Ellen Wilkinson: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:02, 23 December 2017

1881-1947. Probably best known for being the Labour MP that led the Jarrow March in 1936. She was an active trade unionist, feminist and Socialist.

She was born in Manchester on 8th October 1881. Her parents Richard Wilkinson, a worker in a textile factory and later an insurance agent, and Ellen Wood, a dress-maker, were both devout Methodists and had four children. Ellen Wilkinson later did not share her parents' religious beliefs. After an elementary education she won a scholarship to attend Ardwick Higher Grade School, which was later renamed “Ellen Wilikinson Highschool” in her memory. In 1906 she even won a bursary to study at Manchester Day Training College and joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1907. In 1910 she gained a scholarship to read history at the University of Manchester, which was a considerable achievement for a working-class young woman, and in 1912 Ellen Wilkinson became a member of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and was recruited as one of its district organisers. Wilkinson also ran the local branch of the Fabian society and was the first woman to employed as an official by the Amalgamated Union of Cooperative Employees, which eventually joined the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW), today’s USDAW. During the First World War Ellen supported the Non-Conscription Fellowship and joined the Communist Party at its foundation. In 1923 she was elected to Manchester City Council on a Labour ticket and left the Party in 1924 after she was elected as an MP for Middlesborough East. When she opposed the National Government formed by Ramsey MacDonald, Ellen lost her seat in the election in 1931.

Ellen Wilkinson wrote several novels (Clash, published in 1929; Peeps at Politicians published in 1931; The Terror in Germany published in 1933 and The Division Bell Mystery published in 1932) and was a fluent speaker with an impish sense of humor and a lively temperament. Ellen Wilkinson became known as Red Ellen (both for the colour of her hair and her politics).

In 1935 Ellen re-entered Parliament as MP for Jarrow and led the march to London where she presented a petition to parliament and later wrote an account of the Jarrow Crusade and its result called The Town That Was Murdered (1939).

Ellen supported anti-fascist unity and was active in Spanish relief committees and a member of the International Commission of Enquiry into the Reichstag. Though these activities put her in a state of some tension with the Labour’s leadership, she was made Minister of Education by the new Prime Minister in 1945 when the Labour Party won the general election with a huge majority. In 1946 Ellen was successful in getting the School Milk Act through the Commons which provided a free third pint of milk every day to every child in the country.

However, her plan to increase the school-leaving age to sixteen was abandoned in favor of fifteen. Ellen Wilkinson died suddenly on 6 February 1947 during one of the worst winters of the century. The official cause was pneumonia, although there were rumors that she had taken an overdose of barbiturates because of her state of mind.

Sources:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUwilkinson.htm (Stand: 26.12.2011)

http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/w/i.htm#wilkinson-ellen (Stand: 26.12.2011)

http://radicalmanchester.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/ellen-wilkinson/ (Stand: 26.12.2011)

