VIVO Media Arts Centre Archive > Winifred Henderson

Winnifred Henderson

Agnes Winnifred “Winnie” Thompson Henderson nee Coulter (1910-1986) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Her family emigrated to Canada by 1925. After graduating high school, Winnie worked for a time at Woodward’s before taking a two-year course in office work. She got a job as a telephone operator and worked in that profession through the 1930’s. She was married in Bellingham to Stanley Henderson (1906-1996) in 1933. Stanley worked at Imperial Oil for 45 years. Winnifred was a radical socialist and feminist who “demanded bread and roses for people everywhere”[obituary]. She was very active in the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation,  ran for School Board several times and ran a good race against Pat Burns for Vancouver city alderperson, and served as President of the Council of Women in the 1940’s.

Audio Interview [1979]

Description

Henderson discusses her work as a telephone operator in the late 1920’s and 1930’s; her work with the women’s group in Co-operative Commonwealth Federation; her father’s negative experiences as a marine engineer for CN, “dirty tricks” by the company, being fired in Prince George for being “red”, being a machinist in WWI, being part of the founding of the CCF,  respectable occupations for women; women terminating pregnancies and hiding marriages so they wouldn’t be fired; being a radical socialist; working with Reg and Ruth Bullock; her husband’s working conditions at Imperial Oil; being President of the Council of Women; her sons not allowed to join union because they were Trotskyites; running for city alderman[sic] against Pat Burns, 1959; Red Feather grants.

Transcription

Full interview: Henderson, Winnie

 

Title: [Winifred Henderson – 1/5]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Henderson, Winifred

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_520_02A

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

Title: [Winifred Henderson – 2/5]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Henderson, Winifred

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_520_02B

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

Title: [Winifred Henderson – 2/5]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Henderson, Winifred

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_496_02A1

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

Title: [Winifred Henderson – 2/5]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Henderson, Winifred

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_496_02A2

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

Title: [Winifred Henderson – 5/5]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Henderson, Winifred

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_496_02B

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.