MARY BROOKSBANK.........AN INSPIRING LIFE

Mary Brooksbank is the Poet Laureate of Dundee's Working Class. She was actually born in Aberdeen but she moved to the City when she was eight years old and, before she was fourteen she was shifting bobbins at the Baltic Jute Mill. In those days, just before the First World War, life was hard and life was earnest for Dundee's lower paid citizens. Mary worked twelve hour shifts, starting at 6a.m for the princely sum of 7/6d. She was tiny and partially deaf, but

when it came to fighting for the rights of the working class, she was a veritable lioness. In 1919 she founded the Working Women's Guild to fight for better health and Social Services for Dundee's Women. In 1923 Cox's Jute Mill, the largest in the city, installed new machinery which required fewer workers and a campaign against the redundancies was led by the militant Dundee Jute and Flax Worker's Union. There was a 50,000 strong demonstration in the Albert Square followed by a jute worker's lock out which lasted eight weeks. In the face of this hardship Mary moved to Glasgow to find work as a domestic servant. There she met and married Ernest Brooksbank, a skilled tailor, and in 1924 the young couple moved back to Dundee. Mary was heavily involved in the campaign against unemployment in Dundee in the 1930's. In this capacity she worked closely with noted Dundee Communists, such as Frank McLusker who fought in the Spanish Civil War, Johnny Rourke, James Littlejohn and Tom Clarke who, like Mary, actually worked in the Jute Mills. From her earliest days in the mills Mary wrote songs and poems about that world and the plight of the ordinary workers - the most famous of which was the Jute Mill Song which begins with the line "Oh, dear me, the mill is running fast". After a meeting with the celebrated singer Ewan McColl who was deeply impressed with her work, she made many appearances on Radio and T.V. and later, a collection of her poems, "Sidlaw Breezes", was published "Oh dear me, the world's ill divided Them that work the hardest, are wi the least provided But I maun bide contented; dark days or fine But there's no much pleasure livin affen ten & nine. From the "Jute Mill Song" by Mary Brooksbank

LOCAL HEROINE

Do you know of a Local Heroine? We are looking for selfless women who devote their time and skills for the benefit of their community. Perhaps they work with the young or visit the old and frail or run a theatre group or care for a sick relative without seeking any reward for themselves. If you know of anyone like that tell us about them in 200 words, or less, why they deserve to be called a heroine. Who knows who THEY will inspire? email the Editor at johnnicollquest@gmail.com

WELCOME!!!

Welcome to our blog. We aim to help women in the Angus and Pethshire area to get the most out of life and their local community. As well as entertaining and informative articles about the lives and experiences of Scottish Women (past and present) short bioghraphies of truly inspirational Scots Women and information about events in your area, we will keep you posted about educational opportunities, volunteering for local charities, health matters and much, much more! Visit us often because the more you drop in on us the more you are likely to get something worthwhile

out of our publication. if you, or your club, or organisation, is doing anything important or interesting then let us know and then we can let EVERYONE know! Email the Editor at: johnnicollquest@gmail.com THANK YOU!