FIVE FACTS ABOUT ... Lady Dinah Pearce
Every week we’ll highlight famous Glaswegians
1
LADY Dinah Elizabeth Pearce was a determined and compassionate Govan woman, whose wartime efforts and contributions to society are often overshadowed by the achievements of her successful husband.
Sir William Pearce, was the esteemed chairman of the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company, and Govan’s first Member of Parliament.
2
THE couple were wealthy and privileged, of course, but Lady Pearce did not allow her elevated position to stop her becoming involved in the lives of ordinary families.
In fact, even though she was married to an MP, she firmly believed that the government of the time was letting down the working classes.
3
MANY people facing hardship and tough times in Glasgow during the late 19th and early 20th centuries benefited from her support, and her holiday scheme for sick children – Fresh Air Fortnight – transformed the lives of young people and their families.
4
WHILE on the school board of Govan Parish from 1873, Lady Pearce fought hard for female representation.
In 1906, she built the Pearce Institute, a beautiful community resource with a public hall and library, as a gift to the people of Govan.
She also had erected a church in memory of her close friend and Govan missionary Margaret Macgregor, lady superintendent of the Fairfield Works Mission.
5
LADY Pearce was a generous supporter of the Govan Press fund and was concerned about the wellbeing of soldiers, disabled children and anyone suffering hardship throughout her whole life.
She died at the age of 82 in 1918 at St Brandon’s Wimbledon, where she had been living for many years.