Elisabeth Eidenbenz

Elisabeth Eidenbenz  ( 1913 – 2011 ) –  Was a Swiss nurse who set up a maternity home for pregnant Spanish refugee mothers in SW France. She also flouted Swiss neutrality and risked her life to offer a haven to Jewish mothers escaping the Nazi Gestapo.

In 1939, an extraordinary woman Elizabeth Eidenbenz ( 1913 – 2011), opened Maternitat d’ Elne,( the maternity home of Elne). Elne is a small town in South East France. She wanted to offer a safe haven for pregnant women, many of whom were Spanish Republicans who’d escaped into France during ‘The Retirada’ or retreat as a consequence of the Spanish Civil War. The story of what had taken place there had been forgotten

Alice Arnold of Coventry 1881-1955

Eighty years ago this autumn, Alice Arnold became Coventry’s first woman mayor. Hers is a remarkable story of a woman who was never afraid to speak out wherever she saw injustice. It seems to me to be extremely important to recognise this today, at a time when so many women in public roles face harsh criticism for having and voicing opinions.