10 minute read
Hello Autumn by Stan Phillips
Hello Autumn
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by Stan Phillips
Even though September can often be a golden month filled, as it always is, with the trees turning to flame and great flocks of birds preparing to fly off to far away places.
It is still, no matter how glorious it might be, the harbinger of things to come, like; The ending of Summer. That 'return to school' feeling. Clocks going back. The days growing shorter. And those wistful shades of Autumn that promise winter. And though there is much to anticipate in the months ahead.
Lots of deeds and doings and fun to be had in the magic of unfolding life.
It is still a little sad as we watch another used up August shuffle off into memory.
Taking the glory of summer, slowly, but surely with it.
Stan Phillips (C)2020
Stan Phillips is an 80 year old poet, musical podcast maker, part-time wannabe male model, and occasional stand up comedian. “I used to be a psychotherapist/counsellor when I had an honest job. I was born into prewar London, and attended 17 schools (my father believed they couldn’t hit a moving target) and I eventually finished up here in Ireland. Still wonder
ing what I will be when I grow up — but enjoying writing my quirky poetry as I do so.”
Discover more about Stan on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips
Matchgirls Strike of 1888
by Sam Johnson
Sarah Chapman perspective
It all started with a visit with my now husband, Graham, to his cousin in Biggleswade. In old papers, out slipped an Edwardian image of a young soldier, who it turned out was Graham’s Grandfather, Frederick Robinson Johnson, who died in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. No mention had been made of Frederick before. This got us irreversibly bitten by the family research bug. I realised I should investigate my own lineage where I found wealthy landowners in Oxfordshire and a long line of silk weavers in the East End. Research is gripping yet time consuming so, reluctantly, I had to stop, as juggling it with a full-time job and two young sons was impossible. Move forward fifteen years and a family discussion led me to pick it all up again! In September 2016 I Google searched for my Great Grandparents, Charles Henry Dearman and Sarah Chapman and couldn’t believe what I found –an Ancestry.co.uk Message Board, appealing for information. The researcher, Anna Robinson, wrote an MA thesis: 'Neither Hidden Nor Condescended To: Overlooking Sarah Chapman‘. Anna also discovered Sarah's grave during her research - I’ll come to that later.
Sarah was born in 1862 in Mile End lived all her life in the East End. Sarah was working as a Matchmaking Machinist alongside her elder sister Mary and her mother by the time she was 19. Many workers at the Bryant and May Match Factory in Bow were very young and endured long hours, On top of this, the matches were made using harmful white phosphorus that risked the workers getting osteonecrosis or ‘phossy jaw’.
The Matchgirls loved a night out. The following contemporary quotes provide a flavour of their antics:
At a Fabian Society meeting on 15 th June 1888. Henry Hyde Champion proposed a motion to boycott buying Bryant & May matches. It was passed unanimously. The next day, Annie Besant spoke about their conditions and then published her ‘White Slavery in London’ article in her magazine, ‘The Link’. Bryant & May Directors were furious and threatened to sue Annie for libel and demanded their employees sign a document refuting the article. They refused. There followed a dismissal and on 5 th July 1888, 1400 workers walked out on strike.
The Matchgirls wrote an unsigned letter to Annie Besant, which was published in The Link on
14 th July:
The next day, around 200 workers marched to Bouverie Street to appeal to Annie and three were invited into Annie’s office (Sarah Chapman, Mary Naulls and Mary Cummings) and, despite Annie not favouring strike action, she agreed to help them. Plans soon followed to form a Strike Committee.
56 strikers went to the House of Commons, and 12 of them met MPs. Support came from the London Trades Council and Toynbee Hall. After less than a fortnight, the Matchgirls supported by the London Trades Council met Bryant & May Directors. All strike demands were met. A Union was formed and 12 women were elected, most of whom had been on the Strike Committee The following week, The Link reported the following from the enrolment meeting: ‘A break in the proceedings was caused by a very kind and pretty act of the girls, the presentation of a little gold brooch to Annie Besant, and of a scarf-pin each to Herbert Burrows and H. W. Hobart (unfortunately absent), as memorials of the victory-crowned struggle’.
Sarah was elected to the new Union Committee and was their first representative at the TUC. She attended the International TUC in London in November 1888 and was one of only 77 delegates. Sarah then attended the 1890 TUC in Liverpool, where she seconded a motion in relation to The Truck Act. At this conference, there were over 500 delegates but only 10 women. By April 1891, Sarah’s Father had died and she and her Mother moved to Bromley-byBow. Later that year Sarah left the factory to get married, to Charles Henry Dearman, a Cabinet Maker from Bethnal Green. They had six children, three of whom pre-deceased Sarah. Unfortunately, we have few tangible links to Sarah’s life aside from a few photographs but my Dad, Ken, recalls Sarah giving him a red train engine when he was young (he drew this engine from memory). He also recalls visiting Sarah in Bethnal Green, and going into a dark room with an aspidistra and antimacassars on the chairs and evocative smells of gas
from gas mantles.
Following Anna Robinson’s earlier discovery, we visited Sarah’s grave in January 2017 –a pauper’s plot, at Manor Park Cemetery, Forest Gate. It is threatened with ‘mounding’ –a brutal process involving removing headstones, flattening the ground, adding new soil and then making new burials. We secured funds for a headstone for Sarah and have a petition, so please do sign.
We set up a charity, ‘The Matchgirls Memorial’, to raise funds for a statue to honour the Matchgirls.
Website: www.matchgirls1888.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMatchgirls Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ TheMatchgirlsMemorial/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ matchgirls1888statue/ Email: matchgirls1888statue@gmail.com Petition: https://bit.ly/SarahChapman
Editor In Chief—Hannah Howe
The Editor-in-Chief is the key figure in every publication. Hannah Howe works closely with the editorial staff to ensure the success of each publication. She is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann’s War Mystery Series and Saving Grace. Get to know more about Hannah, her projects and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here:
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The Executive Editor / Graphic Designer is responsible for developing the layout and design of MFR eMagazine. She also works hard to create new covers each month that captures the essence of each publication. In addition to the editorial staff of Mom’s Favorite Reads, Melanie P. Smith also produces Connections eMagazine. She is a multi-genre author of Criminal Suspense, Police Procedural, Paranormal and Romance novels. Get to know more about Melanie, her projects and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here:
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Wendy H. Jones is the award winning, international best-selling author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates Mysteries, Fergus and Flora Mysteries, Bertie the Buffalo children’s books and the Writing Matters books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach and the President of the Scottish Association of Writers. As copy editor for Mom’s, she works hard to ensure content is appropriate and free of grammatical and spelling errors. You can learn more about Wendy on her website:
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Val Tobin — https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/val-tobin/ Stan Phillips —https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips/ Father Ian Muher —https://imaherblog.wordpress.com/
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