Artwork for a planned mural honouring a Scottish missionary who attempted to protect Jews from the Nazis and herself died in Auschwitz has been unveiled in the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Jane Haining was born in Dumfriesshire in 1897. In 1932 she moved to Hungary to serve as matron of the Scottish Mission School in Budapest. The school was run by the Scottish Mission to the Jews, an arm of the Church of Scotland.
When war broke out in 1939, the Church of Scotland advised Haining to return to Scotland. Instead she opted to stay and watch over her charges, many of whom were Jewish. She said, “If these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?”
For much of the war Hungary was an ally of Nazi Germany, however in 1944, Germany occupied the country, due to fears the country was trying to pursue a separate peace with the allies.
Shortly after it is believed that Haining was reported to German authorities following an argument with the cook’s son-in-law. Despite saying she would “be back by lunch”, she in fact was sent to Auschwitz, where she died two months later at the age of 47.
The new black and white mural, which will be 9ft high and 65ft long, is to be located in Paisley, in recognition of Haining’s decade spent in the town working as a secretary at J&P Coats' Ferguslie Mill.
The mural was commissioned by the Renfrewshire branch of Unison and was designed by Paisley-based artists Alexander Guy and Caroline Gormley.
Guy said, "I did not know the story of Jane Haining before we were asked to do this and I found it fascinating to research the information about her life. Initially I thought to myself ‘why this woman because millions of people died during the Holocaust' but the more I read about her, the more I realised how remarkable she was.
"Jane Haining was a true heroine and her story needs recognition, whether it's in Budapest, Paisley or Dunscore and I'm very honoured and privileged to produce a mural that hopefully does her and all her relatives proud."
Both Guy and Gormley consulted with Haining's family and Mark Ferguson from the public services trade union.
Ferguson said of the initial artwork, "The mural has exceeded my expectations, we wanted it to tell the story of Jane Haining in the various locations she was in. But one of the things the family and I were very keen on was that centre photograph of Jane with the children, because that's who she was.
"I'm absolutely delighted with the image and with the very powerful presence that it will have in Shuttle Street in Paisley, it will generate a lot of interest."
The unveiling took place at Coats Memorial Church on Holocaust Memorial Day in the presence of the Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Rev Frew described the artwork as “striking” and praised Haining as someone who lived a life of “service over self-interest”.
"She was simultaneously an ordinary and extraordinary woman and her story is one of courage, heroism, decency and personal sacrifice, reminding us that when we feel powerless, there is always something that we can do.”
