Agnes Dollan

Lady Agnes Dollan MBE
File:Agnes Dollan.jpg Dollan in 1924
Born	Agnes Johnston Moir 16 August 1887(1887-08-16) Springburn, Glesga, Scotland
Dee'd	16 Julie 1966(1966-07-16) (aged 78) Glasgow Victoria Infirmary, Glesga, Scotland
Naitionality	Scots
Poleetical pairty	Independent Labour Party, Labour Party, Scottish Socialist Party
Hauf-marrae(s)	Patrick Dollan
Bairns	1
Pawrents	Anne (née Wilkinson) and Henry Moir
Awairds	Member of the Order of the British Empire (award gien 1946)

Agnes Johnston Dollan MBE (née Moir; 16 August 1887 – 16 July 1966), kent as Agnes, Lady Dollan an aw, wis a Scots suffragette an poleetical activist. She wis a leadin campaigner durin the Glesga Rent Strikes, an a foondin organiser fur the Women's Peace Crusade (Scots: Weemin's Peace Crusade). In 1919, she wis the first wumman tae be selected bi the Labour pairty to staun fur election tae Glesga Toun Cooncil, an later on became Lady Provost fur Glesga.

Early life

Dollan wis born on Springburn Road in Springburn, Glasgow on 16 August 1887 tae Anne Wilkinson and Henry Moir, a blacksmith in the locomotive wirks. She wis ane oot o eleiven bairns.

She went tae school local until the she wis eleiven year auld afore bein gart tae leave ower the heid o puirith in the faimilie. She went tae the Socialist Sunday Schuils an aw, whaur she "graduated as a Socialist".

Lea'in schuil, she first went tae wirk in a factory afore becomin a Post Office telephone operator. Durin the seicont job, she jynt the Women's Labour League (Scots: Weemin's Labour League) an gied Mary Reid Macarthur a haun in pittin thegither a weemen's post office trade union.

She jyned the Independent Labour Party (ILP; Scots: Independent Labour Pairty) at 18 year auld, an than the Women's Social and Political Union (Scots: Weemin's Social an Poleetical Uinion).

She met Patrick Dollan, a journalist an memmer o the Independent Labour Party, via the Clarion Scouts. Thay war mairriet on 20 September 1912, an thair ainly bairn, James, wis born in 1913. He was exemptit frae releegious instruction at schuil. James became a journalist an aw.

Rent strikes an Red Clydeside

Agnes Dollan became poleetically active durin the Red Clydeside period o Glesga's history as an organiser fur the 1915 Glasgow Rent Strikes alang wi Mary Barbour, Helen Crawfurd, Mary Laird an Mary Jeff. She wirkit tae link the rent strikes movement wi peace campaigns, an as Treasurer fur Glasgow Women's Housing Association led the campaign against rent increases pit on bi laundlairds. Dollan wis sent tae jyle in 1917 fur protestin against heich rents. She wis a memmer o The Women's Peace Crusade in Glesga.

Mary Barbour Statue – Front view

She became a weel-kent feegure in Glesga politics an spak at the 1917 Mey Day demo in Glesga Green.

She wis a memmer o the Women's Social an Political Union an the Women's Labour League.

Poleetical career

Efter jynin the ISP aboot 1915, Dollan became the first female Labour candidate tae staun fur election tae Glesga Ceetie Cooncil in Januar 1919. On 13 Dizember 1921, she was electit in a by-election as the cooncillor fur Springburn. She wis successfu in staunin again fur Cooncil in 1922 an haudit the poseetion until 1928. She became a Justice of the Peace ((in Scots) Juistice fur the Peace) in 1928.

In 1924, she wrocht in The Sunday Post aboot the amendment o the Representation of the People Act 1918, clearly linkin hamewart interests as a guid reason fur aw weemen tae hiv the franchise.

She was the first Labour candidate tae contest Dumfriesshire in the Unitit Kinrick general election of 1924, she wisna successfu, hounaiver.She served on the Labour Party National Executive frae 1922 tae 1928 an conteenued her seat in the 1930s efter a period o illness stappin her frae takkin pairt in poleetical acteevities. In 1933, she spak at the Naitional Conference of Labour Women, arguin thit thare sud be mair women candidates fur the Labour Pairty.

Am convincit thit wir weemen ur as guid as the men, an in some cases, better.

— Pit ower fae Inglis

She foucht against the remuivin o the ILP frae the Labour Party, hounaiver, follaein the spleet she wis appyntit the first president o the Scottish Socialist Party's weemmen's council in 1933. She campaigned fur tae be the Labour Party (UK) candidate fur Leith in the 1935 United Kingdom general election. Her key pynts war the chance o anither war, the Unemployment Bill, an "poverty in the mids o plenty". The election wis ultimately contestit bi David Cleghorn Thomson

Her guidman Patrick served as Lord Provost fur Glesga frae 1938 tae 1941, hounaiver, whan she went tae events wi him Agnes reteened her ain identity. Harry McShane pit in his autobiography:

Pat Dollan's wife wis awfy acteeve an better nor he wis, a'v aye thocht; am convinced thit he killt her acteevity..

— Pit ower fae inglis

Anti-war activism

Alang wi Helen Crawfurd an ithers, she estaiblisht baith the Women's Peace Crusade in 1916 an the Glesga brainch o the Women's International League in 1915. Baith notit spikkers, Dollan an Crawfurd traivelled aboot Scotland spreidin the wird anent the League.

She haed exception tae the defence o weemen bein uised as a raison fur war.

See the honour o weemen, as a wummin, she exceptit tae fowk thit ur bein made an excuise fur sic a tairible slauchter. She protestit against her honour bein made like an excuise fur war.

— Pit ower fae Inglis

In 1922, Dollan an Mary Barbour spak in Langside, discussin "the Citizenship o weemen an bearin on warld peace, disarmament, an internaitional juistice an freedom".

Dollan later on chynger her anti-war staunce as a repone tae World War II, sayin thit:

Aw o't wis awfy guid tae theorise unner ordinar condeetions, but we arenae leevin unner sic condeetions the day – we war facin a crisis thit micht mean general mobilisation.

— Pit ower fae Inglis

She later on became a memmer o the Moral Re-Armament Muivement.

Honours

She was gien an MBE award in George VI's Birthday Honours list o 1946 fur her war efforts as the centre organiser in Glesga fur the Women's Voluntary Services.

Deith

Agnes Dollan dee'd o hert failure on 16 Julie 1966 in Glesga's Victoria Infirmary.