THE story behind a long-lost ring that belonged to the only Scot to have died in Auschwitz is to take centre stage in a special Antiques Roadshow programme about the Holocaust.
Jewellery that belonged to missionary Jane Haining will be analysed by expert John Benjamin for the special episode of the BBC1 programme, which airs on Sunday to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Miss Haining’s two nieces, Deirdre McDowell and Jane McIvor, will hear details that cast fresh light on the origins of the artefact, which recently returned to the Church of Scotland offices in Edinburgh.
Many of the items featured in the special edition of the programme are of such historical importance that they are priceless, and none will be given a value by the experts in light of the sensitivities surrounding their histories.
For four long years Miss Haining, who grew up in Dunscore near Dumfries, protected the pupils at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, Hungary, from the emerging threat of the death camps until she was betrayed by the school cook’s son-in-law, whom she caught stealing scarce food.
She was arrested by the Gestapo in April 1944, and former pupil Agnes Rostas recently revealed that her haunting last words to sobbing children were “Don’t worry, I’ll be back by lunch”.
Miss Haining never returned to the school, where she worked between 1932-44, and died in the notorious camp in Nazi-occupied Poland three months later, aged 47.
The programme was filmed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and features testimonies that uncover untold stories and belongings from over 100 British Holocaust survivors and camp liberators.
The former boarding house matron’s handwritten will, a copy of the last letter she wrote while imprisoned in the concentration camp, and photographs will also feature on the special episode.
Mrs McDowell said: “It is emotional and truly wonderful the BBC is making this programme, which provides us with the chance to tell Jane’s amazing story.
“She was such a courageous woman, very determined, considerate and kind. She followed the Christian example by looking after and caring for vulnerable children.
“Our family is honoured and humbled by Jane’s actions. Her story is an example to us all and must continue to be told to benefit the next generation because the world should never forget the Holocaust.”
Reflecting on the occasion, Mrs McIvor added: “It was a very moving day and a great honour to be here amongst people who have tremendous stories of courage and resilience.
“Jane was an amazing woman and did such tremendous work in Budapest. She lived a life of faith and was a loving person who put everyone else first. I was named after Jane Haining so I consider her a guide and mentor.
“If we can do anything, in any small measure, that Jane did, our world would be a different and much better place.”
Miss Haining, who is likely to have perished in the gas chambers, was posthumously named as Righteous Among the Nations in Jerusalem’s sacred Yad Vashem in 1997, and awarded a Hero of the Holocaust medal by the UK Government in 2010.
This year marks the 40th series of Antiques Roadshow and the programme, presented by Fiona Bruce, has been made in partnership with the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.
Rev Ian Alexander, Secretary of the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland, said “Jane Haining’s story is one of heroism and personal sacrifice. She was a woman who was simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary.”
A new Heritage Centre will be opened at Dunscore Church this year and will celebrate the life of Miss Haining, who was born at nearby Lochanhead farm in 1897.
It will be part-funded by £106,400 in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland, which will also be used to restore and refurbish the A-listed building.
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