Victoria Drummond was born on 14 October 1894 at Errol in Perthshire. She was one of four children born to Captain Malcolm Drummond and his wife, Geraldine. Captain Malcolm Drummond of Megginch was the Groom in Waiting to Queen Victoria. It was as a result of that relationship that Victoria received her name. Queen Victoria was her Godmother. Victoria’s mother, Geraldine Margaret Tyssen-Amherst was the daughter of William Tyssen-Amherst who was the 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney.
As a young girl, Victoria would visit the engineering works of Robert Morton and Sons in Errol, maker of steam-powered and petrol-engined trucks and busses. She asked Mr Morton how she could learn to be a marine engineer and go to sea. His advice was for her to serve an apprenticeship and then find a ship that would give her a berth as an engineer.
When Victoria turned 21, her father encouraged her to choose her own career. She once again stated that she wanted to be a marine engineer. A year later, she was apprenticed at the Northern Garage in Perth. Her foreman, Mr Malcolm, had worked in the Clyde shipyards, had gone to sea and had risen to be a Chief Engineer at sea. As such he fully supported her training.
After 2 years at the garage, Captain Drummond arranged for her to wok at the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company in Dundee. Here she worked on the engine and boiler works at Lilybank. A year later, Victoria joined the Women's Engineering Society and completed her apprenticeship. She was now a Marine Engineer, Journeyman
During a
career that spanned 40 years Victoria made 49 ocean-going voyages. She is
recognized as Scotland’s first female Marine Engineer.
No comments:
Post a Comment