Ethel Strudwick (3 April 1880 – 15 August 1954) was a British headteacher and
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
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activist.
Strudwick was born in
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, the daughter of
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
and Harriet Strudwick, her father being a prominent
Pre-Raphaelite
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...
artist. She was educated at Queen Elizabeth's School in
West Kensington
West Kensington, formerly North End, is an area in the ancient parish of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. It covers most of the London postal area of W14, includin ...
, then won a scholarship to
Bedford College, London
file:Bedford College in York place - photographer is unknown but guess 1908.png, Bedford College was in York Place after 1874
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in th ...
(now
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
), where she completed an honours degree in classics. She became a schoolteacher, teaching classics at the Laurels School in
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, but soon returned to Bedford College. There, she completed an MA, and taught classics, before becoming head of its Latin department.
Strudwick left the college in 1913, when she was appointed as headteacher of the
City of London School for Girls
(''O Lord Direct us'')
, established = 1894
, closed =
, type = Independent day school
, religion =
, president =
, head_label = Headmistress
, head = Jenny Brown
, r_head_label = ...
. She ran the school through
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and after the war expanded the school's curriculum by building a physics laboratory, and encouraging pupils to undertake social work in south London. In 1921, she was also appointed to the Senate of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
In 1927, Strudwick beat 45 other candidates to be appointed as headteacher of
St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School is an independent day school for girls, aged 11 to 18, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.
History
St Paul's Girls' School was founded by the Worshipful Company of Mercers in 1904, using part o ...
. At the school, she again ordered more teaching space to be built for science, and she also taught some classes herself. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, she arranged for the evacuation of many pupils to
Wycombe Abbey School
, motto_translation = Go in faith
, established = 1896
, type = Independent boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Headmistress
, head = J. Duncan
, chair_label = Chair ...
, but in May 1940, parents voted for the school to return to London. Despite the war, pupil numbers increased.
During this period,
Angela Brazil
Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") (30 November 186813 March 1947) was one of the first British writers of "modern schoolgirls' stories", written from the characters' point of view and intended primarily as entertainment rather than moral ins ...
wrote a children's story set at the school; Strudwick strongly disapproved, denouncing the book in morning prayers, then collecting copies of the book from pupils to be burned.
Strudwick became increasingly involved with national bodies, serving as president of the Association of Headmistresses from 1931 to 1933, founding president of the British Federation of Business and Professional Women in 1937, and joined the council of the
Girls' Public Day School Trust in 1948.
In 1945, she sat on a government committee of inquiry into the future role of women in the foreign service, chosen because she was known not to hold strongly
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
views.
In 1943, she was elected to the national council of the Liberal Party, and she was president of the
Women's Liberal Federation
The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom.
History
The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fi ...
for a year from 1949.
Strudwick was made an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1936, and a
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
in 1948. She retired that year.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strudwick, Ethel
1880 births
1954 deaths
Academics of Bedford College, London
Alumni of Bedford College, London
People from Fulham
Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Heads of schools in London
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire