Maysie Chalmers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maysie Chalmers
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Cigarette card during her stage career as Maysie Burlingham, April 1915
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Edith May Burlingham
13 March 1894 Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
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| Died | 29 July 1982 (aged 87) Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
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| Other names | Maysie Burlingham Mrs Pender Chalmers Mrs Frank Forrest Maysie Forrest Edith May Forrest |
| Education | The Queen's School, Chester |
| Occupation | Actor, engineer, aircraft pilot |
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Maysie Chalmers (born Edith May Burlingham on March 13, 1894) was an amazing British woman. She was an electrical engineer, a designer, and even a pilot who loved flying in races! Before all that, she started her career as an actress.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Maysie was a very important person in the Electrical Association for Women. She even served as their vice chairman. In 1936, she became the first person in the United Kingdom to be an art adviser for electrical lighting. After she remarried in 1937, she became known as Mrs Frank Forrest. She passed away on July 29, 1982.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Maysie Chalmers was born Edith May Burlingham on March 13, 1894. Her birthplace was Hawarden, a town in North Wales. She was the only child of Edith and Daniel Catlin Burlingham. Her father was a doctor, and her family were Quakers.
When she was a child, Maysie went to Queens School in Chester. After her father died in 1912, she moved to London.
Acting Career
Maysie started her career as an actress, using the name Maysie Burlingham. She traveled with a group called the Lewis Waller Players.
In 1915, she performed in several plays. She even filled in for another actress, Evelyn D'Alroy, in The Three Musketeers. This play was shown at the King's Theatre, Glasgow and on tour. She also appeared in Gamblers All at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's famous West End. Her acting was also mentioned in "The Stage" Year Book, 1915. A few months before she got married for the first time, her picture was even put on a cigarette card!
Engineering and Electricity
During the First World War, Maysie decided to study engineering. She took a special course by mail. She became an expert in making lights look beautiful and often worked with famous artists.
Maysie was a director at a company called Electric Super-Service Co. Ltd. She opened a special electrical showroom in the Brompton Road in London. In 1932, she gave a tour of this showroom to members of the Electrical Association for Women.
She was very involved in the Home Workers' Campaign. This campaign was organized by the Electrical Association for Women. It encouraged people to use electricity in their homes. It also tried to make jobs in domestic service (like housekeepers) seem more important. Maysie helped organize classes in Derby for people working in domestic service. These classes taught them about using electricity.
To help families, Maysie worked to lower the price of electricity. She especially wanted it to be cheaper for families who didn't have much money. She also promoted using electricity in factories. This helped make the air cleaner for workers. Maysie often gave speeches at meetings for the Electrical Association for Women. By 1936, this group had 7,000 members in 20 different locations!
In 1937, Maysie got a new job. She became the first lighting art adviser for the British Thomson-Houston company. This company was part of the General Electric company. In this job, she traveled all over the country. She gave advice to electrical companies and customers about how to use electric lighting.
Flying Adventures
Maysie Chalmers loved to fly! In 1930, she and her first husband went on a 10-day flying trip across Europe. They were part of a group of 21 airplanes.
In 1932, they took an amazing 3,000-mile trip by plane to places like Baghdad, Babylon, and Ur. Maysie even wrote an article in 1932 for Woman Engineer magazine. This magazine was for the Women's Engineering Society. Her article was called "Aeronautical Training for Women." Another article in The Woman Engineer mentioned that Maysie had finished a course on "Maintenance of Aircraft" at the London Aeroplane Club.
In 1933, she gave a talk called "My Flying Visit" at the Minerva Club. This talk was organized by the publication The Vote. In 1937, she gave another lecture for the Electrical Association for Women. It was titled "By Air to Baghdad, Babylon and Ur." She also took part twice in the King's Cup Race, which was a cross-country air race.
At a dinner for the Women's Engineering Society in 1937, a man named Sir Francis Shelmerdine praised Maysie. He said she helped show how useful light planes could be.
Maysie also led meetings for the Women's Engineering Society. For example, in 1935, she led discussions about "The Airship and the Flying Boat." She also led debates about aviation and how flying might change future generations.
Personal Life
On June 16, 1915, Maysie Burlingham married Lieutenant John William Pender Chalmers. During this time, she was widely known as Mrs Pender Chalmers.
Later, on December 23, 1937, she married Frank Forrest. He was the chief engineer and manager of the Birmingham Corporation Electricity Department. After marrying Frank, she continued her work with the Birmingham branch of the Electrical Association for Women, now known as Mrs Frank Forrest. In 1939, she helped judge a public speaking competition in Birmingham.
Maysie Forrest passed away on July 29, 1982. She is buried with her husband in a churchyard in Uplyme.
Groups Maysie Belonged To
- Women's Engineering Society
- Vice Chairman of the Electrical Association for Women
- Chairman of Directors of the Forum Club
