Brilliant women you've never hear of

[anyolddinosaur]

By chance I came across a reference to Eliza Maud "Elsie" Inglis. In the First World War the War Office told her, "my good lady, go home and sit still". Instead she, with others, treated thousands of wounded soldiers. She did a lot more than that - see the wikipedia entry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElsieInglis

Just wondering how many others there are!

Sorry for typo, cant change subject

Firstly, great thread idea.

Secondly, if you report your post and explain that the thread title has a typo, MNHQ will change it for you.

Wow, what a woman! Thanks for the info, Anyold.

The link above didn’t work on my phone, but I simply googled Elsie Inglis Wikipedia and got the story of this suffragist, medical pioneer, war heroine and fighter for women’s health. A name that should not be forgotten.

I know of Elsie Inglis because of her maternity home (succeeded by the current maternity wing in the modern Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh) but also because she's revered in my dad's ancestral home, Serbia. I feel particularly thankful for her work: both my grandfather and great-grandfather fought in WW1, but only my grandfather survived. (Grandad would have been 17 when he joined up.)

ETA There are monuments to her in Serbia.

I only recently found out about Einstein's wife, Mileva Marić. She's been largely airbrushed out of history. As often happens, her achievements seem to have been credited solely to her husband.

A Mighty Girl is an excellent website promoting in/under recognised women in history. If you follow thrm on social media, they'll post about particular women and their anniversaries, or where their story resonates with current affairs etc.

They also have a huge resource of age appropriate book lists for mighty girls of all ages.

Facebook sometimes shows me stories about strong women, never showed me Elsie. Hopefully working this time as it works in preview link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Inglis ) interesting that she has statues in Serbia but not yet one in Edinburgh.

A might girl is an interesting website but they are women, not girls.

Hazel Hill. I believe she went on to become a child psychiatrist.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/53365383.amp

Clara Schumann - a talented musician and composer whose legacy has been overshadowed by her husband’s.

Artemisia Gentileschi - a Baroque painter and rape survivor who managed to get (some) justice. She also poured her anger into her paintings, with memorable results.

Professor Wangari Maathai - whose environmental activism eventually led to the planting of more than 51 million trees!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Barry_(surgeon)

People only discovered that she was a woman after her death.

There was a letter in the Observer on Sunday, from the great, great niece of Elsie Inglis. I can't find the thread now, but the letter was 3rd down from two complaining that TW aren't treated as women in all respects.

I am always surprised that more people are not aware of Honnor Morten - trained nurse, author, educationalist and politician on the School Board for London, campaigner for equal pay and suffragette. She was incredibly unpopular with the middle class press in her lifetime (though popular enough with her working-class constituents to be elected as a SBL progressive), but almost every one of her positions is now broadly accepted today. Except for her smoking, though in the context of her life even that was a conscious challenge to the status quo.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5304815-observer-readers-respond-to-last-weeks-editorial-about-sex-and-gender-data-integrity

is this the thread?

Have a look at the '6888' US Army Battalion, there is a fairly recent film about them.

"James" Barry I'd heard of - but I'm enjoying reading about the others - including Hazel Hill, who certainly qualifies as a "mighty girl", being 13 at the time.

TwoLoonsAndASprout · Today 10:08

Thanks, that's the one.