West of England and South Wales Women's History Network Blog

Imagined conversations between Julia Neville and some of the women who she ‘meets’ in the course of her researches. The content of the ‘conversation’ is based on items originally featured in archives and local newspapers. This month’s ‘interviewee’ is Mrs Emily Ward, 50 Preston Street, Exeter, October 1929 Good morning, madam, what can I get you? Well, fancy that – Miss Neville, isn’t it? I remember you. You were one of the teachers down at Rack Street Infants when our Maud and our James were there, weren’t you?   I remember you bringing James back home once when he’d cut his knee in the playground, and coming in to put another bandage on. He was no more than a tot then, can’t have been at school long. Yes, you’re quite right, we were living at our shop in Preston Street then, at no 19. A wardrobe dealer’s it was to start with, a lot of second-hand stuff from house clearances and what people brought in. Nowadays I do a lot more haberdashery. There’s always a place in the West Q...

"As Told to Julia Neville" is a series of imagined conversations between Julia Neville and some of the women who she ‘meets’ in the course of her researches. The conversations are based on items originally featured in archives and local newspapers. It doesn’t get any easier on the feet. Canvassing, I mean. This council election will be my fourth, and of course I’ve been canvassing for many years for my husband George, and for myself at Guardians’ elections. I am a very old hand at it! Now we have quite a system, and a stalwart team of helpers - the St Budeaux Amazons they call us. They’re a bit of a chore, the elections this year. Nothing like the excitement we’ll have next year with the new Equal Franchise Act in place and a General Election to use it in, as well as the council elections. I only wish we could get more women to stand in council elections. We need more women there – it should be half and half, but there are still only seven of us. We don’t always stick toget...