Person:Helen Andrews (1)

SPORTING_INTERESTS: After leaving school, Helen was for some time captain of the Yorkshire hockey team and played for the North of England.

NEWSPAPER_INTERVIEW: Copy of a Thursday Portrait in the Scarborough Evening News 10th March, 1949 MISS HELEN ANDREWS - LIFELONG PIONEER Miss Helen Andrews, of Cloughton, finds life exciting. If she had been a man there is no doubt she would have found it even more exciting. "I would probably have climbed Everest," she says, "and my father said if I had been a boy I would have played for England at cricket." Today her excitements consist of intricate and beautiful arts and crafts, and growing unusual fruits in her garden. But her life has not been limited to such pursuits; there has been much in it that many a man would have found exciting enough. She was born in the Victorian era, but that has never fettered her activities. Indeed, many of them have been symbolic of the shattering of those fetters on women’s activities that has taken place during her lifetime. Her mother was a Scarborough woman, and her father taught for a time at Oliver’s Mount School. When Miss Andrews was born, he was headmaster of the Quaker School at Ackworth. Her mother died when Helen was four years old and she came to live with an aunt in Scarborough until she was seven. Schooling days aver, she spent a short time as an unqualified teacher, and then qualified to teach gymnastics and games, studying under the Ling system under Madame Osterberg, a fellow countrywoman of the Swedish inventor of the system. Threee years as a teacher at a private school at Southport were followed by two in which she did little else than play hockey, having capped for Yorkshire and the North of England. Some years later in 1912-13 she captained Yorkshire. In 1908 she became a pioneer in two ways, one complementary to the other. She was appointed by the West Riding County Council to introduce gymnastics to three girls high schools, at Pontefract, Normanton and Castleford. Faced with the problem of getting quickly from school to school, she bought a motorcycle, and so became one of the first two women motor-cyclists in the country. Her companion gave up after a month, but Miss Andrews continued to ride her machine until she bought a car ten years later. In 1914 she joined the Women’s Land Army, and eventually became organising secretary for women labour in agriculture and forestry in Cumberland. When the came to an end she founf few prospects in the teaching profession, and accepted an appointment as secretary to the manager of Cober Hill, Cloughton, which was being opened as a guest-house. She stayed only two months and then resigned to join a relief mission which was being sent to Austria by the Society of Friends to help the suffering children there and to reorganise agriculture. This led to “the most exciting thing that has happened to me.” She travelled to Holland to buy 300 cows for five Austrian farms. These were needed to produce non-tubercular milk for the children, many of whom were dying from tuberculosis. Miss Andrews says she can never forget the generosity of the Dutch. They gladly sold the 300 cows, all due to calve within two months, and gave her five pedigree bulls as a present. They also lent her labour to care for the cows on their arduous 500-mile journey by train through Germany to Vienna.]]Very appropriately she took over the cattle in Zutfen; under the statue of Sir Philip Sidney, a statue inscribed with his words on the nearby battlefield when he handed the water brought for him to a wounded soldier - “His need is greater than mine.” Modern films have made much of long journeys with cattle. He journey made by Miss Helen Andrews across Europe was no less exciting, although she modestly describes it as “no picnic.” But all 300 cows arrived safely, and when she left Austria agriculture there had been completely reorganised. She came back to England, and to Cober Hill, this time as manager. She stayed there 18½ years, again a pioneer, for the guest-house with its organised holidays, long walks, and social events was then something comparatively new. When Miss Andrews retired she set about induging herself in foreign travel. She had been “a terrible globe-trotter” almost all her life. When she was eighteen she had cycled from Yorkshire to Southampton, and gone on a cycling tour of Brittany. That might not sound unusual these days, but it was for a girl in her teens when Queen Victoria was still on the throne. Her travels in 1938 took her further afield, through Scandinavia, north to Spitzbergen, and further north still almost to the ice barrier. Then her journeys were brought to an end by Munich. With another war on the horizon she picked up the threads where she had left them jst after the previous war, and resumed her association with Austria and agriculture. She was appointed agricultural instructor to refugees who were fleeing to this country from Austria, and did this work until war was declared, and many of her trainees were interned. Continuing her good works, she volunteered to act as escort to the children who were being evacuated to the United States. Miss Andrews sailed in the liner Duchess of Atholl until the scheme came to an end. After carrying out a voluntary agriculture survey, the need to work for a living arose, and she took half an acre of derelict land at Cloughton and began another pioneering job - cultivating it and making a nursery and fruit garden. Although she had a long association with agriculture, she knew nothing of horticulture and, to start with, “gardened with Mr. Middleton”, and out of books. Now she has a flourishing orchard and a garden that produces many unusual, as well as staple, products. Her interest in cultivating these has bee stimulated by the fact that she is a strict vegetarian. During the war years she not only developed her garden, but in Cloughton she organised a very active village club. This has now transformed itself - quite spontaneously - into a thriving, and expert, handicraft class, with Miss Andrews as instructor. She has always been interested in rural crafts, and there are few in which she is not highly skilled. Miss Andrews is the holder of many public offices. She is a North Riding magistrate and a member of many educational committees for both Quaker and local authority schools. She pursues this work with the same zest as she does her handicrafts - a zest which causes her to keep “preposterous hours” as she finds new excitement in solving the mysteries of the Persian carpet-maker or in matching the skill of the Florentine needlewoman.

