Hannah Dadds
Hannah Dadds | |
---|---|
![]() Hannah Dadds, the first female train driver on the London Underground | |
Born | Hannah Head 16 October 1941 |
Died | 5 December 2011 | (aged 70)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Train driver |
Years active | 1969–1993 |
Hannah Dadds (née Head,[1] 16 October 1941 – 5 December 2011)[2][3] was a British train driver known for being the first female train driver on the London Underground.
Early life[]
Hannah Dadds (née Head)[1] was from the Forest Gate area of Newham.[4] Her mother was a home help and her father worked in the furniture trade.[1] After leaving school at 15, she worked as a shop assistant at the Co-op, and later in the Bryant and May match factory and the Kensitas cigarette factory.[2]
London Underground career[]
In 1969, Dadds joined the London Underground, working as a 'railwoman' at Upton Park Underground station. She then worked as a ticket collector and in 1976 she became a train guard.[5]
In 1978, Dadds completed a seven-week training course to qualify as a train driver, and became a driver on the District line. In doing so, she became the first female train driver on the London Underground.[2][3][4][6][7][8] This was big news and newspapers and radio stations wanted to interview her after news of her appointment was leaked from head office. Instead of completing her training in the usual way, she was asked to stay off work for a few days to allow staff at 55 Broadway (London Transport's head office) time to organise a press conference.[1]
It has been suggested that Dadds could have been selected to drive the first Jubilee line train in 1979, she could not drive due to a foot injury.[2][3]
Hannah's sister Edna also joined the London Underground. Edna also worked first as a guard and then became a driver. Hannah and Edna became the first all-female crew on the London Underground.[2][4][5]
Dadds worked as a driver with the London Underground until she took early retirement in 1993, after which she moved to Spain.[2][4] The London Transport Museum made an oral history recording with Dadds in 1993 in which she described her career.[9]
In 2004, she was invited to a Queen's Women of Achievement lunch at Buckingham Palace; other women attending that year included Margaret Thatcher, JK Rowling, Kate Moss and Charlotte Church.[4][6][10]
Death and tributes[]
Dadds died on 5 December 2011 after a long illness. Speaking after her death, Howard Collins, chief executive of London Underground, said: "Hannah Dadds changed the working life of women on the Tube and the way in which many people viewed Tube drivers" and that "She was an esteemed member of our workforce."[3]
A plaque was unveiled in her honour at Upton Park station on 31 May 2019.[11]
See also[]
- Jill Viner, first female bus driver for London Transport
References[]
- ^ a b c d "Sound recordings". www.ltmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Dadds, Hannah". 20th Century London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "'Pioneering': First female Tube driver dies". London Evening Standard. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Grainger, Colib (14 December 2011). "History-making Hannah Dadds from Forest Gate dies". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b Pedroche, Ben (October 2013). Working the London Underground: From 1863 to 2013. The History Press. ISBN 9780752497419. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ a b Spragg, Iain (January 2013). London Underground's Strangest Tales: Extraordinary but true stories. Pavilion Books. ISBN 9781909396166. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Night Tube: 24 amazing facts about London's historic underground railway". International Business Times. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ Majumdar, Debabani (7 January 2013). "Tube 150th anniversary: Families with the Underground in their blood". BBC London News. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Summary of Oral history interview with Hannah Dadds, 1993" (PDF). London Transport Museum.
- ^ Martin, Nicole (12 March 2004). "Accolade for ladies who lunch at the Palace". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ "Plaque Unveiled For The Tube's First Female Driver, Hannah Dadds". Londonist. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- 1941 births
- 2011 deaths
- 20th-century British women
- History of the London Underground
- People from Forest Gate
- People associated with transport in London
- Conductor (rail)
- Train drivers