Elsie Eleanor Verity facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elsie Eleanor Verity
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| Born | 14 August 1894 |
| Died | 9 June 1971 |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Motor Engineering |
Elsie Eleanor Verity was a pioneering British engineer. She was born in 1894 and became known as "The First Lady of the motor trade." This means she was a very important woman in the car business. She taught many people to drive and ran her own successful garage.
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Elsie Verity's Early Life
Elsie Eleanor Verity was born in 1894 in Barton upon Irwell, England. Her parents were William and Lilly Verity. Elsie's father, William, came from a family that worked with metal. He started by building bikes. Later, his business grew into a car garage in Manchester.
Learning About Cars
Elsie went to Manchester Central High School. When she was 16, she left school to learn engineering from her father. He had already taught her to drive when she was just 13 years old. By the time Elsie was 14, she was already teaching others how to drive!
On her 16th birthday in 1910, her father gave her a big challenge. He sent her to drive a car all the way from London back to Manchester. This was a trip of over 200 miles! A garage worker went with her, but Elsie had to drive the whole way herself.
Elsie also studied at the Manchester College of Technology. She took special courses in automobile engineering. She also attended Manchester High School of Commerce to learn about business.
Elsie During the World Wars
When the First World War started, Elsie began teaching soldiers to drive. She taught hundreds of men how to operate vehicles for the military. She also helped organize fun shows for the troops in the evenings. Later, she taught driving to service members who had experienced shell shock.
During the Second World War, Elsie again helped train drivers for the armed forces. She also taught classes on how car engines worked and how to repair them. She was also part of the Civil Defense, helping protect people during the war.
Running Verity's Garage
After the First World War, Elsie worked in her father's car garage. When her father passed away in 1925, Elsie took over the business completely. Her garage was called Verity's University Garage and Motor School.
Elsie did a lot of the car repair work herself. She also created and ran a driving school. This school was part of the Royal Automobile Club's program. She hired her cousin, Clifford Luke, to be her foreman and manager. Her team of workers, whom she called "my boys," were very loyal and stayed with her for a long time.
In the 1950s, advertisements for Verity's garage showed that they offered many services. They did car repairs, sold new and used cars, gave driving lessons, and even offered car insurance. They were also a special agency for Renault cars.
Awards and Recognition
Elsie joined the Institute of the Motor Trade in 1927. She was very active in this group. She was often the only woman at their events. In 1930, Elsie won a special award called the Wakefield Gold Medal. She received it for writing the best paper on a motoring topic. Her paper was about "What are the benefits of price maintenance?"
Important Memberships
Elsie Verity became the first woman to be a Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Trade. This was a very high honor. She stayed active in the motor industry even after she closed her garage.
She was also a member of the Manchester Soroptimists’, a women's group. She was a vice-chairwoman in 1931 and even captained a cricket team!
In 1939, Elsie joined the Women's Engineering Society. She became the chair of the Manchester branch. Later, she was the Vice-President of the Society from 1947 to 1948. She was asked to be the President, but she turned it down. This was because her garage property was bought by Manchester University, and she had to rebuild her business. Elsie continued to support the Women's Engineering Society with donations for many years. She also advertised her garage in their magazine, The Woman Engineer.
Personal Life
Elsie Verity lived with her cousin, Emily “Em" Verity. Emily was a physics teacher and a head of science at Withington Girls' School. Elsie passed away on June 9, 1971. Their friend, Isabel Hardwich, who was an electrical engineer, wrote about both women after they died.