MEMORIAL_NOTICE: Helen Andrews (Scholar 1892-1898), was born at Ackworth in 1884,a daughter of Frederick Andrews. She inherited both his prowess at games and his outstanding integrity and strength of character. She trained as a gymnasticand games mistress and held posts in schools at Southport andPenketh before being appointed by the West Riding County Council to introduce gymnastics at three Girls High Schools, at Pontefract, Normanton and Castleford. In the First World War she joined the Women's Land Army, where her organising skill and ability were found most useful. Later she played a prominent part in Friends Relief Work in Europe. The best remembered incident was her purchase and transfer from Holland to Austria of a large herd of cows and bulls to save the children of Vienna from malnutrition.Helen Andrews was skilled in various handicraftsand in gardening and her knowledge and experience were always at the service of Women's Institutes over a large area. As manageress of the Cober Hill Guest House at Cloughton, nearScarborough, she will be remembered with gratitude by those who worked with her and by hundreds of guests. Her work on the Parish Council, as Chairman of the Rural District Council Healthand Housing Committee, as a school manager and as a Justice of the Peace will live in the memory of many local residents. She was a former president of the Ackworth Old Scholars Association and for many years a valued member of the Ackworth School Committee. She laid the foundation stone of the new classroom block in 1953 and throughout her life maintained a loyal and active interest in all that concerned the school. Her courage and presence of mind in the fire at the School Farm was a unique performance.No one else dared tackle the task of leading out of danger a newly arrived bull maddened by the danger. She offered to do so, merely stipulating that she should be provided with a piece of currant cake. This was brought and armed with it the dangerous adventure was successfully carried out. After a life of vigorous health her final breakdown was a severe trial to her, but she bore the pain and frustration bravely. She will live in the memory of all who knew her as a staunch friend,a good administrator and a vivid personality, enthusiastic, forthright and very kind. She died at Scarborough on May 2,1958, aged seventy-four.

PERSONAL: Was hostess to Australian cousin Harry once when she lived at Cober and they remained keen pals ever since [this is John HenryAndrews]. Section of letter written in 1956 by Helen contains the reference (original held by Barbara Willson her sister's eldest daughter). Also refers to him being a little older than her, whilst his brother Alfred who was the same age as her died recently.

1. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.114.
2. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.114.
3. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.222.
4. ↑ Society of Friends, Ackworth School Memorial Notices.
5. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.222.
6. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.279.
7. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.279.
8. ↑ Society of Friends, Ackworth School Memorial Notices.
9. ↑ Isaac Henry Wallis. Frederick Andrews of Ackworth. (Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1924)
   p.279.
10.   Society of Friends, Ackworth School Memorial Notices.