Dame Adelaide Lord Livingstone,
DBE ( Stickney; 19 January 1881 – 14 September 1970) was an American-British human rights activist responsible for organising the
Peace Ballot The Peace Ballot of 1934–35 was a nationwide questionnaire in Britain of five questions attempting to discover the British public's attitude to the League of Nations and collective security. Its official title was "A National Declaration on the L ...
in 1934–35 to gauge the British public's sentiment in the winds of upcoming war with a rearming and aggressive Germany led by
Adolf Hitler.
Early life and education
Adelaide Lord Stickney was born in
Fall River, Massachusetts,
[''U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925''] the daughter of Charles Devall Stickney of Fall River and Florence Sutherland Orr of
Taunton, Massachusetts. She was educated privately in the United States, Italy, France and Germany.
International work
At the outbreak of the
First World War, Livingstone arrived in England, where she took a leading role in the repatriation of women and children in Germany and other Axis nations. Her work was given recognition and in May 1915, the same month she married Captain William Henry Darley Livingstone of the
Northumberland Fusiliers, the British government appointed her to a committee on the treatment of British
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
. As part of her work on the committee, known as the Government Committee on the Treatment by the Enemy of British Prisoners of War, she made several trips to Switzerland to establish a system of examining prisoners transferred from Germany. She was also sent to the Netherlands as a member of a British delegation that met with German representatives about the treatment of prisoners of war.
In the
1918 New Year Honours
The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Ja ...
, she was appointed a Dame of the
Order of the British Empire.
Livingstone, described as "a nominal Conservative", was appointed secretary of the
National Referendum Committee on 11 April 1935. She later became Vice President of the
United Nations Association
A United Nations Association (UNA) is a non-governmental organization that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of member states and the United Nations to raise public awareness of the UN and its work, to promot ...
. Livingstone authored ''The Peace Ballot: The Official History'' in 1935; although publisher
Victor Gollancz was criticised for reportedly rushing to publish before the final votes had been tabulated. Correspondence regarding the above; including Trades Union Congress; subsequent National Peace Ballot, documents, reports, and memoranda are located in the
Trades Union Congress archives.
International Peace Campaign
The International Peace Campaign emerged in early 1936, following the Peace Ballot organised in Britain by Dame Adelaide.
Its Joint Presidents were
Viscount Cecil (who inspired the campaign
) and
Pierre Cot, Air Minister in the French ''
Popular Front'' government.
The IPC aimed to co-ordinate the work of existing pacifist organisations and other groups opposed to war, and campaigned in support of the League of Nations on a policy of respect for treaty obligations, arms reduction and the peaceful resolution of conflict. After the outbreak of war, the campaign had difficulty sustaining its activities and was wound up in early 1941.
References
Source
* Livingstone, (Dame) Adelaide, ''The Peace Ballot: The Official History''. London: Gollancz, 1935.
External links
*
Profile nationalarchives.gov.uk
hull.ac.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingstone, Adelaide
1881 births
1970 deaths
British activists
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
American emigrants to England
People from Fall River, Massachusetts
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom