards
Vernon Richards
Vernon Richards was an Anglo-Italian anarchist, editor, author and companion of Marie-Louise Berneri.He was born Vero Recchioni in London in 1915. He was educated at Emanuel School, and King's College London, where he trained as a civil engineer...
established the periodical Spain and the World in support of the Spanish anarchists in the civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, Wolfe (aged 60) acted as its administrator. During this time, she would stay in with Richards and his partner Marie-Louise Berneri
Marie-Louise Berneri
Marie Louise Berneri was an anarchist activist and author. She was involved with the short-lived publication, Revision, with Luis Mercier Vega and was a member of the group that edited Revolt, War Commentary, and the Freedom newspaper, which is still being published by the Freedom Bookstore in...
in London. She was still politically active well into her old age, selling Peace News
Peace News
Peace News is a pacifist magazine first published on 6 June 1936 to serve the peace movement in the United Kingdom. From later in 1936 to April 1961 it was the official paper of the Peace Pledge Union , and from 1990 to 2004 was co-published with War Resisters' International.-History:Peace News was...
in her 90s and acting as manager and administrator of the Freedom Press bookshop until the age of 95.
In the centennial edition of Freedom, anarchist historian Nicolas Walter
Nicolas Walter
Nicolas Hardy Walter was a British anarchist and atheist writer, speaker and activist.-Career overview:Walter was born in London; his father was the neurophysiologist and pioneer of cybernetics, William Grey Walter...
hailed Wolfe as "one of the least public but most important figures in the Freedom Press for more than half a century".