Jane Haining

Jane Mathison Haining (1897-1944) was a Scottish missionary for the church of Scotland in Budapest, Hungary. On 17th July 1944 she died in the infamous German concentration camp of Auschwitz.

Jane, born on 6th June 1897, at Lochenhead farm, Duncore, Dumfrieshire, Scotland was the fifth child of Thomas and Jane Mathison. Her mother died giving birth to their sixth child in 1902, Jane was about 5.

She grew up as a member of the Craig Church in Dunscore, part of the United Free church of Scotland. In 1909 she won a scholarship to Dunfries Academy where she boarded in the Moat Hostel for Girls. She graduated as the school’s dux (top pupil).

After graduating she trained at the Athenaeum Commercial College in Glasgow. From 1917-27 she worked in Paisley for J.and P. Coats Ltd, a thread manufacturer, first as a clerk then as a secretary. She attended Queen’s Park West United Free church and taught Sunday School. This is when she thought about becoming a missionary.
In 1927 she attended a meeting in Glasgow of the Jewish Mission Committee where the Rev. Dr. George Mackenzie discussed his missionary work.
I have found my lifework! she reportedly said to a friend.

Jane continued to work at Coats for nearly a year and a half - her manager at work was ill (5 months) and it took a year to train her replacement.
She then did a 1 year diploma course at Glasgow College for Domestic Science in domestic science and housekeeping.
After this she worked temporarily in Glasgow and then in Manchester as a matron.
In 1932 she saw an ad in Life and Work for a matron in a Jewish girls’ mission school in Budapest, Hungary. ( See ‘Secretarial work, retraining’)

She went for further training at St. Colm’s Women Missionary College in Edinburgh. her dedication service happened on 19th June 1932. The next day she left for Budapest. Jane liked Hungary and Budapest and soon became fluent in the language. She dedicated herself to helping helping her pupils

Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30th January 1933.

She was well liked by both her pupils and colleagues who regarded her as the best matron they had ever known.

WW11 broke out on 3rd September 1939. Jane was on holiday in Cornwall with Margit Prem, the head of the school in Budapest. They immediately returned to Budapest. In 1940 she was advised to return home. She stayed saying Hungary was neutral.

In 1941 Jewish refugees, from all over German occupied Europe, fled to Hungary to escape the Holocaust.
On 19th March 1944 the German Wehrmacht invaded Hungary.
Late April, early May, 1944 the Gestapo arrived. ( See ‘Arrest’ for charges)
15th May deported to Auschwitz - given no. 79467.
Selected for work rather than gas chamber.
17th July died in hospital of cachexia and intestinal catarrh.

In 1997 Jane was recognised by Yad Vashem in Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.