Lady Lucy Houston
This week’s inspirational woman is Lady Lucy Houston who was a philanthropist and an aviation pioneer. In World War One, Lady Houston opened the Bluebirds’ Nest which was a rest home for nurses from the Western Front. For this she received a DBE in 1917. She also supported the war effort in other ways such as by sending matches and woollen pullovers to soldiers. In 1926, Lady Houston’s husband at the time died and she became one of the wealthiest women in England. (It is important to note that if Lucy’s circumstances were different and she had not married the same men, she may not have been able to fund the projects that she supported throughout her life.)
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Lady Houston predicted that there would be another war in Europe and that it would be fought in the sky. Hold that thought. Britain was due to host the next Schneider Trophy competition – an international airspeed race which Britain had won twice before – in 1931. If they won again, they could keep the trophy. However, the race was during the Great Depression and the government felt that they could not justify the cost. Lady Houston decided to donate the money needed to make sure the competition happened, and that Britain could put their best foot forward. With this money, Rolls Royce created a new engine and Vicker-Supreme designed the Supermarine S6.B aircraft which won the race. This aircraft was later developed into the Spitfire fighter used in WWII. Without it, WWII may have been very different.
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Thank you to Mary Hare for the suggestion!
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#fromwhichitallSTEMmed
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If there is someone that you would like to be recognised, please let me know!
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