What about the Women? Legacies of the First World War

The
impact of the First World War extended well beyond 1918. As the British
population tried to come to terms with the end of total warfare, the question
arose as to what sort of world people would come home to. For some of the women
who served, the war brought new skills and opportunities, while others returned
to pick up the threads of their pre-war lives.

Mary Porter's dog tag (1917/1919)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Mary 'Fluffy' Porter 

Mary Porter was one of 32,000 women who served in the Women’s Royal Air Force. Although disbanded in 1920, women again joined the Air Force during the Second World War and today serve as fighter jet pilots.

Photo of Mary Porter (1917/1919)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Mary’s brother Andrew was killed in action in 1917 whilst serving as a naval infantryman in the Royal Naval Division. This prompted Mary to leave behind Scotland to serve on the Western Front from 1917-1919.

Mary Porter's Royal Flying Corps cap badge (1917/1919)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Nicknamed “Fluffy” on account of her hairstyle, Mary first joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) before moving to the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF).

Mary Porter's WRAF cap badge (1917/1919)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Women in the WRAF fulfilled many duties, including serving as aircraft mechanics or in the offices as clerks. Often social class played a role in the allocation of duties for women involved in war work.

Letters from the Whitehead family Letter 1, page 1 (1918-10-10)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

The Whiteheads

The Whiteheads were a middle class family. Alfred North Whitehead was a philosopher, mathematician and university professor. In 1890 he married Evelyn Wade, an Irishwoman raised in France. They had three children: Jessie, Thomas and Eric. Thomas served in East Africa and Eric was killed in action with the Royal Flying Corps in 1918. 

Letters from the Whitehead family Letter 1, page 2 (1919-07-05)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Evelyn applied for a job as a clerk in a munitions factory. Because of some uncertainty regarding Evelyn’s ancestry, the office requested another five references be provided. This is probably because of the effect of the 1916 Easter Uprising, following which Britain was increasingly paranoid about Irish loyalties. Alfred wrote back in contempt, suggesting that the references he had already provided from a senior academic and a prominent judge should surely be sufficient.

Letters from the Whitehead family Letter 2, page 1Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Jessie was a keen enthusiast of the natural sciences and was studying at Cambridge. At the time, women could study but only received partial degrees. In 1919 Jessie found a job working at the Paris Peace Conference where she specialised in the debates surrounding Palestine. At one occasion her identity was stolen by a Zionist representative in order to access the archives of the British delegation.

Letters from the Whitehead family Letter 1, page 2 (1919-07-05)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

In these letters between father and daughter, Alfred expresses concern for Jessie’s recent bout of influenza, as well as offering his advice about the shape of the world to come. He also writes that “the old dominance of Europe has gone forever … it seems to me more and more evident that the war has severed the vital chords of its moral energy and physical prosperity, and America is ready to step into its place”.

Although his prediction proved accurate, it is worth noting that this brave new world would be shaped as much by women such as Jessie as by men like her father.

Country Life, Cooking Without a Cook page 1Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

In the kitchen 

As new opportunities arose during and after the war, many women abandoned domestic service for careers promising better conditions and pay. Consequently, some of their former employers had to learn to look after, and cook for, themselves. This book contains recipes previously featured in Country Life magazine. To the modern diner, some of them would seem unappetising, but they offered valuable advice on how to make the best of ingredients such as offal and various leftovers. Some of the recipes seem a trifle complex for those who may never have had to cook for themselves.

Country Life, Cooking Without a Cook page 3Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Food deprivation was a persistent problem in post-war Britain. Rationing had been introduced in 1918, and some items such as butter continued to be rationed until 1920. Whilst the audience of this book would not have encountered such problems, many working class families continued to struggle with poverty and hunger throughout the 1920s. “Hunger marches” were held in protest at high unemployment, one of the root causes of food deprivation.

Curator introductions from Alex Shaw and Eilis Boyle Alex Shaw on 'Live Alone and Entertain'Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Marjorie Hillis and Bertina Foltz, Live Alone and Entertain page 2Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Surplus women

After the war, people worried there would be unmanageable numbers of “surplus women” because of the deaths of over 700,000 men. This book advises independent women how to compete for prospective husbands by “getting the man with the meal”. This book is aimed at women of the middle or upper classes, as most of its advice relies upon instructing one’s maid. It gives advice on how to host the perfect party, as well as how to woo a gentleman admirer over a private dinner. Recipe suggestions and helpful hints are given on how to attract different sorts of men, from the old friend to the young admirer, and from the teetotaller to the alcoholic-on-the-wagon. 

