In May 1918, sisters Nellie and Emily Staynes sheltered six conscientious objectors from an angry crowd at their family home in Quebec Street, Wakefield. Their courage during what became known as the Siege of Quebec Street is a remarkable chapter in the city’s First World War history.
The Staynes sisters, through their involvement in protecting lives during the Siege of Quebec Street and their continued contributions to their local communities, left a mark on Wakefield even though their former home no longer stands. Their blue plaque reminds us that peace, equality and justice are qualities in society worth standing up for, and that as individuals we always have the choice to protect them.
The Siege of Quebec Street: The Staynes Sisters’ Story
An article by Toni Stephenson, written for Forgotten Women of Wakefield.
Quebec Street and the Staynes Family
Quebec Street runs between Ings Road and Piccadilly in Wakefield. It is now surrounded by a car park at one side and a DIY shop on the other. But at the turn of the twentieth century, the street boasted a completely different landscape. A number of the houses that once stood here were the homes of the Staynes family.
Nellie and Emily Staynes worked in the offices of knitting wool manufacturers Paton and Baldwins. They were the eldest daughters of Lilly and Joe Staynes. Joe was an employee of the family’s coach building business also on Quebec Street.
The Staynes Sisters and the Quaker Peace Movement
Their father having given a speech on ‘Women’s Rights and How to Obtain Them’ in 1907 along with growing up in a Wakefield which saw the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies led a pilgrimage march through the city in 1913, the girls were much influenced by the politics and world views that surrounded them.
Nellie, Emily and their mother were members of the Society of Friends (also known as the Quakers), a religious movement which highlighted the importance of peace, equality and justice. Sympathetic to the cause of pacifism, on outbreak of the First World War, the society became one of the few refuges in Wakefield which welcomed the Conscientious Objectors (C.O.s) who were transferred to the city following the closing of a local work centre.
Conscientious Objectors in the First World War
By 1918, Wakefield prison held some 125 Conscientious Objectors who at first were treated more leniently than other prisoners. They were allowed free movement within the prison itself; they could freely receive letters, packages and visitors. Some were able to take up work in Leeds and return to the prison at the end of the day. All were allowed out of the prison grounds after 5.30pm.
This liberal treatment of the C.O.s was not looked upon favourably by some Wakefield citizens. People tended to view these the C.O.s as ‘idle cowards’, deserving of a more severe reprimand for avoiding the service called upon them by the government whilst others called up were fighting in the trenches. Tensions rose within the group of citizens. As a result, on 20th May 1918, a number of people decided to showcase their discontent towards the authorities. They attempted to ‘rid themselves of the cowards in their midst’. They were seeking direct action against the C.O.s by blocking their route back to the prison.
The Siege of Quebec Street, 20 May 1918
Recorded attacks on Conscientious Objectors that day include one man being repeatedly thrown into Balne Lane Beck. Numerous men had their bicycles damaged and assaults were made on men by the growing crowd. Nellie and Emily Staynes retaliated by going to Westgate Train Station. They warned six C.O.s returning from their days work in Leeds of the danger blocking their path home. They took them instead to their house, 58 Quebec Street, where the men sought refuge in the cellars.
As word spread of the men in hiding, the crowd moved in pursuit of them. The mob began to force their way through the gates and break the windows of the properties on the street. The elder two Staynes women responded by defending their position. They threw loose tiles and mounds of earth from their roof . Their mother Lillie threw a bucket of water at the mob after a window was broken.
Eventually, the 75-year-old Staynes Grandmother emerged from her home at number 56 (next door). She had a wooden broom to defend her flower beds and recently washed flagstones from further damage. The crowd dispersed, and the six refugees in the cellar were unharmed.
The events which took place on this day became known as the Siege of Quebec Street by those involved. They were recorded in 1947 by the Staynes Sisters’ nephew, John.
Life After the Siege: Nellie and Emily Staynes
Following the end of the Great War, both Nellie and Emily married men they had sheltered during the Siege. Nellie to Fred Watson and Emily to Sydney Hines.
Nellie and Fred moved to Leicester, where she became a prominent member of the local Labour Party. She became the secretary of the women’s section, and representative on the board of governors for the local hospital and secondary schools. She became a somewhat upstanding figure in Leicester with a reputation as a ‘battle-axe’ among members of the family.
Emily and Sidney, who had married in 1924, initially moved to Birmingham. Sidney attended Fircroft College with the aid of the Quakers. Later, the family emigrated to New Zealand on the £10 passage deal, in search of a life in a single class society. They were later joined by their niece, Gwen.
Lillie Staynes and Her Contribution to Wakefield
The youngest sister, Lillie, later attended Darlington Teacher Training College. She returned to teach in a number of Wakefield’s primary school including Belle Vue, Alverthorpe, and Flanshaw Infants Schools. In addition, she was involved in numerous Wakefield groups such as the Society of Friends, Alverthorpe Aged Welfare Committee and became chair of the Alverthorpe Community Association. She was one of the youngest women to reach the position of head teacher, and was well respected by the city education committee on her retirement.
Emily was the first sister to pass away, following a long battle with breast cancer in 1941. Nellie lived until the age of 64, passing in 1957. Lillie, the youngest sister lived until the age of 83.
The Staynes Sisters’ Wakefield Blue Plaque
The Staynes sisters are Blue Plaques Numbers 11 and 12 in our campaign for Blue Plaque Parity.
In October 2019, we unveiled their blue plaque at Wakefield Town Hall during a special Forgotten Women of Wakefield event organised in partnership with Wakefield Civic Society.