Edith Janet Allen Mayo
CBE, OBE née Simpson (28 April 1915 – 29 July 1995), known as Janet Mayo or (formally) Mrs. Eric Mayo, was an advocate for war widows in Australia.
History
Janet was born in
Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, a daughter of industrialist
Alfred Allen Simpson
Alfred Allen Simpson (15 April 1875 – 27 November 1939) was an industrialist in South Australia and a partner in the firm A. Simpson & Son, founded by his grandfather Alfred Simpson. He was the mayor of Adelaide from 1913 to 1915.
Histor ...
and grew up in the family mansion "Undelcarra" on Lockwood Road,
Burnside.
On 4 July 1939, at the
Adelaide Unitarian Christian Church
The Unitarian Church of South Australia, Inc., is an independent and self-governed church affiliated with the worldwide Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist movement and an affiliate member of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It ...
,
Wakefield Street
Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square in the centre of the city, which has a grid street plan. It continues as ...
, Janet Simpson married Lieut. Eric Elton Mayo RAN (28 July 1912 – 19 November 1941). A son of Sir
Herbert Mayo
Herbert Mayo, M.D. (3 April 1796 – 28 June 1852), was a British physiologist, anatomist and medical writer.
Biography
Mayo was born in Queen Anne Street, London, the third son of John Mayo. He entered Middlesex Hospital as a surgical pup ...
(1885–1972), Eric was lost in the sinking of
HMAS Sydney. Janet, aged 26, was pregnant with their second son.
Janet became aware of the difficulties faced by war widows, especially those who were bringing up young children.
She was in 1946 a founding member of the South Australian branch of the War Widows Craft Guild, a social support organization founded the previous year by National President Mrs. G. A. "Jessie" Vasey. Janet became president of the South Australian branch in 1947, a position she held for over twenty years. Under the leadership of such women it became a powerful advocate for those whose husbands were lost as a result of their service in the Australian military forces, and was from 1948 known as the
War Widows Guild of Australia.
On the death of Jessie Vasey in 1966, Janet became National President, a position she held until retiring in 1977.
[
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Recognition
She was appointed an Officer (Civil) in the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1967 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1967 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1967 to celebra ...
list for her work as National President, War Widows' Guild of Australia.
She was appointed a Commander (Civil) in the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on 31 December 1976, for community service.
Further reading
*, a history of the War Widows' Guild.
References
External links
Mavis Thorpe Clark website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayo, Edith Janet Allen
Australian women activists
1915 births
1995 deaths