Cornerstone No. 186, page 18
Great Scot!
62: Victoria Drummond
Our subject number 62 was born into the Scottish nobility (her brother was John
Drummond, 15th Baron Strange and her father was Deputy Lieutenant of
Perthshire) and therefore, you might
prejudge, was one of a privileged
minority. However, she made her
mark
by
demonstrating
that
minorities (under-privileged) could
triumph and by paving the mettled
road for aspiring young maidens
whose modest ambitions reached
further than the ‘norm’ of domestic
service.
Victoria
Alexandrina
Drummond was the first female
marine engineer in Britain and the
first woman member of the Institute
of Marine Engineers. During World War II she served at sea as an engineering
officer in the Merchant Navy and received awards (MBE and Lloyds War medal)
for bravery under enemy fire.
Victoria was born at Megginch Castle (Errol) in Perthshire on October 14th 1894
and took her Christian name from her Godmother – a certain Queen, regnant
at the time. Her education started at home where she amazed her family (at
the time it was probably not ‘amazed’ but ‘scandalised’) by announcing that she
wanted to become a marine engineer. The first world war arrived and
influenced the blossoming of our subject’s ambitions by providing employment
opportunities for women. One such opening came to Victoria in the form of an
apprenticeship in a garage (motor engineering) in Perth whence, with the
influence of her father, she moved to the Caledon Ship Works in Dundee staying
on until 1922. For those readers of a nostalgic nature, let’s look at her earnings
of the time – 3 shillings a week during her first year of apprenticeship rising to
6 shillings in her second year (i.e. 15p rising to 30p)! But back to her career,
one that was to be influenced by conflict – not that of opposition to her chosen
calling, but that of worldly combat – WWII; but before that, how did she ‘win’
her sea legs?
Victoria Drummond joined the Blue Funnel Line in 1922, aboard the good ship
as assistant engineer. After this, Miss Drummond began to study for
her Second Engineer's qualification. After qualifying, she was able to find work