Marjorie Hillis and Bertina Foltz, Live Alone and Entertain page 1Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Although sensationalised at the time, historians have questioned whether there really was a generation of “surplus women”. Nevertheless, in the 1920s, conservative-minded men feared the rise of modern, independent women.

Marjorie Hillis and Bertina Foltz, Live Alone and Entertain page 3Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

An article in The Times of 5 February 1920 worried about “the frivolous, scantily-clad, jazzing flapper, irresponsible and undisciplined, to whom a dance, a new hat, or a man with a car, were of more importance than the fate of nations”.

Women's war work silk patches Women's war work silk patches (1914/1918)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Women's war work 

These silk patches depict some of the many jobs undertaken by women. War service played a role in women receiving the vote, and opened up lasting opportunities for some by giving them new skills. Others returned to domestic roles. 

Women's war work silk patches The fire womanOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Often women’s war work was divided along class lines. Upper class women were more likely to be involved in organising or coordinating roles, whilst those from the middle classes took clerical or nursing positions and working class women found jobs in factories, the fields or the front.

Women's war work silk patches The car conductorOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

These patches depict some of the best known jobs undertaken by women as well as less well-remembered positions.

Women's war work silk patches The lift girlOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Together they remind us that not all women’s war jobs were as directly related to the conflict as the nurse; women also had to step into everyday jobs such as operating lifts or conducting trams whilst men were away.

Women's war work silk patches The window cleanerOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Some women drew on new skills and networks to continue their careers in the interwar years, but most were expected to leave these jobs after the men returned from war. Often this was written into their contracts, and women who remained working after the war faced social stigma for “stealing” men’s jobs.

Women's war work silk patches The ploughwomanOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

War work therefore did not necessarily bring lasting change for all women. The 1921 census showed that there were fewer women in employment than in 1911, suggesting that, for the majority, war work did not lead to longer-term career opportunities.

Women's war work silk patches The munition workerOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Women's war work silk patches Red cross nurseOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Gladys Tidmarsh's first aid medal Gladys Tidmarsh's first aid medalOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Gladys Tidmarsh

Gladys Tidmarsh was born in Yarmouth. Her family owned the thriving business Palmer’s Department Stores. Rather than go into the family business, Gladys went to horticultural college, but left her studies when war broke out. She was posted to an auxiliary hospital in Yarmouth as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse. In May 1918 she received the prestigious Royal Red Cross medal from the King in recognition of her exceptional service. 

Gladys Tidmarsh's red cross nursing manual page 1Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

After the war, Gladys married Albert George Tidmarsh and worked as a housemother at the school where he taught music. During the Second World War, she again volunteered as a Red Cross nurse.

Gladys Tidmarsh's red cross nursing manual page 2Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Gladys’ story reminds us that for many women, the end of war meant a return to more traditional roles in support of their husband’s careers; yet she also stands out as a dedicated and talented individual who seized the opportunity to work for her country in both world wars.

OBE awarded to Ethel Robin Clowes OBE awarded to Ethel Robin Clowes (1919)Original source: University of Leeds Special Collections

Ethel Robin Clowes

Ethel Robin Clowes was a remarkable individual. As a carer for her invalid mother, she already had medical experience and joined the Red Cross in 1910. Robin worked as a civilian VAD nurse in Britain and France following the start of the First World War. She later transferred to the QMAAC and was promoted to the rank of camp administrator. In recognition of her war service, she was awarded the prestigious OBE by the King.

Ethel Robin Clowes' Royal Red Cross CertificateOriginal source: University of Leeds Special Collections

For Robin, marriage did not mean the end of her career as a nurse and medical manager. From 1920-36 she lived in Sudan with her husband Edwin Geoffrey Sarsfield-Hall, a colonial administrator.

Whilst in Sudan, Robin was appalled at the lack of basic healthcare provision, and so founded a branch of the Red Cross. After Sudan’s independence, this became the Sudanese Red Crescent which continues to save lives today.

Credits: Story

This exhibition was originally on show at the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery, University of Leeds, from 31 August 2018 - 31 January 2019. The exhibition was co curated by PhD researchers Eilis Boyle and Alexander Shaw with Professor Alison Fell.

https://library.leeds.ac.uk/galleries

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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