Gertrude Mary Denman, Baroness Denman,
GBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(7 November 1884 – 2 June 1954) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
woman active in women's rights issues including the promotion of
Women's suffrageWomen's suffrage is the right of women to vote, and historically includes the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage to women. The movement's modern origins lie in France in the 18th century. Of currently existing independent countries, New Zealand was the first to give...
in the United Kingdom. She was also the wife of the
3rd Baron DenmanThomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman GCMG, KCVO, PC , was a British Liberal politician and the fifth Governor-General of Australia.-Early years:...
, fifth
Governor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
, and she officially named
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
's capital city
CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in 1913.
Early life
Gertrude Mary "Trudie" Pearson was the second child, and only daughter, of
WeetmanWeetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray GCVO was an engineer, oil industrialist, and owner of the Pearson conglomerate...
and Annie Pearson (later Viscount and Vicountess Cowdray). Her father was a successful businessman, initially in engineering, and later in the development of oilfields in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the production of munitions for the First World War, building the
Sennar DamThe Sennar Dam is a dam on the Blue Nile near the town of Sennar, Sudan. It was built in 1925 by the British under the direction of Weetman Pearson. The dam is 3025 meters long, with a maximum height of 40 meters . It provides water for crop irrigation in the Al Jazirah region.-References:*O. L...
on the River
NileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world....
, as well as coal mining and newspaper publishing. Weetman was a staunch
LiberalThe Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the mid 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which would become...
who supported causes such as
free tradeFree trade is a type of trade policy that allows traders to act and transact without interference from government. According to the law of comparative advantage the policy permits trading partners mutual gains from trade of goods and services....
, Irish Home Rule and
women's suffrageWomen's suffrage is the right of women to vote, and historically includes the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage to women. The movement's modern origins lie in France in the 18th century. Of currently existing independent countries, New Zealand was the first to give...
. Trudie's mother, Annie Pearson (née Cass) was the daughter of a farmer from
BradfordBradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
,
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
. A woman of strong character, Annie Pearson was a feminist who was an active member of the executive of the
Women's Liberal FederationThe Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation which was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom during the 1880s.During this period women became more active in politics. The Women's Liberal Federation attempted to make the Liberal Party introduce a measure which gave women the vote...
.
The Pearsons had just moved to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
when Trudie was born, her brother Harold was two years old. Two younger brothers, Clive and Geoffrey, were born in 1887 and 1891 respectively. Due to the worldwide business interests of their father, the Pearson children saw little of their parents and spent their early years in the care of a
nannyA nanny or childminder is a person who looks after the child or children of another family. Childminding differs from nannying in that a nanny goes to the house of the child in order to care for it; childminders look after the child in the childminder's home...
and a
governessA governess is a woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not their physical needs...
. In 1894, when Trudie was ten years old, her father was made a
baronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy...
and purchased Paddockhurst, a modern country house and estate in
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
.
Trudie continued her education in London, both at a day school in
Queen's GateQueen's Gate is a major street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs from Kensington Road south, intersecting with Cromwell Road, and then on to Old Brompton Road....
, and later at home in
Carlton House TerraceCarlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St. James's district of London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Park. These terraces were built in 1827-32 to overall designs by John Nash with detailed...
with a series of governesses, while her brothers were educated away from home at boarding school. At the age of sixteen, Trudie completed her formal education at a
finishing schoolA finishing school is defined as "a private school for girls that emphasizes training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows an ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience...
in
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
Marriage
In 1902, Trudie met
Thomas DenmanThomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman GCMG, KCVO, PC , was a British Liberal politician and the fifth Governor-General of Australia.-Early years:...
at a ball in London. A 28-year old Liberal peer, Lord Denman was the son of a Sussex squire and had inherited his barony from his great uncle when he was 20. Denman had been wounded as an officer in the South African War and had returned home and entered political life. Lord Denman courted the 18 year old Trudie, who enjoyed his companionship but when he proposed marriage she initially refused him. Under some pressure from her parents, the courtship continued, and in August 1903 the couple became engaged at
Braemar CastleBraemar Castle is situated near the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the ancestral home and seat of Clan Farquharson and is leased to a local charitable foundation. It is open to the public.-History:...
in
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives...
