Elizabeth Britomarte James

Elizabeth Britomarte James OBE JP (1 June 1867 – 6 November 1943), also known as Mrs Britomarte James, was an Australian political reformer, women's activist and temperance advocate.

Elizabeth Britomarte James

OBE, JP
James in 1927
Born(1867-06-01)1 June 1867
Durban Lead, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Died6 November 1943(1943-11-06) (aged 76)
Auburn, Victoria, Australia
Resting placeSpringvale Cemetery
Other namesMrs Britomarte James
Known forAustralian political reformer, women's activist and temperance advocate

Early life and marriage

Born on the Victorian goldfields at Durban Lead, Ballarat, Victoria, James was the eldest child of Ebenezer James and Clara Elizabeth James (née Maisey).[1] The family moved to Port Melbourne where James assisted her father in his work as chaplain at the Mission to Seaman.[2]

James married her cousin, George Henry James on 25 May 1889 at her parents' home in Port Melbourne.[3] He was a schoolteacher with the Victorian Department of Education.[4]

War and welfare work

Both her sons enlisted in World War I and were injured. James travelled to England to assist their recovery. Subsequently, they enlisted in the Flying Corps and, rather than returning to Australia, she volunteered with the Red Cross.[2] She was later put in charge of a unit of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in France.[1]

After the war she formed the Ex-Service Woman's Association and was its president for a number of years.[5] In 1922 she was president of both the Metropolitan branch of the Farmers' Union and the Wattle League.[6] She was also a leading member of the Victorian Women Citizens' Movement and the Victorian branch of the National Council of Women.[5]

James stood unsuccessfully for election to the Council of South Melbourne in 1927.[5]

In 1934 James called a meeting at the Lyceum Club in March 1934 at which she proposed the formation of a Centenary Club, being a place to welcome visitors to Melbourne.[7]

In the 1938 Birthday Honours, James was made an Officer of the Order of British Empire[8] for "social welfare services in the State of Victoria".[9]

Personal

James died at Kareela Private Hospital, Auburn, Victoria on 6 November 1943.[1] She was survived by her two sons, Cecil Holman James and George Ronald James.[10] Her husband had predeceased her in September 1938.[4] She is buried in Springvale Cemetery, Springvale, Victoria.[11][12]

References
  1. Smart, Judith, "James, Elizabeth Britomarte (1867–1943)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 1 September 2020
  2. "In Memoriam". The Dawn. 26 (6). Western Australia. 22 December 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne) (13, 429). Victoria, Australia. 8 July 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 1 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Obituary COLONEL G. H. JAMES". The Argus (Melbourne) (28, 732). Victoria, Australia. 23 September 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 1 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Melbourne Chatter", The bulletin, John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 48 (2475): 47, 21 July 1927, ISSN 0007-4039
  6. "Interested in Politics". Evening News (17162). New South Wales, Australia. 20 June 1922. p. 9. Retrieved 1 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Melbourne Chatter (7 March 1934)", The bulletin, John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 55 (2821): 37, 7 March 1934, ISSN 0007-4039
  8. "BIRTHDAY HONOURS". The West Australian. 54 (16, 206). Western Australia. 9 June 1938. p. 20. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "No. 34518". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1938. p. 3702.
  10. "Family Notices". The Age (27629). Victoria, Australia. 8 November 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "PERSONAL". The Herald (Melbourne) (20, 743). Victoria, Australia. 9 November 1943. p. 7. Retrieved 31 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "Celebrating our notable humanitarians at SMCT". Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
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