Sister Ada Valinda Walsh,
Daughter of Charity
of St Vincent de Paul.
(Sister Agnes)
Yad Vashim Award
British Heroes of the Holocaust Award
From the research of Dr Nicholas Evans, given in a
short lecture at the unveiling of a plaque in honour of
Sister Agnes in the Guildhall, Hull, we learnt that “Ada
Valinda Walsh was born in Hull in 1896 at 110 Bruswick
Avenue in Hull, the granddaughter of Irish cotton mill
operatives. Brought up in a strong Catholic household
the family was large and eventually they moved to 75
Lowgate, next door to the Guildhall. William
Wilberforce, the slavery emancipator and Ada were
born a mile from one another. Both were provided with
a secular and religious education that formed the bedrock of their lives. Aged 20 both
became involved in social action. Whilst Wiberforce fought social ills including slavery,
Ada committed her life to the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. Both travelled
– Wilberforce around the UK and to Paris, and Ada around Britain, Ireland, what
became Israel, and France. Both ultimately died – as they had been born – a mile apart
in the northern outskirts of London. The former was accorded the highest honour in
death, whilst Ada died relatively unknown.”
When Ada entered the Community of the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul she
was placed in the Orphanage in Mill Hill for a few months before being placed in Ireland.
Sister Agnes, as Ada was now called, was in Dunmanway from 1917-1924, and then
Pelletstown from 1924-1932. Sister had volunteered for the foreign missions and in
1932 she was sent to Jerusalem. As she went to Jerusalem from Ireland she was issued
with an Irish passport. This was a lucky mistake.
In 1934 while showing some visitors around Bethlehem, Sister tripped on an Arab lady's
dress and fell down some stairs, injuring her back. At first she was treated in the
hospital in Bethlehem but in 1935 returned to France for further treatment. She
remained in France, in Paris and Andemos, until 1940 when she was appointed assistant
in Cadouin, in the Dordogne, in southwest France, where it was felt she would be
relatively safe. Sister Agnes always insisted that she had an Irish passport and as
Ireland was neutral she would not be in any danger. Sister Agnes had only to open her
mouth for anyone to know she was definitely English.
In Cadouin the Sisters ran a school for girls from ten to fourteen. The girls "were
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taught all that was considered necessary for a good farmer's daughter and future wife:
how to cook, to keep a budget to take care of children etc. Art was not forgotten and
Sister Agnes taught the girls how to draw and paint" (Extract from Alain Cremieux's
letter Oct 1993) Sister Louise Granier was the Superior of the house which had
twelve Sisters and between thirty and fifty students and staff. Feeding such numbers
in wartime was quite demanding so Sister Louise got the Sisters to raise chickens,
rabbits pigs (which included the only boar in the village!) At a time when food was
more important than money, Sister Louise insisted that the parents of the children
paid part of the fees in kind, i.e. meat, fruit or vegetables rather than in francs.
Although she was English, Sister Agnes' papers said she was Irish and since Ireland
was neutral Sister received Red Cross parcels which were filled with fabrics and other
goods which helped to keep the school going through this difficult time.
After the Germans occupied France in 1942, Sister Louise was afraid that someone
in the village might denounce Sister Agnes as her accent was definitely English.
Sister Louise asked "The greatest bandit of Cadouin"- a communist member of the
French Resistance to be prepared to take Sister Agnes to a place of safety "on the
back seat of his motor bike". Fortunately, the Germans never came but one
wonders what a sight it would have been to see a Sister in a big white head-dress
and a long heavy habit speeding down a country lane astride a motor bike!
The Cremieux family were to become a special part of Sr Agnes’ life during the war
years as she was in theirs.
M. Pierre Cremieux had met Sister Louise, by chance, at a railway station. Trains were
very irregular and during the long wait people got talking. Pierre explained that he was
a Jew who had illegally fled from occupied France and was living with his family in
Villeneuve- sur-Lot, a town 50 miles north of Toulouse. He asked if things got dangerous
in Villeneuve could he come to the convent. Sister Louise replied,"En bien venez"(just
come) Alain Cremieux writes in his letter, "This was no small matter for one should
not forget that at the time it was a crime to help a Jew"
Fifteen months later M. Cremieux brought his wife, and three children, Alain aged
seven, and Colette and Pierre, nine month old twins, to the Sisters' house in Cadouin.
