The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb

‘To succeed in life, we must give life’, Eglantyne Jebb.

Eglantyne Jebb did not ‘give life’ in the traditional way by becoming a mother. Despite social expectations she never married and was not fond of children, the ‘little wretches’ as she called them. Instead Eglantyne dedicated her life to children’s welfare and human rights. She helped save the lives of millions of starving European and Russian children after the First World War. She also permanently changed the way the world acts towards children. Her legacy, found both in the work of the world’s largest independent international children’s development agency, Save the Children, and the recognition of children’s rights as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, now helps to protect the lives and support the life chances of millions of children globally.

Eglantyne’s short life was full of humour and tragedy, passion and pain. While exuding confidence and energy, she was prone to debilitating depressions. She was beautiful, intelligent and exciting to be around, but often difficult to know... The loss of her brilliant young brother, the pain of her failed romances - and her steadfast refusal to accept poverty, war-crimes, or post-war European starvation, guided her transition from aspiring romantic social-novelist to human rights activist. Her journey from the drawing rooms of Shropshire to social work and public arrest in Trafalgar Square changed the mindset of a generation. Defying the law and the conservative ideas of her colleagues, she evolved the temporary post-war Save the Children Fund into a permanent and pioneering development agency. She won over the Pope, miners, British aristocracy, Bolshevik government and the fledgling League of Nations, until her vision had enshrined children’s universal human rights and responsibilities. Eglantyne died aged just fifty-two, and was immediately lauded as a saint, but although her work permanently changed the way the world treats children, her all too human story has now almost been forgotten.

Clare Mulley brings to life this beautiful, charismatic and passionate spinster in a brown cardigan who helped save millions of lives and permanently redefined relationships between generations. The Woman Who Saved the Children, which in 2007 won the Daily Mail sponsored Biographers Club prize, will be published to mark the ninetieth anniversary of Save the Children, and the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which evolved from Eglantyne’s pioneering statement of children’s rights in 1924.

Book Author

Clare-mulley Clare Mulley's first book, The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb, Founder of Save the Children, won the Daily Mail Biographers' Club prize, and was widely praised. She is now working on a biography of Krystyna Skarbek, aka Christine Granville, the first woman to work as a secret agent for the British in the Second World War. She has also recently contributed to the Arvon Book of Life Writing. Clare has worked at several NGOs including Save the Children and the national charity Standing Together Against Domestic Violence. She is now a popular speaker at literary ...
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Book Reviews

  • Church Times
    "Admirably researched... informative and sensitively written. Clare Mulley has done Eglantyne proud"
  • Best Women
    "…a deeply moving testament to the power of humanitarian spirit."
  • Daily Mail
    "…unusual and perceptive biography."
  • Sunday Times
    "a valuable account of a forgotten life"
  • Western Mail
    "…a fascinating new book."
  • Paul O'Grady
    "This book tells the tale of one of the twentieth century's most inspirational women. If everybody fought as hard as she did for what they believe in just think what could be achieved! Since I've been supporting Save the Children I've seen how the organisation is carrying on Eglantyne's work into its ninetieth year. She led a short but meaningful life - I'd urge anyone to pick up this book and be inspired."
  • Kate Williams
    "Sensitive, entertaining and beautifully written, The Woman Who Saved the Children is an absorbing exploration of a life filled with achievement and an enlightening insight into the development of the charity we know today. A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman."
  • Alexander Masters, Stuart: A Life Backwards
    "  Wonderful, clever and funny, Clare Mulley's lively and intimate biography brings out the humour, inconsistency, willfulness and just excellent energy of Eglantyne. "
  • Richard Holmes, The Age of Wonder
    "Kept me up half the night - really fascinating and moving - beautifully written and paced.... wonderful."