First women celebrated with Leeds council chamber plaques

Six plaques celebrating the achievements of women have been installed in a council chamber for the first time since the building opened in 1933.

Previously only men had been honoured at Leeds Civic Hall before the new names were added as part of the council’s Inspirational Women project.

The women chosen to be celebrated include the city’s first female MP, Alice Bacon; the first black headteacher in Leeds, Gertrude Paul; and the Barnbow Lasses munitions workers who died in a factory explosion during World War One.

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council deputy leader and executive member for resources, said she hoped the project would inspire future generations.

She said: “We have lots of schools come into the council chamber to see how local democracy works and all they saw before were men’s names on these plaques. Now they can feel inspired by the women’s plaques that they see.

“If you can see it, you can believe it and you can be it. And now we’ve got that to offer to the next generation and the next.”

Heather Paul, daughter of Gertrude Paul, said seeing her mother’s name added to the chamber was a proud moment.

She said: “Her vision and impact continue to make a difference to many people generationally.

“She was a woman who believed in collective action, galvanising young and old to promote equity not only in education but in all public services.”

The Inspirational Women project is aimed at recognising the accomplishments of Leeds women and the contribution they have made to the city’s history.

When Leeds Civic Hall was built in 1933, men who had a close association with Leeds, or who had contributed to the history of the city, had their names added to the walls of the council chamber.

The women were chosen by a public consultation and confirmed by members of the council’s executive board.

According to Ms Coupar there is space for two more women to be added to the chamber plaque, and councillors are in consideration about who to select.

The Barnbow Lasses

The Barnbow Lasses were 35 women and girls who worked in the Barnbow munitions factory in east Leeds and were killed in an explosion during World War One.

The incident remains the single biggest loss of life in the city’s history.

Leonora Cohen OBE

A pioneer of the Suffragette movement who was born in Leeds, Cohen was arrested for her protests in 1913.

She was convicted for smashing a glass case containing royal insignia at the Tower of London in protest against the government’s position on a woman’s right to vote.

In 1928 she was awarded an OBE.

Gertrude Paul

A founding member of the Leeds West Indian Carnival and the first black headteacher in Leeds.

Paul also founded the Leeds International Women’s Group, the Afro Asian Organisation and the United Caribbean Association.

Alice Bacon MP CBE

The city’s first female MP, Bacon was a minister in the Home Office in the 1960s.

She oversaw the abolition of the death penalty, the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the legalisation of abortion.

A member of the Labour Party, in 2019 Rachel Reeves unveiled a blue plaque to Bacon in Leeds Corn Exchange.

Beryl Burton OBE

Burton was an English racing cyclist who dominated the sport in the UK and abroad.

She was born in Halton and raced for clubs in Morley and Knaresborough.

She won 96 national championships and seven world titles.

Ivy Benson

Born in Holbeck, Benson was a saxophonist who led an all-female swing band.

Called the All Girls Orchestra, the group became the BBC’s resident dance band and were the first entertainers to be invited to perform at the VE Day celebrations in Berlin in 1945.

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