Baker, Eric., 1920-1976

Eric Baker was born in London in 1920 and educated at Nether Edge Grammar School, Sheffield. Already a pacifist, he joined the Society of Friends while still at school. He was a conscientious objector during World War II, registering in 1941. At Downing College, Cambridge, from 1939-1942, his degree was in English and Moral Sciences. After taking a Diploma in Education from Leeds University, he became a lecturer, initially to the WEA in Yorkshire. He and his wife, Joyce, whom he met as a Young Friend in Sheffield, were appointed Joint Secretaries of the Quaker Centre in Delhi in 1946. The family moved to Edinburgh in the late 1940s, where Baker worked for the University and the Education Authority.

Baker made several visits to Cyprus, Greece and Turkey between 1958 and 1975 on behalf of the Friends' Service Committee. His 1959 trip included a visit to Sicily to study the work of Danilo Dolci.

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