. The couple was married by the
Bishop of ChichesterErnest Roland Wilberforce was an Anglican clergyman and bishop...
on 26 November 1903 at
St. Margaret's, WestminsterThe Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the British Houses of Parliament in London...
.
In 1905, Gertrude Denman gave birth to her first child, Thomas. Later that year Sir Weetman bought Trudie her own country estate,
BalcombeBalcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the northwest and Haywards Heath to the south southeast...
in Sussex. The house, Balcombe Place, was to become Denman's home for the rest of her life. Her second child, Judith was born at Balcombe in 1907.
Women's suffrage
In May 1908, Lady Denman was elected to the Executive of the Women's Liberal Federation. The youthful and inexperienced Trudie was joining a committee with some formidable elder members. Her mother, Lady Pearson had been on the Executive for many years together with its President
Lady CarlisleRosalind Frances Howard, Countess of Carlisle , sometimes known as The Radical Countess, was a British aristocrat and campaigner....
, Lady Aberconway and Mrs Broadley Reid. The Women's Liberal Federation busied itself with the question of women's suffrage through 1908 and into early 1909. The question of suffrage was put on hold for the Women's Liberal Federation when the
People's BudgetThe 1909 People's Budget was a product of H.H. Asquith's Liberal government that introduced many unprecedented taxes on the wealthy and radical social welfare programmes to Britain's political life. It was championed by Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George and his strong ally Winston...
presented by
Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British statesman and the only Welsh Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; he is also the only one to have spoken English as a second language, Welsh having been his first.During a long tenure of office, mainly as Chancellor of the...
in April 1909 presented a more pressing issue for the Liberals and subsequently precipitated the
General Election of January 1910The United Kingdom general election of January 1910 was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910.The election produced a hung parliament, with the Conservative Party led by Arthur Balfour and their Liberal Unionist allies receiving the largest number of votes, and the Liberals led by H. H. Asquith...
. With the election over, the Executive of the Women's Liberal Federation were able to turn again to the suffrage question, and Trudie was active in supporting the Executive's refusal to support Liberal parliamentary candidates who refused to answer the Executive's test questions on suffrage. At the Federation's 1910 Annual meeting, she was re-elected to the Executive with an increased vote and spoke in favour of a resolution to curtail the power of veto held by the House of Lords. By the end of 1910 it was clear that Lady Denman's life was about to change considerably; her husband Lord Denman, was to become the fifth
Governor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
in succession to the
Earl of DudleyEarl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family. This family descends from Sir Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy goldsmith and jeweller to King Charles I...
.
Australia
In 1911 Lord Denman was appointed
Governor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. The Denmans left London at the end of June and travelled to
MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
from where they set sail for
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
, arriving on 31 July. The Denman children arrived later having been sent via the
CapeCape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
to avoid the heat of the
Red SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez,...
. The Denmans received a favourable welcome despite the tendency of the Australian press to poke fun at the English, and Lord Denman formed a cordial relationship with the Labour Government leader
Andrew FisherAndrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation. According to D. J...
and his Attorney-General
Billy HughesWilliam Morris Hughes, CH, KC , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia, the longest serving member of the Australian Parliament, and one of the most colourful figures in Australian political history...
.
As well as the large number of official engagements that Lady Denman was required to attend as the
wife of the Governor-GeneralThe Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia has no official duties or responsibilities. The spouse generally assists the office-holder in welcoming ambassadors and their spouses, and in performing their other official duties...
