Josephine Hallock
Annie Josephine Hallock nee Thompson (11 March 1905- 12 July 1985) was born in Nottingham, England, to English parents, and raised in Scotland. She emigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 1931 to marry, however, the marriage did not take place. Using her previous experience in England as a store clerk, she took a job as a grocery clerk to support herself. She subsequently worked as a housekeeper and a hospital worker at the Vancouver General Hospital where she became involved with the Women’s Unit of the Civic Employees Association. She married Ontario-born bridge carpenter Alonzo Earl Hallock in Vancouver in 1942. The couple opened a small business and took out cards with the HREU. Josephine became involved in organizing domestic workers with the Vancouver Trades and Labour Congress in 1943. In the late 1940’s she became very interested in alternative religions and began to lecture at the Theosophical Society. By 1954 she was working with the Union Label Committee serving for over 40 years as Secretary, Vice-President and President at varying times. She was also President of CCF Women’s Committee in the late 1950’s and served on the B.C. Federation of Labour Women’s Rights Committee in the 1970’s. Josephine’s husband died in 1974 and she retired from the ULC in 1979. She remained active in the peace movement, welfare work, and teaching Theosophy.