Sister Agnes took them under her wing, telling Sister Louise she had nothing to fear
as she had an Irish passport. Sister Agnes sheltered the family from the terrors
of both the Germans and the French police who were involved in rounding up Jews
for deportation to concentration and death camps. Not even the Sisters knew who
they really were, as they were introduced as distant relatives of Sister Louise. It
was said that Madame Cremieux needed the fresh country air to recuperate
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after the birth of the twins. The mother was given a room above the laundry
while Alain, the older son, was sent to live with the parish priest. During his
forced holiday, he took advantage of the books in the priest’s library where he
read predominantly the lives of the saints. He was given English lessons by
Sister Agnes. The Cremieux family were in Cadouin from February to April,
1944, when Sister Agnes received a call from Colonel Delluc, adjutant to the
mayor and a friend of Sister Agnes, who warned her that "her friends from
Paris" had better not be at the convent when the Germans came for an
inspection. According to Alain Cremieux, they quickly packed up and joined M
Cremieux in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, where they remained until the war ended.
Sister Agnes remained in Cadouin until 1950 when she was placed in Epinay-sur-Senart,
near Paris where she looked after elderly people. In 1967, Sister Agnes returned to
the British Province and was placed in Ladbroke Terrace, a Nursing Home from 19671970, then in Ealing a home for Old Soldiers from 1970-1980, and finally to The Priory,
Mill Hill where she died in 1993.
One day in 1990, Colette Cremieux-Foa, one of the twins, visited Sister Agnes. She
had never forgotten the Sister who had helped her family to escape the Holocaust and
as an expression of gratitude, she and her brothers asked the Israeli authorities to
grant Sister Agnes the title "Righteous Among the Nations." This honour entitled
Sister Agnes to a medal and “Certificate of Honour”, as well as the privilege of having
her name inscribed on the wall in the Garden of the Righteous, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.
Sister Agnes, as a spritely ninety four year old was delighted with this award.
Sister Agnes died three years later and Alain Cremieux attended her funeral, and was
asked to write something of Sister Agnes' life in France. Many of the details of this
story are taken from Alain's letter. He concludes with these words "Sister Agnes and
Sister Louise remain for me symbols of sweetness, candour, calm and goodwill, unusually
associated with courage and determination.”
"Goodness, like evil, begins with small steps" (Rabbi David Blumenthal).
The Jewish authorities in England had been pressing for the 33 British men and women
who helped Jews and others to escape the Holocaust to be honoured in their own
country. After a visit to Auschwitz the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, announced such
a reward. Sister Marie Raw, Provincial at the time, and Sr Joan Conroy, Archivist at
the time, were invited to receive the award posthumously on Sr Agnes’ behalf. They
were invited to lunch in the Foreign Office together with relations of other recipients.
After a meal they went over to 10 Downing Street to receive the awards in private.
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Sister Marie and Sr Joan were fifth to go in to receive the award from George Denham
and Chadri Malik. The medal was presented and the two men asked about Sister Agnes.
A photo taken with the two M.Ps. When all the medals had been presented, the Prime
Minister came in and chatted to people as he made his way to the microphone at the
far end of the room. He welcomed everyone and said he was very pleased to make these
awards as every person honoured, whether they had saved one person or five hundred
had risked their own lives to help someone in need. He said it was a sad page in our
history and he hoped nothing like it would happen again but in the darkness light shone
through in the people who were willing to sacrifice themselves to help others.
This article comprises work from:
Dr Nicholas J Evans of the University of Hull.
Sister Joan Conroy, former Provincial Archivist
Extracts from the letter of Alain Cremieux.
Collated by Sister Bernadette Ryder, Provincial Archivist.
UNVEILING OF PLAQUE IN THE GUILDHALL IN HULL
IN HONOUR OF SR.AGNES WALSH DC
On the evening of January 26th Sr. Bernadette Ryder, Sr. Joan Conroy and I made our
way to the Guildhall in Hull, an impressive building on one of Hull’s main streets. It
houses the City Council Chamber and Mayoral offices and many other important
institutions. Opposite is a street named Lowgate where in 1896 Ada Walsh lived. As a
child she watched the Guildhall being built. Little did she know that just over one
hundred years later a plaque would be unveiled there in her honour! We were at the
Guildhall, joining many others celebrating Sr. Agnes Walsh’s heroism and courage during
the Second World War. Her full story is included above.
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We waited downstairs and were then escorted to the Mayor’s Rooms upstairs.