, she also found time to take an interest in the National Council of Women of each State. Lady Denman met the councils in all the States and encouraged them at their first interstate conference in 1912 to meet together annually so that all could work toward the same objectives. Another area in which Lady Denman took a particular interest was that of bush nursing. Bush nursing was a service to those living in remote and scattered areas far from doctors and hospital facilities. Lady Denman's predecessor, Lady Dudley, had promoted the idea of a self-supporting scheme in each state and had started raising funds for the project. When Trudie arrived in 1911 just one nurse had been appointed; by the end of the year four nurses were at work. In 1912 she opened two new centres and the following year she presided at the Bush Nursing Association's annual meeting. By the time the Denmans left Australia, her interest and support had led to the establishment of almost twenty Bush Nursing Centres in Victoria alone.
Among her other interests was the Melbourne Repertory Theatre Club, founded by
Gregan McMahonGregan McMahon, CBE was an Australian actor and theatrical producer.McMahon was born in Sydney, elder son of John Terence McMahon, a clerk, and his wife Elizabeth, née Gregan. Both parents were emigrants from Ireland. McMahon was educated at Sydney Grammar School and St Ignatius' College, Riverview...
, which she supported by attending productions, entertaining the company at
Government HouseGovernment House, Melbourne is the office and official residence of the Governor of Victoria. It is set next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and surrounded by Kings Domain in Melbourne. It was the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia from 1901 to 1930.Lieutenant-governor of...
, and aiding their efforts to raise funds. Trudie also organised an exhibition of old furniture, silver and china held at Government House in April 1914. She collected over 500 exhibits, many from her own collections and those of her friend
Nellie MelbaDame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian opera soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century due to the purity of her lyrical voice and the brilliance of her technique. Melba was the first Australian to achieve...
. The exhibition was a great success with over 20,000 people attending over ten days, and the profits split between the Theatre club and the Arts and Crafts Society.
On 11 March 1913 Lady Denman accompanied her husband and the rest of a Vice-Regal party to the Yass-Canberra district of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. The following day they were to perform the official opening ceremony of the new capital of Australia. The Minister for Home Affairs,
King O'MalleyKing O'Malley was an Australian politician. He was a member in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1899, and the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 to 1917...
, was determined that a start should be made on the new capital during the Labor Government's term of office, and that a formal ceremony should be held, even though the participants would have to camp out in the bush. For some time before the ceremony itself, the name chosen for the new capital had been the subject of some controversy. Many names had been put forward, but the one chosen by the Cabinet was kept secret, even from the Governor-General, until the moment of its announcement.
500 official guests and almost 5,000 people travelled in special trains to witness the spectacle. Lord Denman laid the first foundation stone, the Prime Minister and O'Malley laid the second and third stones. The moment had arrived for the naming of the new capital. As well as the choice of name there had been much discussion in the Cabinet as to how the new name should be pronounced. It was decided that whatever pronunciation Lady Denman gave when she read out the name would be the one officially adopted. At noon, Mrs O'Malley presented to Lady Denman a gold case containing a card on which the chosen name was written. Amid a fanfare of trumpets and the bands playing 'All people that on earth do dwell', she made her way to a dais. The music ceased and Lady Denman said, "I name the capital of Australia Canberra." There were loud cheers, and while the artillery fired a twenty-one gun salute, the bands played "
Advance Australia Fair"Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish–born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic...
" and "God Save the King". The date is now celebrated in the national capital as "
Canberra DayCanberra Day is a public holiday held annually on the second Monday in March in the Australian Capital Territory to celebrate the official naming of Canberra...
".
While Trudie and the children accepted life in Australia, and made the most of the opportunities it had to offer, Lord Denman found it uncomfortable and his health was not good. He was frequently in bed with colds and
asthmaAsthma is a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways are reversibly narrowed. Asthma affects 7% of the population of the United States, and 300 million worldwide...
