Lil Stoneman
Lil Stoneman (1895-1985) was born Lillian May Fidgett on the Isle of Wight, England. The family emigrated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1913. Her father had been a sail maker in England and had hoped to start a canvas cover business in Canada. However, he died 11 months later. Lil, who had earned an Oxford certificate in England, was able to use it to teach in Canada, so she went to work. She first taught in Harris, Saskatchewan, in a one-room school and then in Lenning, living with local families. In 1920 she married master painter Wilfred Herbert Stoneman (1881-1969). They took in boarders for a short time before moving to British Columbia in 1924. By then the local economy was already in a slump and by the early 1930’s they were forced onto relief. She became active in the unemployment movement, joined the Women’s Labour League, and worked many years as a community organizer.