Ladies ’ Automobile Club meet , Waterloo Place 1904 .
By 1909 , the membership of the Ladies ’ Automobile Club had reached 450 and a decision was made to limit it at this level , with a waiting list then being opened .
As the funds of the Ladies ’ Automobile Club accumulated , they began to look towards more philanthropic activities . Editorial Jottings in The Car magazine in 1912 praised the Club for its decision to endow a hospital bed at the Royal Free Hospital in London specifically for those injured in accidents caused by motor vehicles . During the First World War , the Club funded two vehicles to support troops at the front . The first was a four-stretcher ambulance which was presented to the Edinburgh and Border Hospital stationed in Dunkirk . The second was a motor field kitchen with specially designed coachwork on a 40hp Crossley body .
After the war , and into the 1920s , the motor car became more of a utility than a novelty , and the eyes of the elite turned to the skies with aviation becoming the new passion . The fashion for motoring went into steep decline : by this point , Club runs and gymkhanas had stopped due to lack of interest . In 1921 , the Club moved to new premises in South Audley Street in Mayfair , London . Although it was reported as being ‘ cheery and comfortable ’, with chintz-covered chairs and ‘ delightful accommodation ’, the Ladies ’ Automobile Club seemed to have become more of a social group for women than one committed to four-wheeled experiences . The Pall Mall Gazette noted on a visit to the new headquarters that ‘ none of our younger enthusiasts who drive so daringly about London were to be seen ’. The new generation of women had moved on , as driving became commonplace and cars less of a technical challenge to master , and the Ladies ’ Automobile Club was eventually absorbed into the Royal Automobile Club .
While the Club certainly reflected the elite of society – motoring was , after all , a rich person ’ s hobby in its early days – it was a significant move towards recognising and organising women as motorists in their own right for the first time . -
Above : Field ambulance funded by the Ladies ’ Automobile Club . Right : The Duchess of Sutherland , the first elected President of The Ladies ’ Automobile Club , prepares to leave Waterloo Place .
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