Title: The Papers of Vera "Jack" Holme
Description: This collection documents the colorful life of British actress, suffragist, chauffeur, and World War I ambulance driver, Vera Holme. Holme (1881-1969), who went by the name "Jack," wore men's clothes, and had a female partner, Evelina Haverfield. In 1908, Holme joined the militant suffrage group the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), acting as chauffeur for the group's leader. In World War I, Holme and Haverfield served in Serbia and ran an orphanage there after the war. The materials collected here span the years 1899 to 2004 and include lecture notes, diaries, postcards, poems, music, flyers and pamphlets, government certificates, and press clippings. Items specific to the WSPU include speeches, programs, and photos of suffragists. Letters, reports, and photos from Serbia detail Holme and Haverfield's experiences and ambulance work there. Photos of Holme in men's garb and her materials concerning Haverfield depict a woman unafraid to express her gender and sexual identity despite potential disapproval.
Subjects: Archives, Suffragists, Lesbians
Places: Great Britain
People: Vera Holme (1881-1969)