Margaret, Lady Moir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret, Lady Moir
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Margaret Moir c.1900
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Margaret Bruce Pennycook
10 January 1864 |
| Died | 5 October 1942 (aged 78) Knightsbridge, London
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| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Engineer, educator, employment relief worker |
| Known for | Campaigner for women's rights and the electrification of the home |
| Spouse(s) | Ernest William Moir (1862–1933) |
| Children | Reginald Moir (1893–1915) Arrol Moir (1894–1957) Edward Moir (1907) |
| Awards | Order of the British Empire (OBE) |
Margaret, Lady Moir (born Margaret Bruce Pennycook, 10 January 1864 – 5 October 1942) was an amazing Scottish woman. She was a skilled lathe operator and engineer. She also helped workers and fought for women's rights to have jobs. Margaret was a founder of the Women's Engineering Society (WES). Later, she became its president. She also led the Electrical Association for Women (EAW). Margaret believed that electricity would change homes and free women to work outside.
She famously said that women needed to understand electricity. This meant knowing how to use electric appliances like washing machines and cookers. It also meant knowing how to fix small things like fuses. She believed this knowledge would help women value electricity. It would also save them from lots of household chores.
Margaret Moir received an OBE award. This was for her important work during World War I. She organized a plan to give women workers weekend breaks. She also helped raise money for the war effort. Her husband, Sir Ernest Moir, was a famous engineer. Margaret often called herself 'an engineer by marriage'. She created a simple engineering course for women. She also supported brave women pilots like Lady Bailey and Amy Johnson. Margaret spent her life campaigning for women to have better job opportunities.
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Early Life and Family
Margaret Bruce Pennycook was born on 10 January 1864. Her birthplace was Gorgie, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her father, John Pennycook, managed a quarry. Her mother was Margaret Davidson.
On 1 June 1887, Margaret married Ernest William Moir. They got married at Dalmeny House. Ernest was from South Queensferry. They had three sons. Reginald (Rex) was born in 1893 but sadly died in 1915. Arrol was born in 1894. He became the 2nd Baronet Moir after his father. Edward was born in 1907 but died soon after birth. The Moirs lived mainly in London. Later, they moved to Whitehanger in Surrey. They also traveled a lot around the world.
An Engineer by Marriage
Margaret Moir traveled with her husband, Ernest, as he worked on big engineering projects. She became very involved in his work. This is why she called herself 'an engineer by marriage'. Ernest Moir helped build many famous structures. These included the Forth Bridge and the Hudson River Tunnel. He also worked on the Blackwall Tunnel and the Royal Albert Dock in London. Other projects were Dover harbour and Valparaíso harbour in Chile.
After the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), the Moirs traveled through China. They went to oversee a railway construction in Honan (now Henan). Margaret was not supposed to go because it was thought to be too dangerous for a Western woman. But she went anyway!
Facing Danger in Tunnels
Margaret saw the terrible dangers workers faced in caissons. These were special air chambers used to build bridges and tunnels underwater. She wrote about going down into these chambers. The air pressure kept out the sea and mud. Workers often got very sick from something called caisson disease. This is also known as the bends. It happened when they came up too quickly.
Ernest Moir invented a 'medical air lock' to help these workers. This device slowly brought them back to normal pressure. It greatly reduced deaths. For example, at the Hudson River Tunnel, the death rate dropped from 25% to just 1% per year.
In 1897, the Blackwall Tunnel was finished. Margaret Moir became the first woman to walk under the River Thames. She walked from Kent to Middlesex. She later said she didn't realize how dangerous it was at the time.
Helping During Wartime
During World War I, many women worked in factories. After the Shell Crisis of 1915, Margaret Moir felt great sympathy for these workers. She started a plan to give them weekend breaks. She and her friends would take over their factory jobs. Margaret herself worked as a lathe operator for over 18 months.
She also helped the National Savings Movement. She was a treasurer and secretary for a special committee. She organized sales of war savings certificates and bonds. These sales took place in London department stores and at Victoria station. It is said she raised hundreds of thousands of pounds. For all her hard work during the war, Margaret Moir was awarded an OBE in 1920.
Championing Women in Engineering
In 1919, the Women's Engineering Society (WES) was created. Lady Moir was a founding member. Other important members included Rachel Parsons and Lady Katharine Parsons. Margaret Moir became the president of WES in 1929. Before that, she was vice-president for two years. During her time as president, a simplified engineering course for women was started in 1930. This course was offered at several polytechnic colleges.
Electrifying Homes
Margaret Moir understood how amazing new technologies were. She saw how they could be used in homes. She joined the Electrical Association for Women (EAW) early on. In 1931, she became its president. By that year, the EAW had 25 branches across Britain. They had almost 5,000 members.
When she became president, she gave a speech in Glasgow. She talked about 'Electrical Education'. She believed that learning about electricity was key for progress. She said that the future of using electricity in homes depended on everyone learning about it.
Margaret was also interested in professional women from all fields. Famous women pilots like Lady Bailey and Amy Johnson gave talks at her house in London. They spoke about their amazing flights around Africa and to Australia. Lady Moir also supported the Over-30 Housing Association. She even sponsored an all-electric apartment in a building for single women.
Margaret Moir passed away on 5 October 1942. She was 78 years old. She died at her home in Knightsbridge, London. There is a memorial for the Moir family at Brookwood Cemetery. This cemetery is near Woking in Surrey.
Images for kids
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The spectacular memorial to the Moir family in Brookwood Cemetery.
See also
In Spanish: Margaret, Lady Moir para niños