Amongst those present were members of the Holocaust Memorial Trust, City
Councillors, and family members of Sr. Agnes. The evening began with an impressive
tribute to Sr. Agnes by Dr. Nick Evans of the
Wilberforce Institute in Hull who has
researched her life.
I was so delighted to hear him refer to her
constantly as Sister Agnes as in other
contexts she is Ada Walsh.
Councillor Mary Glew, during her term of office as Mayor in 2016, the centenary year
of the office of Mayor, began to fulfil a dream of honouring ordinary Hull people by
having plaques mounted in their honour throughout Hull.
Current Mayor of Hull, Councillor Sean Chaytor, said he was honoured and humbled to
have the opportunity of unveiling the latest Lord Mayor’s Centenary Plaque honouring
the selfless actions of Sr. Agnes.
Also present was Ian Judson, great-nephew of
Sr.Agnes who remembered vividly his visits to her
at the Priory in Mill Hill where she lived for many
years after her return from France.
He was very pleased to be able to hold in his hands
the “Hero of the Holocaust Medal” presented
to Sr. Agnes posthumously by Gordon Brown in 2010.
This medal has been carefully preserved in our Archive Room at Mill Hill and is on
display for all to see.
Ian’s father Peter, to his great regret, was unable to attend the ceremony because of
recent knee surgery but was delighted to receive a framed photograph of both sides
of the medal.
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We then were invited to tea in the Mayor’s parlour where there were plenty of
opportunities to mix and chat with the other guests.
Whilst waiting for the Annual Holocaust Memorial
Service to start, Councillor Mary Glew very kindly gave us
a tour of the Council Rooms including the Council Chamber
and also one of the rooms where the Queen had been
entertained on a visit to Hull.
It was then time to proceed to the Memorial Service which struck a more sombre
note.
About 100 people gathered there. On entering the room
each person received a large stone which they placed on
a cairn behind which stood a beautiful
branched candelabra. We were told that placing stones
on graves is a custom in Jewish cemeteries
as stones last longer than flowers.
Running on a screen there were pictures of Austwich, harrowing – yes, but in keeping with
the theme of never forgetting what happened there with the hope that it would never
happen again.
Sadly mention was made of places like Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia and Darfur where
tragically it did happen again.
The programme included poetry readings, talks, songs and music.
A children’s choir sang “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”
In one of the readings a young girl spoke of the beauty and hope inspired by
Sr. Agnes’ life amidst so much news of war and terror in our own day.
The final prayer and blessing was spoken in Hebrew and in English.
So ended an unforgettable evening which I am sure delighted the heart of Sr Agnes
Walsh, Daughter of Charity and native of Hull.
Sister Teresa Mathews
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The Proud Walsh Family
Not everyone can claim to have a ‘heroine’ in their family….but the Walsh family here
in Hull can.
Aunt Ada, as she was known in the family, left home to become a Daughter of Charity
and then spent much of her life outside the UK. It was while she was serving the poor
in Cadouin, France that Aunt Ada, Sr Agnes, was to be ‘invited’ to do something extraordinary for a little Jewish Family….an act of love and concern that put her own life at
risk but potentially saved the lives of a mother and her three young children.
For this act of ‘heroism’ the Israeli authorities granted Sister Agnes the title
"Righteous Among the Nations." This honour entitled Sister Agnes to a medal and
“Certificate of Honour”, as well as the privilege of having her name inscribed on the
wall in the Garden of the Righteous, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. Sr Agnes was then
posthumously awarded the “Heroes of the Holocaust” medal from the British
Government.
Now in 2017 Sr Agnes’ bravery has been recognised by her home city with a “Lord
Mayor’s Centenary Plaque” which was unveiled in the Guildhall and will be placed in
Lowgate, Hull where Sr Agnes grew up.
Her nephew Peter was unable to attend the unveiling of the Plaque in the Guildhall in
his aunt’s honour as he had just had knee surgery. What a joy when three Daughters
of Charity arrived at his home the following day to share news of the event and to
show him and his wife the ‘Heroes of the Holocaust’ medal.
Peter recalled with joy, the many visits he had made to Aunt Ada after she returned
to the UK from France. As a family they hadn’t realised just how brave she had
been……but then again….neither did she! She was only doing what she felt God was
asking her to do!
Proud nephew Peter
Heroes of the Holocaust Medal (Front)
Heroes of the Holocaust Medal (Back)
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