MY story starts in Church Street in Wantage: it was here that John Hobbis Harris founded his plumbing and building business in 1872, on the site of what is now the new Renaissance retirement homes complex.

John married Elizabeth Saunders in 1873 and they had seven children, the youngest of whom, Roland, was killed in action serving with the Berkshire Yeomanry in the First World War.

John's eldest son was also known as John Hobbis Harris. Born in Wantage on July 29, 1874, and educated at King Alfred's school and privately, John initially worked in London as an accountant for a firm of gentleman's outfitters, however he was a devout Christian and did evangelical social work before becoming a Baptist Minister.

Along with his wife Alice Seeley, John Harris departed for the Belgian Congo where he and his wife were to work as missionaries.

At this time the Free State of Congo was a colony under the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium and was getting seriously into debt.

However, rubber grew there and this coincided with Dunlop's production of the first rubber tyres for bicycles, and later cars, thus King Leopold saw the opportunity to raise money. A regime of terror ensued.

The Congolese people were forced to collect quotas of rubber. The penalty for refusing or being unable to collect enough rubber was death or mutilation, typically having their hands or feet severed. Homes were burned and whole communities destroyed.

Appalled by this activity, the Harrises began to collect evidence of these atrocities.

Alice's contribution was to take photos of the people who were suffering.

On their return to Europe in 1901, John Harris and his wife Alice became active campaigners. They brought the atrocities in the Congo to the attention of the British Government, gave evidence at hearings, published books, papers and photographs, gave lectures and addressed many public meetings in this country the USA and Europe.

Ahead of his time, John Harris became a campaigner against the colonial system of the day and promoted the idea of self-determination for native peoples.

He was organising secretary for the Anti-slavery and Aboriginal Protection Society and in 1923 became Liberal MP for North Hackney.

Sadly his Parliamentary career was short as he lost his seat the following year but this did not stop him campaigning for human rights and John Hobbis Harris was knighted in in 1933. He died of a heart attack in Frome, Somerset, in 1940.

His wife Alice Seeley Harris lived until 1970 when she died, aged 100. Some commentators believe that she should have also received an honour as being one of the first people to use photography in a human rights campaign.

The BBC interviewed Alice shortly before her death for a Radio 4 programme 'Women of our Time' which can be found on the internet if you are interested which recounts her and her husband John's experiences in the Congo.