Jil Cove: A Life of Justice, Joy and Uncompromising Principle

This tribute to Jil Cove has been written by Helen Schofield, a long-time colleague, fellow activist and friend.
Helen reflects on Jil’s extraordinary life: from her early days as a nurse, to her influential role in the probation service and trade union movement, to her political fire in the heart of Spitalfields. Jil’s story is one of courage, compassion and conviction and the legacy she leaves behind is one that continues to inspire.

Jil Cove died on 9th July after a struggle with COPD. Jil was clever, funny, beautiful, brave and exceptionally politically astute.

I met Jil the day I joined the probation service – twenty something, following my Home Office training at Bedford College. We shared the top floor of the office in Grays Inn Road, also with Roj Holmes – in a split office in which initially Roj had the clock and I had the phone! We had a trojan senior probation officer but most of us recall that Jil was the real power. She influenced my career in many ways but most of all by persuading me that I should not only join the probation trade union Napo immediately but quickly take a local official role…..and the rest as they say…..is our shared history as Jil became a much loved chair of the trade union and I followed.

This article published in Spitalfields Life in 2011 recalls Jil in her own words:

“I trained as a nurse in Brighton and then applied to do midwifery at the Royal London Hospital. My mum came with me for the interview and there were drunks lying on the pavement all along Whitechapel, and she said, “You can’t come here!” but that was why I was attracted to it. I was working here in 1957, when the Windrush came over, and I worked alongside the first influx of black nurses.

After a couple of years, I was advised to give up nursing because I had a slipped disc, so I decided to try to become a probation officer and I got to know a psychiatric social worker at the Toynbee Hall in Commercial St where they had an outpost of Grendon Underwood prison – for inmates with personality disorders. At that time, the building where I live now was for ex-prisoners coming in and going off into the world, and she had a flat there but she needed a back-up to keep an eye on things, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Jil’s influence extended beyond the probation service into the local Labour Party in Spitalfields, where she left no one in any doubt about her views. It’s an interesting reflection that Jil very well understood the cultural differences between local politicians and the significantly increasing Bengali politicians. Jil had no qualms throughout the eighties and nineties in explaining about democracy, safety and justice to many local politicians. Jil organised against the redevelopment of Spitalfields Market but was eventually gracious about the commercial arena that replaced the old market.

In the early nineties, Jil persuaded me to leave my two young boys with their dad for a weekend in Derbyshire for the International Women’s Weekend in the company of an amazing group of women who have also been hugely influenced by Jil and in turn influenced her….sometimes sober, always noisy! This lovely group continues to meet to celebrate International Women’s Weekend and we are all feeling her loss deeply.

It is no secret that Jil despaired of the 21st century version of the Probation Service which she had loved for so long. She would tell fascinating stories about her lads in Camden Town where we worked. Jil practised “radical non intervention” – as often as possible – proving the importance of believing in people whilst they grow and change! She was proud to have only taken three individuals back to court in her long career as a probation officer but she was ever watchful and firm. If the Probation Service of the future can retain a fraction of Jil’s compassion and commitment it will survive and fulfil her ambitions.

We will celebrate Jil’s life at a giant picnic later this Summer – just as she did for her beloved friend George.

Helen Schofield