Helen Archdale 1876-1949

Her father was a active supporter of Sophia Jex Blake in her fight for women’s medical education, her mother one of her students. Helen went to St Leonard’s school in St Andrews and afterwards the St Andrew's University. She married and went to India but returned in 1908 and immediately joined the WSPU.

In Oct 1909 an attempt was made to storm the doors of the Kinnaird hall in Dundee where Winston Churchill was to speak. Helen and four others were arrested and they went on hunger strike. There was no force feeding in Scotland at that time. Were released after four days.

In 1911 she moved to London and became the WSPU’s prisoner’s secretary – organising information and comforts. In December she served a two month sentence for window breaking.

During the war she started a training farm for women agricultural workers, worked for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and then for the Women’s dept of the Ministry of National Service.

Helen was first editor of the political and literary weekly review ‘Time and Tide’ (1920-6) when it was most strongly feminist. It was published by Margaret Rhondda. Margaret founded the six point group in 1921 with Helen as secretary (later international secretary). Daughter Betty Archdale became the political secretary.

Helen was one of the founders of the Open Door Council in 1929 with Chrystal Macmillan which focused on economic emancipation. (It campaigned against legal restrictions on women’s employment.) Helen also campaigned for the admission of peeresses to the House of Lords.

Helen and Margaret split in 1926 and Helen became prominent in international feminist activism. She lobbyied for an equal rights treaty at the League of Nations in the early 1930s and was the first Chair of Equal Rights International, founded at The Hague in 1929, She was active in Open Door International also founded in 1929.

Picture: Scottish National Portrait gallery