Biographical entry Walsh, Adela Pankhurst (1885 - 1961)

Summary

Suffragette and activist for women's and workers' rights, Adela Pankhurst-Walsh began her career as a paid organiser for the Women's Social and Political Union, an organisation founded in England by her mother and sisters. She arrived in Australia in 1914 and soon found work as an organiser for Vida Goldstein. She was a member of the Women's Political Association and Women's Peace Army.

She married Tom Walsh of the Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia in 1917 and became a foundation member of the Communist Party of Australia, from which she would soon withdraw. She also wrote for the Seamen's Journal.

Pankhurst-Walsh became increasingly known as an anti-communist and toured extensively during the Depression on behalf of the Australian Women's Guild of Empire, speaking about improved working conditions and workplace relations.

Related entries

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

• Thomas Walsh and Adela Pankhurst Walsh papers, 1905-1961, 1905 - 1961, MS 2123; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details
• Thomas Walsh and Adela Pankhurst Walsh papers, 1905-1961 [microform], 1905 - 1961, MFM G 22829 - G 22867; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Damousi, Joy, 'The Enthusiasms of Adela Pankhurst Walsh', Australian Historical Studies, vol. 25, no. 100, 1993, pp. 422-436. Details

See also

• Australia's Prime Ministers, National Archives of Australia, http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/. Details