Remember Mary Barbour

I was part of the media scrum at the unveiling of the Mary Barbour (and her Army) statue in Govan on International Women's Day....
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgows-mary-barbour-statue-unveiled-14385125

Maria Fyfe, chair of the Remember Mary Barbour Association, and Bailie John Kane, treasurer, are looking rightly proud of all their hard work in promoting Mrs Barbour's achievements and fundraising for the statue.

Mrs Barbour led rent strikes in Govan in 1915, after landlords forced prices up to take advantage of workers flooding to the shipyards, evicting existing tenants (often women whose husbands had joined the army). Their resistance campaign involved watching out for bailiffs and raising the alarm by bashing pots and pans. Inside tenements the bailiffs could be pelted with anything to hand... like the contents of chamberpots. The strike spread around the city and a huge march on the Sheriff's Court followed, when evictees' cases were being heard, which finally convinced Lloyd George the landlords were working against the war effort. The Rent Restrictions Act was passed within months.

Mary Barbour was elected as one of the first women councillors in 1920 and later set up a family planning centre, despite her male colleagues' concerns....

Mrs Barbour had figured quite a lot in our lives over the last five or so years, as Mr HPW is the vice-chair of the association and we've been collecting funds and having large boxes of postcards delivered, amongst other activities. Alexander and I got to ride on a float at the Govan Fair a couple of years ago, in Edwardian dress. https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2053616982414068877

Funds are still needed to finalise the work of building the statue, so if you'd like to contribute donations would still be gratefully accepted! https://remembermarybarbour.wordpress.com/how-to-donate/