, and his
hay feverHay Fever is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss.Laura Hope Crewes played the role in New York...
was especially serious on account of the pollen laden blooms of Australia's national flower, the
wattleWattle may refer to:*Wattle , a fleshy growth hanging from the head or neck of certain animals, including humans*Wattle is another term for Congenital cartilaginous rest of the neck...
. Early in November 1913, Lord Denman announced to the Colonial Secretary Lord Harcourt his desire to resign. Eventually his request was accepted and the Denmans left Australia amid a barrage of laudatory farewell addresses in May 1914.
World War I
As the Denmans returned to Britain in 1914,
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
was about to start. In August, war was declared and Lord Denman took command of a regiment of the
County of London (Middlesex) Yeomanry47 Signal SquadronDuring the Napoleonic Wars that the Gentlemen of Uxbridge sought permission from the Government to form a Military Association to maintain law and order when the Regular Forces were sent to the coast to protect the country against invasion by the French...
. Lady Denman involved herself with a war charity,
Smokes for Wounded Soldiers And Sailors Society. The "SSS" as it was commonly known, had Queen Alexandra as its patron, and an impressive committee with Field-Marshal
Lord GrenfellField Marshal Francis Wallace Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, GCB, GCMG, PC was a British Army officer.Born in 1841, he was educated at Blandford before joining the 60th Royal Rifles in 1859...
and
AdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral. It is usually abbreviated to "Adm." or "ADM"...
Lord Charles Beresford and the wives of other leading admirals and generals among its members. The Society operated from Trudie's home at 4 Buckingham Gate, where Trudie had turned the ballroom into a packing centre. The "SSS" voluntary workers met all the hospital trains and ships and supplied all the service hospitals with free smokes. Gertrude Denman became the chairman of the Society in 1916, and by the time she resigned due to other commitments in 1917, some 265 million cigarettes and other smoking materials had been distributed.
While Lady Denman devoted a great deal of her time to the SSS, in private her youngest brother Geoffrey had been one of the first casualties of the war when he was shot trying to escape from his captors during the
First Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between the 5th and 12th of September 1914. It resulted in a Franco-British victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger...
, and her marriage to Lord Denman continued to bring little happiness to either of them. Trudie was therefore delighted by the unexpected return from Kenya of her friend Nellie Grant (mother of
Elspeth HuxleyElspeth Joscelin Huxley CBE was a polymath, writer, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government advisor....
).
Together they began a scheme to make use of food scraps and save food imports by encouraging the keeping of poultry. This was a popular endeavour, with families, hospitals and other institutions taking part, and resulted in Trudie becoming President of the Women's Section of the Poultry Association.
In the latter part of 1916, Lady Denman accepted the post of chairman of the Women's Institute Sub-Committee of the Agricultural Organisation Society. In 1917 the administration of the expanding Women's Institute movement was transferred to the Women's branch of the Board of Agriculture's Food Production Department, which had been set up to form a
Women's Land ArmyThe Women's Land Army was a British and American civilian organization created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military...
.
Affiliations
In 1917 she became the first President of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, a post she held until 1946. She was also the first Chairman of the Family Planning Association, President of the Ladies Golf Union, a Trustee of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, and a Director of the Westminster Press.
Damehoods
In 1933 Lady Denman was appointed a
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
. She was advanced to
Dame Grand Cross (GBE)The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1951. This entitled her to be known as Dame Gertrude Denman; however, as the wife of a peer, her existing title Lady Denman subsumed this.
Death
Gertrude Denman died three years later, on 2 June 1954, aged 69. Her husband died 22 later, on 24 June 1954.
Legacy
The
Lady Denman Ferry was named in her honour in 1911 and was used on Sydney Harbour until 1979. It is now the primary attraction at the Lady Denman Museum in
Huskisson, New South WalesHuskisson is a town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven, on the shores of Jervis Bay. It is 24 km south-east of Nowra.Situated alongside Currambene Creek which serves also as an anchorage and fishing port...
. Lady Denman Drive, a major arterial road in Canberra, was also named in her honour.