Event | Ellen Wilkinson MP archive exploration

Nicknamed ‘Red Ellen’ for the colour of her hair and her commitment to socialist ideas, Ellen was a strong advocate for social justice, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and education reform.

Delve..
Into PHM’s incredible archive material, featuring:

• First World War; letters dating from 1915, when Ellen was Manchester and District representative of the Women’s Emergency Corps
• The Labour Woman (1913-1971); a monthly magazine of the Women’s Labour League which Ellen regularly wrote for in the 1930s
• Jarrow Marches (5-31 October 1936); press cuttings, letters, photographs, plus a souvenir programme
• Spanish Civil War (1936-1939); correspondence from the period concerning the supply of weapons and concern over the British non-intervention treaty
• Education; correspondence with the General Secretary of the Labour Party when Ellen was Minister of Education in the 1945 government

Discover..
A significant series of Ellen’s scrapbooks, full of press clippings from around 1924 to her death, which offer a fascinating record of her life and work.

Explore..
A pop-up exhibition commissioned by the Mechanics Institute and curated by historians Helen Antrobus and Dr Tessa Chynoweth on Ellen’s incredible achievements.

Suitable for 16+ (under 18s must have an accompanying adult).