Elizabeth Andrews facts for kids

Elizabeth Andrews (1882–1960) was an important Welsh politician. She made history as the first woman to be an organiser for the Labour Party in Wales.

Andrews, whose maiden name was Smith, grew up in a mining family in Hirwaun, a village in the Cynon Valley. She was one of eleven children. Sadly, two of her siblings died when they were young. Elizabeth had to leave school at age twelve to help her family at home.

Early Life and Activism

When she was 22, Elizabeth wrote a letter to the newspaper supporting a minister named Evan Roberts. This letter brought her some attention. Around the same time, she joined the women's suffrage movement. This movement worked to gain voting rights for women.

In 1918, Elizabeth Andrews was one of only three women who spoke to the Sankey Commission. This group was looking into the conditions of coal mining. She spoke before the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. She spoke alongside two other miners' wives.

Helping Families During Difficult Times

During the 1926 miners' lockout, many mining families faced hardship. A lockout happens when employers stop workers from coming to work, often during a disagreement. Elizabeth Andrews and another woman named Beatrice Green created a special program. They helped arrange for 2,500 children from struggling families to be temporarily looked after by other families. This helped keep the children safe and cared for during a very tough time.

Working for Change

As soon as women gained the right to vote, the Labour Party chose four women to be organisers. Elizabeth Andrews was one of them. She worked very hard to improve health and education services for people.

One of her biggest achievements was helping to open the first nursery school in Wales. This school opened in the Rhondda area in 1938. Nursery schools provide early education for young children.

Awards and Recognition

In 1948, Elizabeth Andrews was awarded the OBE. This stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She received this honour for her important work as a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Ystrad Rhondda. A Justice of the Peace is a volunteer who helps with legal matters in their local community.

In 2004, Elizabeth Andrews was voted 100th in an online poll to find 100 Welsh Heroes. In 2006, her book called A Woman's Work is Never Done was reprinted. It was first printed in 1952. This happened after Glenys Kinnock helped bring attention back to Elizabeth's work. In 2018, Elizabeth Andrews was one of five women considered for the first statue of a woman to be put up in Cardiff.

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