Norah Elam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norah Elam
Born	5 March 1878 Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland
Died	1961
Occupation	Suffragette

Norah Elam, also known as Norah Dacre Fox (born Norah Doherty, 1878–1961), was an important figure in British history. She was a strong supporter of women's right to vote, a feminist, and someone who was against animal testing. She was also involved with a political group called the British Union of Fascists. Norah was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1878. Her father, John Doherty, worked in paper mills. Norah moved to England with her family and lived in London by 1891. She married Charles Richard Dacre Fox in 1909.

Norah Elam's Political Journey

Norah was a key member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). This group worked hard to get women the right to vote. She even served as the general secretary for the WSPU. From May to July 1914, she was put in Holloway Prison three times. This was for her part in protests that led to her arrest. She received a special Hunger Strike Medal with three bars for her actions.

In 1918, Norah tried to become a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She ran as an independent candidate in Richmond (Surrey). However, she was not elected. In the same year, she worked with other groups to campaign. She wanted people from other countries, who were seen as a threat during wartime, to be held in special camps. Norah Elam publicly stated that she was never part of the Women's Freedom League.

Fighting for Animal Rights

Norah Elam said she helped start the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society (LPAVS). This group was against using animals for scientific experiments. While there is no clear proof she was a founder, she was a member from around 1900. In the 1930s, she wrote two booklets for the LPAVS. These were called "The MRC: What it is and How it Works" and "The Vitamin Survey." These booklets were sent to many places in the UK, including public libraries.

Involvement with the British Union of Fascists

By the 1930s, Norah had separated from her husband. She then lived with Edward Descou Dudley Vallance Elam and took his last name. They lived in Sussex and were active in the local Conservative Party. However, they soon joined Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists (BUF). This group was formed in 1932. Norah became an important figure in the women's section of the BUF.

She often wrote for the BUF's newspapers. In 1937, she was chosen to run for the BUF in the Northampton area. But the election did not happen because of the war. Oswald Mosley used Norah's past as a suffragette to argue against claims that his group was anti-women. He said her possible election showed they did not want to send British women back to only staying at home. In 1940, Norah and Dudley Elam were arrested. They were held in Holloway Prison with other women who were part of the fascist movement.

Norah Elam's Family Life

Norah Elam had one son named Evelyn, who was born in 1922. Her granddaughter, Angela McPherson, shared some interesting facts in a BBC documentary. Angela did not know about Norah's deep involvement in the fascist movement until 2002. She only knew Norah had been a suffragette who claimed to be close to the Pankhurst family. Angela decided to search online for information about Norah Elam. This search revealed many things she had not known before.

Angela felt she had unknowingly pushed away upsetting memories of stories her grandmother told her as a child. These stories had affected her family. She described Norah as having very strong, sometimes difficult, views. Angela and her family felt that Norah emotionally harmed her son. They believed she turned him into someone who acted like Norah's own father. A book about Norah, called Mosley's Old Suffragette, was written by Susan McPherson and Angela McPherson.

See also

In Spanish: Norah Elam para niños