By 1914 when the European war broke out Emily Hobhouse was an ardent pacifist. She believed civilized nations should not go to war and did all she could to prevent it. At Christmas 1914 she wrote an open letter calling for peace. It was published in a suffragist paper with international readership and was signed by one hundred women – Emily Hobhouse wrote: 'Is it not our mission to preserve life? . . We must all urge that peace be made with appeal to Wisdom and Reason. Since in the last resort it is these which must decide the issues, can they begin too soon. . . May Christmas hasten the day. . .'
Published by The History Press UK
In 1916, worried by atrocity reports that she felt were exaggerated Emily obtained permission through the German embassy in Bern to visit Belgium and Berlin where, following a chance meeting with the German Foreign Secretary, she realized peace talks could be started. She put forward a plan of how this could be done but, in Britain, the Foreign Office adamantly refused to see her so nothing came of it. It was a noble idea, however, she could have been tried for treason. Instead she worked to procure the exchange of civilian prisoners of war and for better food for Belgium. Emily Hobhouse was an extraordinary woman and a key figure in the struggle for women’s emancipation.