Helga Gill (1885–1928) was a Norwegian-British

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. She was an organiser for the

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In March 1919 it w ...

and campaigned on behalf of Women's Suffrage across the UK.

Early life

Helga Gill was born in 1885 in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

to parents were Johan Klerk Gill and Karen Marie Ottilia Gill. She was their oldest child and had five siblings. Her mother died when she was a child, and Helga helped raise her brothers and sisters.

Work at NUWSS

Helga Gill initially visited the United Kingdom for a holiday. She made friends with members of the politically prominent Corbett family,

Marie Marie may refer to the following. People Given name * Marie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** List of people named Marie * Marie (Japanese given name) Surname * Jean Gabriel-Marie, French compo ...

and her daughters Cecily and Margery. Gill was speaking at suffrage meetings and was the organiser of the

NUWSS The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In March 1919 it w ...

by 1909. Sissel Rosland has argued that she was a 'popular and busy campaigner' between 1909 and 1914. Newspaper reports show that she was critical of the militancy of the

s, and frequently referenced her Norwegian origins in her speeches. Norway had given women partial suffrage in 1907, and so Gill's viewpoint of a voting woman was valued. By 1912 she was an Organiser for Oxford, Berks, and Bucks and was sent on a tour of Ireland by the NUWSS to promote women's suffrage.

Work in World War I

When

World War One World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

broke out in 1914, Gill signed up to join the

Scottish Women's Hospitals The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Services (SWH) was founded in 1914. It was led by Dr Elsie Inglis and provided nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, cooks and orderlies. By the end of World War I, 14 medical units had been outfitted and ...

, a wartime project funded by the NUWSS. She was a part of the French Hospital Unit and left for

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in December 1914, where she was based at

Royaumont Abbey Royaumont Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris, France. History It was built between 1228 and 1235 with the support of Louis IX. A proclamation by Louis IX s ...

. Gill worked as an ambulance driver, transporting injured soldiers to the hospital. This was a dangerous role that carried the risk of being killed. This work took its toll on her health, and because of this she left France and worked at HM Factory Gretna for the remainder of the war.

Personal life

Helga adopted a war orphan, John Gill. She was the only woman member of the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

, Danehill branch and also ran the Boy's Brigade and was a member of the

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...

Later life and death

Helga Gill's health was permanently affected by her wartime service. She died suddenly as a result of a car crash on 16 November 1928, and was mourned both by the local community, in ''The Mid Sussex Times'', and by suffrage periodical ''The Common Cause''.

Awards

As a result of her wartime work in France, she was awarded the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

, British Victory Medal,

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

, and the Medaille des Epidemies.

References

External links

* https://map.mappingwomenssuffrage.org.uk/items/show/265 * https://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/worker-of-the-week-helga-gill {{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Helga British suffragists 1885 births 1928 deaths Norwegian emigrants to the United Kingdom