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-Ellen Wilkinson is probably best known for being the Labour MP that led the [[Jarrow March]] in 1936. She was an active trade unionist, feminist and Socialist.
+-1947. Probably best known for being the Labour MP that led the [[Jarrow March]] in 1936. She was an active trade unionist, feminist and Socialist.
-She was born in Manchester on 8th October 1981 and died in 1947. Her parents Richard Wilkinson, a worker in a textile factory and later an insurance agent, and Ellen Wood, a dress-maker, were both devout Methodists and had four children. The daughter of the working class family later did not share her parent’s religious beliefs. After an elementary education Ellen won a scholarship to attend Ardwick Higher Grade School, which was later renamed “Ellen Wilikinson Highschool” in her memory. In 1906 she even won a bursary to study at Manchester Day Training College and joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1907. In 1910 she gained a scholarship to read history at the University of Manchester, which was a considerable achievement for a working class young woman, and in 1912 Ellen Wilkinson became a member of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and was recruited as one of its district organisers. Wilkinson also ran the local branch of the Fabian Society and was the first woman to emplyed as an official by the Amalgamated Union of Cooperative Employees, which eventually joined the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW), today’s USDAW. During the First World War Ellen supported the Non-Conscription Fellowship and joined the Communist Party at its foundation. In 1923 she was elected to Manchester City Council on a Labour ticket and left the Party in 1924 after she was elected as an MP for Middlesborough East. When she opposed the National Government formed by MacDonald, Ellen lost her seat in the election in 1931.
+She was born in Manchester on 8th October 1881. Her parents Richard Wilkinson, a worker in a textile factory and later an insurance agent, and Ellen Wood, a dress-maker, were both devout [[Methodism|Methodists]] and had four children. Ellen Wilkinson later did not share her parents' religious beliefs. After an elementary education she won a scholarship to attend Ardwick Higher Grade School, which was later renamed “Ellen Wilikinson Highschool” in her memory. In 1906 she even won a bursary to study at Manchester Day Training College and joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1907. In 1910 she gained a scholarship to read history at the University of Manchester, which was a considerable achievement for a working-class young woman, and in 1912 Ellen Wilkinson became a member of the [[Suffragette|National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies]] (NUWSS) and was recruited as one of its district organisers. Wilkinson also ran the local branch of the [[Fabian society]] and was the first woman to employed as an official by the Amalgamated Union of Cooperative Employees, which eventually joined the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW), today’s USDAW. During the [[Great War|First World War]] Ellen supported the Non-Conscription Fellowship and joined the Communist Party at its foundation. In 1923 she was elected to Manchester City Council on a Labour ticket and left the Party in 1924 after she was elected as an MP for Middlesborough East. When she opposed the National Government formed by Ramsey MacDonald, Ellen lost her seat in the election in 1931.
-Ellen Wilkinson wrote several novels (“Clash”, published in 1929; “Peeps at Politicians” published in 1931; “The Terror in Germany” published in 1933 and “The Division Bell Mystery” published in 1932) and was a fluent speaker with an impish sense of humor and a lively temperament. Ellen Wilkinson became known as Red Ellen (both for the colour of her hair and her politics).
+Ellen Wilkinson wrote several novels (''Clash'', published in 1929; ''Peeps at Politicians'' published in 1931; ''The Terror in Germany'' published in 1933 and ''The Division Bell Mystery'' published in 1932) and was a fluent speaker with an impish sense of humor and a lively temperament. Ellen Wilkinson became known as Red Ellen (both for the colour of her hair and her politics).
-In 1935 Ellen re-entered Parliament as MP for Jarrow and led the march to London where she presented a petition to parliament and later wrote an account of the Jarrow Crusade and its result called “The Town That Was Murdered” (1939).
+In 1935 Ellen re-entered Parliament as MP for Jarrow and led the march to London where she presented a petition to parliament and later wrote an account of the Jarrow Crusade and its result called ''The Town That Was Murdered'' (1939).
-Ellen supported anti-fascist unity and was active in Spanish relief committees and a member of the International Commission of Enquiry into the Reichstag. Though these activities put her in a state of some tension with the Labour’s leadership, she was made Minister of Education by the new Prime Minister in 1945 when the Labour Party won the general election with a huge majority. In 1946 Ellen was successful in getting the School Milk Act through the Commons which provided a free third pint of milk every day to every child in the country.
+Ellen supported anti-fascist unity and was active in Spanish relief committees and a member of the International Commission of Enquiry into the ''Reichstag''. Though these activities put her in a state of some tension with the Labour’s leadership, she was made Minister of Education by the new Prime Minister in 1945 when the Labour Party won the general election with a huge majority. In 1946 Ellen was successful in getting the School Milk Act through the Commons which provided a free third pint of milk every day to every child in the country.
-However, her plan to increase the school-leaving age to sixteen was abandoned in favor of fifteen and Ellen must have been to be depressed over the course of her career and the failure to achieve serious reforms as a Labour politician.
+However, her plan to increase the school-leaving age to sixteen was abandoned in favor of fifteen.
-Ellen Wilkinson died suddenly on 6th February 1947 during one of the worst winters of the century. The official cause was pneumonia, although there were rumors that she had taken an overdose of barbiturates because of her state of mind.
+Ellen Wilkinson died suddenly on 6 February 1947 during one of the worst winters of the century. The official cause was pneumonia, although there were rumors that she had taken an overdose of barbiturates because of her state of mind.
 Sources: