Violet Tillard
Encyclopedia
Violet Tillard was a suffragist, nurse, pacifist, supporter of conscientious objectors, international famine relief
worker and devout Quaker.
(WFL) in 1908 and soon rose to the position of Assistant Organising Secretary. In May through to mid-October of that year, she helped establish branches of the League on a caravan tour of the southeast counties of England. It was the first ‘Votes For Women’ caravan tour of its kind and passed through Kent
, East Anglia
, Surrey
and Sussex
. It was on this tour that Tillard met Muriel Matters
who was to remain a lifelong companion. Matters would later write of her friend’s courage, sympathy, generosity and selflessness, stating that Tillard, “set one a standard to live by”.
organised a large demonstration to take place at the Palace of Westminster
. It was an organised protest that took place at similar times throughout the Palace of Westminster
- outside St. Stephen's Entrance, the Old Prison Yard and in the House of Commons
. The purpose of the protest was to raise attention to the struggle of women and remove the ‘Grille’, a piece of ironwork placed in the Ladies’ Gallery that obscured their view of parliamentary proceedings.
Violet’s role was in the latter part of the demonstration - to remove the offensive grille from the Ladies’ Gallery. Tillard was joined in the House of Commons
with her close friend Muriel Matters
, Helen Fox and a male supporter in the Strangers' Gallery
. Fox and Matters both chained themselves directly to the Grille and Matters began addressing the MPs directly, whilst the male in the Strangers' Gallery showered the house with handbills. Tillard’s role was to force a WFL proclamation through the Grille and lower it on to the floor of parliament using string. All four protagonists were set upon by attendants but were later released that night without charge. After they were permitted to leave, Matters and Tillard immediately rejoined the protest outside St. Stephen’s portals but were subsequently arrested for attempting to break the police lines.
The pair and eleven other members of the Women's Freedom League
spent the following month in Holloway Gaol
. Matters later recounted that, despite the ugly prison garb, “Till managed to look so graceful. How Cheerful she was, how philosophic when many were either ‘edgy’ [or] ‘weepy with strain, or rebellion.”
. She is known to have helped on the aforementioned caravan tour of 1908 and in August 1909 was arrested with eight other members of the WFL (including Charlotte Despard
) for picketing outside 10 Downing Street
, London
. The picket prevented Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith from entering his residence and the group was later sentenced to serve seven days imprisonment or pay fines of 40 shillings. As was the suffragist tradition they intended not to pay the fine and serve their imprisonment. However, as paying the fine did not require the consent of the incarcerated, the group’s fines were anonymously paid against their will.
to Australia
where her friend gave lectures focusing on her experiences in Britain agitating for change.
She is also known to have been in Dublin from 1912-1914, supporting the striking Dublin Transport Workers which was in the period in which the Dublin Lockout
occurred.
.
to help people recover from the effects of World War I
. She went with a Quaker mission organised by Joan Fry and in December of that year Tillard formally applied to become a member of the Religious Society of Friends
. Whilst in defeated Germany she was confronted with immense misery and helped some students in Berlin
survive the hardship. She provided relief in Germany as a nurse until October 1921 where she was transferred to famine
-ravaged Buzuluk
in Russia
to help organise the relief work. There she found famine on a grand scale with an estimated five million dead at the conclusion of the food shortage. Confronted with mass impoverishment she wrote:
Tillard continued her tireless work with the Religious Society of Friends
to help curb the suffering of the masses.
and it was her job to nurse them back to health. She was successful in accomplishing her objective but soon contracted the same disease that had compromised her patients. Tillard died of typhus on 19 February, 1922.
In a coincidence of history, Tillard’s death was to feature briefly in the writings of Leon Trotsky
who praised her work during the famine
:
Famine relief
Famine relief is an organized effort to reduce starvation in a region in which there is famine. A famine is a phenomenon in which a large proportion of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common...
worker and devout Quaker.
Caravan tour
Tillard became involved with the Women's Freedom LeagueWomen's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
(WFL) in 1908 and soon rose to the position of Assistant Organising Secretary. In May through to mid-October of that year, she helped establish branches of the League on a caravan tour of the southeast counties of England. It was the first ‘Votes For Women’ caravan tour of its kind and passed through Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. It was on this tour that Tillard met Muriel Matters
Muriel Matters
Muriel Lilah Matters was an Australian born suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist...
who was to remain a lifelong companion. Matters would later write of her friend’s courage, sympathy, generosity and selflessness, stating that Tillard, “set one a standard to live by”.
Role in the Grille Protest
On 28 October 1908, the Women's Freedom LeagueWomen's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
organised a large demonstration to take place at the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. It was an organised protest that took place at similar times throughout the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
- outside St. Stephen's Entrance, the Old Prison Yard and in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. The purpose of the protest was to raise attention to the struggle of women and remove the ‘Grille’, a piece of ironwork placed in the Ladies’ Gallery that obscured their view of parliamentary proceedings.
Violet’s role was in the latter part of the demonstration - to remove the offensive grille from the Ladies’ Gallery. Tillard was joined in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
with her close friend Muriel Matters
Muriel Matters
Muriel Lilah Matters was an Australian born suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist...
, Helen Fox and a male supporter in the Strangers' Gallery
Strangers Gallery
The Strangers' Gallery is set aside for members of the public at the British House of Commons, and is intended for both invited and uninvited members of the public to watch the proceedings of the House. A similar gallery exists in the House of Lords. Members of the public may obtain tickets from...
. Fox and Matters both chained themselves directly to the Grille and Matters began addressing the MPs directly, whilst the male in the Strangers' Gallery showered the house with handbills. Tillard’s role was to force a WFL proclamation through the Grille and lower it on to the floor of parliament using string. All four protagonists were set upon by attendants but were later released that night without charge. After they were permitted to leave, Matters and Tillard immediately rejoined the protest outside St. Stephen’s portals but were subsequently arrested for attempting to break the police lines.
The pair and eleven other members of the Women's Freedom League
Women's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
spent the following month in Holloway Gaol
Holloway (HM Prison)
HM Prison Holloway is a closed category prison for adult women and Young Offenders, located in the Holloway area of the London Borough of Islington, in north and Inner London, England...
. Matters later recounted that, despite the ugly prison garb, “Till managed to look so graceful. How Cheerful she was, how philosophic when many were either ‘edgy’ [or] ‘weepy with strain, or rebellion.”
Violet's sister and the Women's Freedom League
Violet’s sister, Irene Tillard, was also involved with the Women's Freedom LeagueWomen's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
. She is known to have helped on the aforementioned caravan tour of 1908 and in August 1909 was arrested with eight other members of the WFL (including Charlotte Despard
Charlotte Despard
Charlotte Despard was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist....
) for picketing outside 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The picket prevented Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith from entering his residence and the group was later sentenced to serve seven days imprisonment or pay fines of 40 shillings. As was the suffragist tradition they intended not to pay the fine and serve their imprisonment. However, as paying the fine did not require the consent of the incarcerated, the group’s fines were anonymously paid against their will.
Work between 1910 and the outbreak of war
From May to early August 1910, Tillard accompanied Muriel MattersMuriel Matters
Muriel Lilah Matters was an Australian born suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where her friend gave lectures focusing on her experiences in Britain agitating for change.
She is also known to have been in Dublin from 1912-1914, supporting the striking Dublin Transport Workers which was in the period in which the Dublin Lockout
Dublin Lockout
The Dublin Lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers which took place in Ireland's capital city of Dublin. The dispute lasted from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, and is often viewed as the most severe and significant industrial dispute in...
occurred.
Conscientious objection to the First World War
During the First World War Tillard was energised into helping conscientious objectors. She was appointed Co-Treasurer of the No-Conscription Fellowship’s Maintenance Committee. However, on 23 May 1918 Tillard found herself once again in court for her agitations. She was on trial for refusing to disclose to police the name of the person who printed the March edition of the No-Conscription Fellowship News. Tillard was found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act and was sentenced to 61 days imprisonment to be served once again at HollowayHolloway (HM Prison)
HM Prison Holloway is a closed category prison for adult women and Young Offenders, located in the Holloway area of the London Borough of Islington, in north and Inner London, England...
.
Famine relief worker in post-war Germany and Russia
In 1919, Tillard travelled to war-torn GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to help people recover from the effects of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She went with a Quaker mission organised by Joan Fry and in December of that year Tillard formally applied to become a member of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
. Whilst in defeated Germany she was confronted with immense misery and helped some students in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
survive the hardship. She provided relief in Germany as a nurse until October 1921 where she was transferred to famine
Russian famine of 1921
The Russian famine of 1921, also known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year, and lasted through 1922, was a severe famine that occurred in Bolshevik Russia...
-ravaged Buzuluk
Buzuluk
Buzuluk is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the Samara, Buzuluk, and Domashka Rivers northwest of Orenburg. Population: It was founded in 1736 as the fortress of Buzulukskaya on the Samara River near the mouth of the Buzuluk River along Russia's southern frontier. It was later moved...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to help organise the relief work. There she found famine on a grand scale with an estimated five million dead at the conclusion of the food shortage. Confronted with mass impoverishment she wrote:
-
-
- One feels horrible to live in such good conditions when the people are literally starving at our doors – a boy of sixteen lies dead a few yards away… It isn’t so harrowing to see them lying dead. They suffer no more. It is the doomed shadows one sees around the streets and in the homes that are most horrible.
-
Tillard continued her tireless work with the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
to help curb the suffering of the masses.
Death
Whilst in Russia, Tillard’s skills as a nurse were temporarily called upon in the Pavlovka District near her current post in Buzuluk. There, three fellow relief workers had fallen ill with typhusTyphus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
and it was her job to nurse them back to health. She was successful in accomplishing her objective but soon contracted the same disease that had compromised her patients. Tillard died of typhus on 19 February, 1922.
In a coincidence of history, Tillard’s death was to feature briefly in the writings of Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
who praised her work during the famine
Russian famine of 1921
The Russian famine of 1921, also known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year, and lasted through 1922, was a severe famine that occurred in Bolshevik Russia...
:
-
-
- In our bloodstained and at the same time heroic epoch, there are people who, regardless of their class position, are guided exclusively by the promptings of humanity and inner nobility. I read a brief obituary of this Anglo-Saxon woman, Violet Tillard; a delicate, frail creature, she worked here, at Buzuluk, under the most frightful conditions, fell at her post, and was buried there.... Probably she was no different from those others who also fell at their posts, serving their fellow human beings.... Here we count six such graves… These graves are a kind of augury of those future, new relations between people which will be based upon solidarity and will not be shadowed by self-seeking. When the Russian people become a little richer they will erect (we are profoundly sure of this) a great monument to these fallen heroes, the forerunners of a better human morality, for which we, too, are fighting.
-
See also
- Muriel MattersMuriel MattersMuriel Lilah Matters was an Australian born suffragist, lecturer, journalist, educator, actress and elocutionist...
- Women's Freedom LeagueWomen's Freedom LeagueThe Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
- Religious Society of FriendsReligious Society of FriendsThe Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
- Russian famine of 1921Russian famine of 1921The Russian famine of 1921, also known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year, and lasted through 1922, was a severe famine that occurred in Bolshevik Russia...