Madeleine Symons (1895–1957) was a brilliantly effective women’s trade union officer during and after the First World War. In years when she was still not qualified to vote, she served on the executive committee of the Labour Party, as a Justice of the Peace, and on a Royal Commission.

Her union career was abruptly ended in 1926 by pregnancy and unmarried motherhood. Later she worked tirelessly as a juvenile magistrate in London and for social justice and penal reform everywhere. Her story, told for the first time on the sixtieth anniversary of her death, is of historical and human interest and has lessons for society today.

Martin Ferguson Smith, OBE, is professor emeritus of Classics at Durham University. He is well known not only as a classical scholar, but also for his highly original research and writing on Rose Macaulay, Virginia Woolf, the artists Helen and Roger Fry, Mary Gordon (first female prison inspector in Britain), Dorothy L. Sayers, Katharine Tynan, and Richard Reynolds (schoolteacher of Tolkien).

Find out more about Martin Ferguson Smith here.

"A very welcome addition to the still too sparse library of literature on women who worked -- or began their careers -- in the early twentieth century British labour movement." Cathy Hunt, Women's History Review

"Smith's study is carefully researched. He draws on an extensive range of sources, illustrating the importance of casting the net widely in order to gain as full a picture as possible of a little known but important woman in the trade union movement and in social and penal reform. In this centenary year of the extension of the vote to women over thirty, Smith reminds us of all that Symons achieved before she was even eligible to vote in a parliamentary election after her thirtieth birthday in 1925." Cathy Hunt, Women's History Review

"Madeleine Symons was an outstanding social and political reformer taking on the mantle of those pioneering before her and moving forward the many campaigns for penal reform, social justice and well-being whether it be in the home or in the workplace. She joins an elite group of Edwardian women, some long forgotten but whose legacies live on today. For ardent fans of this period of history, this book is a must.

So who was Madeleine and what makes a person demonstrate such dedication and commitment to others a life’s work? This book goes a long way to understanding her life and background and others with whom she interacted. It is a fascinating read and to those pondering whether to buy and read this – the simple answer is yes!

History can be interpreted in many ways. We don’t really know what it was like to live in the past no matter how much research we do. Martin Ferguson Smith has succeeded in crafting a convincing resume of Madeleine's life and background and has risen to this challenge with great skill in this accomplished, atmospheric and thoughtful account." James Bargrave Deane, grandson of renowned women's trade union leader Mary Reid Macarthur (1880-1921), with whom Madeleine Symons worked closely during and after WWI.

"This fascinating and detailed biography of Madeleine Symons provides the reader with a clear insight into the life and work of a penal reformer, champion of the Howard League for Penal Reform and lifelong campaigner for the rights of women and children." The Howard League for Penal Reform

Take a look at the AI (Advance Information) here.

Read Martin Ferguson Smith's guest blog for the Trade Union Congress Library here.

Take a look at this review of the book in the Howard League for Penal Reform's Early Career Academics Network Bulletin here.