Lady Muriel Paget’s Mission to Daugavpils (Part I)

Authors

  • Geoffrey Swain University of Glasgow

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22364/luzv.17.03

Keywords:

Baltic states, history, Daugavpils, philanthropy, child-care

Abstract

In February 1920, Lady Muriel Paget established a children’s hospital in Daugavpils. It was the start of a relief Mission which operated until the autumn of 1922, taking the form eventually of infant welfare clinics and feeding kitchens. From the start of 1921, this Mission was broadened to include Riga and, ultimately, Tallinn and Kaunas; but the core of the operation remained Daugavpils. This article explores the centrality of Daugavpils to the work of the Mission, the evolution of Lady Muriel’s ambitions, and the often fraught relationship with her chief funder, the Save the Children Fund (SCF).
The article is published in two parts. Part I discusses the origins of the Mission in Lady Muriel’s concern to gain access to northern Russia, and the debate about the nature of the Mission – whether to concentrate on a single hospital or to broaden the reach of the Mission through a network of welfare clinics and feeding kitchens, issues finally resolved by Lady Muriel’s own dramatic visit to Daugavpils in October 1920. Part Two considers the evolution of the Mission in 1921–22, once the support of the SCF had been obtained for an endeavour focused on the Baltic states rather than Daugavpils alone. It focuses on the difficult relationship between the Mission and its chief supporter, the SCF, and differing understandings of the nature of relief work. The SCF cut funding for the Mission on the grounds that the situation in the Baltic states was no longer an emergency. However, it did agree to some additional funding after the Daugavpils flood of April 1922.

Author Biography

  • Geoffrey Swain, University of Glasgow

    Glāzgovas Universitātes emeritētais profesors; vadījis Aleka Noves Krievijas studiju katedru. Daudzu publikāciju par Krievijas un Austrumeiropas vēsturi 20. gadsimtā, tostarp desmit publikāciju par Latvijas vēsturi, autors. Tās aptver laika posmu no 1918. līdz 1959. gadam un ietver tādas tēmas kā latviešu strēlnieki Krievijas pilsoņu kara laikā, britu izlūkdienesta un Latvijas Nacionālās padomes saikne Otrā pasaules kara laikā un nacionālkomunisma fenomens. Šī raksta kontekstā jāatzīmē viņa monogrāfija “Starp Staļinu un Hitleru: klases karš un rasu karš Dvinā, 1940–46” (London, 2004) par Daugavpils pieredzi Otrā pasaules kara laikā. Daugavpils Universitātes goda doktors, 1995. gadā viņam piešķirta Aleka Noves balva.

    Professor Emeritus at the University of Glasgow; formerly – Alec Nove Chair in Russian Studies. He has authored extensive publications on the history of Russia and Eastern Europe in the 20th century, including ten publications dedicated to the history of Latvia within the period of 1918–1959, exploring such topics as the Latvian riflemen during the Russian Civil War, the links between British Intelligence and the Latvian National Council during the Second World War, and the phenomenon of National Communism. In the context of the current issue, the readers should consider his monograph on the experience of Daugavpils during the Second World War, “Between Stalin and Hitler: Class War and Race War on the Dvina, 1940–46” (London, 2004). He holds an honorary doctorate from Daugavpils University, and in 1995 has been awarded the Alec Nove Prize.

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Published

2024-07-31

How to Cite

Lady Muriel Paget’s Mission to Daugavpils (Part I). (2024). Latvijas Universitātes Žurnāls Vēsture, 17, 47–65. https://doi.org/10.22364/luzv.17.03

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