I saw your ad for ‘a woman of average intelligence’

and applied cut sharp
ship shape at Broad Lane.
Thirteen hours for a threepenny
get you a pencil/bar of soap/piece
of fruit. I saw your ad for ‘a woman
of average intelligence’
and thought mainly about change.
Just like the boys did
before they were called away
we polish the gears and we man
the drill press shrapnel
from a spinning lathe. Gestetner/
Woolwich/Maynards don’t
matter still takes a fight
to get factory-trained. I saw your ad
for ‘a woman of average intelligence’
in my head heard letter bombs/
cells locking/99 High Road
there are banners printing.
Wemakestencils/rifles/
pear drops don’t matter
still takes a fight to get
properly paid. We learn Jiu Jitsu/
hammer at glass/Pankhurst
shouts across Finsbury Park.

This poem channels the voice of Ada Mary Weymark, a local suffragette. In 1949, she was awarded an MBE for her extensive public service. Weymark’s journey as an advocate began in 1916 when she applied for a job at Woolwich Arsenal. The grueling hours and poor pay sparked a lifelong mission to fight for the underprivileged including tirelessly campaigning for women's rights. Though little has been documented about her, an obituary detailing her remarkable lifetime of activism was published in the local newspaper on her death in 1971. You can find out more by visiting Haringey Archives, Bruce Castle Museum.