A SCOT who gave her life to protect Jewish schoolgirls during the Second World War is being celebrated in a new heritage centre, which opens this weekend to mark Holocaust Memorial Day .
The tribute to Jane Haining, who died in Auschwitz in 1944, is sited at the church in her home village of Dunscore and tells the story of her bravery and personal sacrifice through letters, documents and other personal effects.
Haining worked at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, Hungary, during the 1930s and 1940s and repeatedly refused to return home after war broke out saying the children needed her. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and later died in the notorious Nazi death camp.
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The centre was opened by the Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries, Fiona Armstrong, who said: "Here in Dumfriesshire, we are very proud to honour the memory of such a brave and selfless woman.This new heritage centre will help to keep Jane Haining's memory alive."
Rev Iain Cunningham, convener of the Church of Scotland's World Mission Council, added: "This year's theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is the power of words - words that can make a difference both for good and evil. It is fitting that at this time we remember the poignant words of Jane Haining.
"When instructed by the Church to return home for her own safety, she wrote back 'if these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?' Jane's words live on like a light shining in the dark places of today's world."