Violet Tillard facts for kids

Violet Tillard (1874 – 19 February 1922) was a brave woman who worked as a nurse and fought for important causes. She was a suffragette, which means she believed women should have the right to vote. She was also a pacifist, meaning she was against war and violence. Violet supported people who refused to fight in wars because of their beliefs, known as conscientious objectors. She also helped people suffering from hunger and was a devoted Quaker, a Christian group known for its peaceful beliefs.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Violet Tillard joined the Women's Freedom League (WFL) in 1908. This group worked hard to get women the right to vote. She quickly became an important leader, helping to organize things.

Caravan Tour for Votes

From May to October 1908, Violet helped the WFL on a special journey. They traveled around southeast England in a caravan, like a mobile home, to spread their message. The tour was called 'Votes For Women'. They visited places like Kent, East Anglia, Surrey, and Sussex. On this trip, Violet met Muriel Matters, who became her lifelong friend. Muriel later said that Violet was very courageous, kind, generous, and always thought of others first. She said Violet "set one a standard to live by."

The Grille Protest

On October 28, 1908, the Women's Freedom League held a big protest at the Palace of Westminster, where the British government meets. The goal was to show how women were being treated unfairly and to remove a metal screen called the 'Grille'. This grille was in the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Commons, blocking women's view of the important discussions.

Violet had a key role in this protest. She was in the House of Commons with her friend Muriel Matters, Helen Fox, and two male supporters. Helen and Muriel bravely chained themselves to the Grille. Muriel even started talking directly to the Members of Parliament (MPs)! Meanwhile, the men threw handbills (leaflets) down into the room. Violet's job was to push a WFL message through the Grille and lower it to the floor using string. Attendants tried to stop them, but all four were later released that night without being charged. After leaving, Muriel and Violet immediately went back to the protest outside and were arrested for trying to cross police lines.

Violet and Muriel, along with eleven other members of the Women's Freedom League, spent the next month in Holloway Prison. Muriel later remembered that even in the prison uniform, Violet "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 WFL

Violet's sister, Irene Tillard, also helped the Women's Freedom League. She was part of the caravan tour in 1908. In August 1909, Irene was arrested with eight other WFL members, including Charlotte Despard. They were protesting outside 10 Downing Street in London, the Prime Minister's home. They stopped the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, from entering his house. The group was sentenced to seven days in prison or a fine. Like many suffragists, they planned not to pay the fine and to serve their time in prison. However, someone secretly paid their fines for them, against their wishes.

Helping Others Before the War

From May to August 1910, Violet traveled to Australia with Muriel Matters. Muriel gave talks there about her experiences fighting for change in Britain.

Violet was also in Dublin from 1912 to 1914. She supported the striking Dublin Transport Workers during a big labor dispute called the Dublin Lockout.

Supporting Conscientious Objectors

During the First World War, Violet became very active in helping conscientious objectors. These were people who refused to join the army because of their beliefs. She became a co-treasurer for a committee that supported them. However, on May 23, 1918, Violet was in court again. She was on trial for refusing to tell the police who printed the March edition of the No-Conscription Fellowship News. Violet was found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act and was sentenced to 61 days in Holloway Prison once more.

Famine Relief in Europe

In 1919, after the war, Violet went to Germany to help people recover from the terrible effects of the conflict. She joined a Quaker mission. In December of that year, Violet officially became a member of the Religious Society of Friends. In Germany, she saw immense suffering and helped students in Berlin survive the hard times. She worked as a nurse there until October 1921.

Then, she was sent to famine-stricken Buzuluk in Russia to help organize relief work. There, she witnessed a huge famine where about five million people died. Faced with so much poverty, 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."

Violet continued her tireless work with the Religious Society of Friends to help reduce the suffering of many people.

Death

While in Russia, Violet's nursing skills were needed in the Pavlovka District, near Buzuluk. Three other relief workers had become sick with typhus, a serious disease. It was Violet's job to nurse them back to health. She succeeded, but then she caught the same disease herself. Violet Tillard died of typhus on February 19, 1922.

Violet's death was mentioned by Leon Trotsky, a famous Russian leader, who praised her work during the famine. He said she was a "delicate, frail creature" who worked in "frightful conditions" and "fell at her post." He believed that her grave, and others like it, were a sign of a future where people would help each other out of kindness, not for selfish reasons.