Margaret Kathleen Turner, civilian scientist

Recently, and particularly over the last four years, articles and books have identified the essential roles of civilian scientists during the Great War, 1914-18. Some have concentrated on the contribution of women while others have dealt with the ways in which university chemistry departments were active in helping to produce essential materials, such as pharmaceuticals, when the cessation of European trade precipitated a crisis of supply. A number of these accounts mention a letter written in 1915 to the War Committee of the Royal Society by Miss Margaret Turner of the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratories, Aberystwyth.

Margaret Kathleen Turner was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on 14th September 1880, the second daughter of William Turner, a prominent local solicitor. Educated first at the Orme Girls' School, she received a major county scholarship in 1899 and continued her studies at the Stafford Technical School. Under the guidance of GW Hefford, she studied chemistry with a view to taking a degree in the subject, and pursued and passed the Intermediate BSc examination of the University of London in 1906 as an external student.

At around this time, Margaret and her elder sister, together with their retired widower father, all moved to Aberystwyth, to a house in Queen's Avenue, where her sister ran the residence as a guest house, taking in student lodgers. Margaret was clearly anxious to complete her degree course, and entered the University College of Wales (UCW) in 1908, having been awarded an Open Exhibition. The head of the UCW Chemistry Department at that time, Professor JJ Sudborough, found the work of the Final Class that year was 'not quite up to the average', but Miss Turner was deserving of mention. She gained her University of London external degree, BSc with Honours in Chemistry, in 1909.

The next piece of information about Margaret’s progress is found in the adverts for the chemistry degree course at Aberystwyth in the chemical press in 1910 and 1911, which listed Miss MK Turner as a student assistant. In this capacity she would have helped with the supervision of students' practical work in the laboratories which were open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 2 to 6 p.m. Facilities were also advertised for students wishing to undertake research work and Margaret took advantage of these, collaborating with JJ Sudborough in studies on the esterification of organic acids which were published in the Journal of the Chemical Society in 1912.  She also assisted T Campbell James in his work on iodocinnamic acids, and took an active part in the UCW Chemical Society, reading papers and participating in discussions. 

While Britain had retained its pre-eminence in heavy inorganic chemicals in the early years of the 20th century, it had fallen far behind Germany in the industrial production of fine organic chemicals such as dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals. It therefore relied heavily on the German chemical industry for such materials, but when supplies were cut off as hostilities began in July 1914, there was an urgent national need to produce drugs and medications to make up the deficit. The Royal Society took the initiative by setting up a Chemistry War Committee to coordinate production. In mid-November all chemistry departments at British universities were asked to contribute to the production of relevant organic chemicals, and by the end of November offers of assistance had already been received from 32 institutions. 

Image (c.) Dr Brian H Davies

UCW's Department of Chemistry was already stretched in 1914, staffed by only three academics, namely Professor Alexander Findlay, T Campbell James and CR Bury. The outbreak of war caused considerable disruption, as Bury and nearly all the senior students went off on military service while Campbell James was heavily involved with UCW’s Officers’ Training Corps. UCW was, nevertheless, one of those institutions responding to the Royal Society's request, and the temporary appointment of Margaret Turner to a staff position as Demonstrator was made 'in consequence of the effects of the war'. She and others carried out a number of large-scale preparations of essential components for certain drugs. By 1917, the Institute of Chemistry was able to report that 'the laboratories of our universities and colleges have become small factories for the preparation of drugs and medicaments'.

While Margaret’s contribution to the war effort was appreciated, it must have been frustratingly limited. At the end of August 1915 she wrote to the Royal Society's Chemistry War Committee asking if there was further work she could do and explaining that:–

"I was one of the workers in the preparation of diethylamine some weeks ago and should be very glad to hear of any further help I could give. I can put all my time and energy at your service for the next 6 weeks, and am anxious to know whether the few helpers down here could not be allowed to contribute further to the needs of the country? I should be much obliged if you would inform me whether there is any other preparations we can make, as I, for one, am willing and eager to give up all ideas of holiday while there remains so much to be done."

She must have been disappointed by the reply from the Committee's assistant secretary, thanking her for her offer, but stating that there was "no other preparation on hand in which I can ask you to assist". 

Her remaining research at the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratories was of a more academic nature. She worked on projects with T Campbell James in 1920, and by 1922 had consolidated and extended the earlier work she had done with JJ Sudborough on the esterification of organic acids. She then submitted this work as an external candidate to the University of London and was awarded the degree of MSc (Chemistry) in 1922.

This young woman’s contribution to the war effort by using her chemical knowledge has been little recognised at Aberystwyth University to date.

Blog by Brian H Davies 
(Retired PAU staff member, Biochemistry)
November 2018