‘What have we come to that the wife of an English clergyman has to [...] explain things to our Cabinet Ministers!’: Sonia E. Howe’s private diplomacy (1906–17)

This article examines the philanthropic activities and private diplomacy of Sonia E. Howe between the years of 1906 and 1917. Of German descent, Russian by birth, married to an Anglican clergyman, and residing in Britain, Howe skilfully leveraged her transnational identity, as well as her personal and family connections to contribute to relief efforts via private (or unofficial) realms of diplomacy. She collaborated with the representatives of two bitterly opposed camps: the Russian Political Red Cross, which raised funds to support political prisoners and exiles, and the Russian Branch of the International Committee of the Red Cross, led by the Tsar’s family, which aided prisoners of war. In 1906, Howe established the Committee for the Relief of Administrative Exiles in Northern Russia and Siberia which operated until 1916, raising over £6,000. In her capacity as the Honorary Secretary of the Committee, she undertook a trip to the Russian Empire in 1916 to advocate for the amnesty of administrative exiles before high-ranking ministers, the Dowager Empress, and even the Tsar. She additionally extended her mission to help Russian prisoners of war who escaped German captivity and fundraised for them on her return to Britain in 1917. Drawing on Howe’s own publications, including Real Russians (1918) and Odd Patterns in the Weaving (1925), and archival documents, this article reconstructs the story of her private diplomacy. Driven by her understanding of female philanthropy, she carefully conducted her ‘behind the scenes’ activities to avoid any controversy or scandal.