Stuart, Wilhelmina Magdalene (1895–1985)

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Stuart, Wilhelmina Magdalene (1895–1985)

New Zealand telegraphist. Born Aug 9, 1895, in Dunedin, New Zealand; died July 3, 1985, in Dunedin; dau. of Abraham Francis Stuart (compositor) and Wilhelmina Catherine (Bohning) Stuart (tailor).

Joined Post and Telegraph Department (1915), and worked on manual telegraph equipment, transmitting and receiving messages in Morse code; became 1st woman in Dunedin to operate new multiplex machine-printing telegraph system (1925); after fighting lack of advancement because of her gender, saw her appeal upheld (1944), and was promoted, receiving increase in salary from £15 to £320 per year.

See also Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (Vol. 4).

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