A regular visitor to the BNA website kindly shared this wonderful story with us.

At its heart, the report tells the story of Sheila O’Neill, as she sets off on her new career as the first female taxicar driver in London.

With her portfolio of nursing and mechanical skills, she sounds like the ideal professional driver. Not only that, but her unique uniform sounds like a thing of rare beauty – not to mention tres chic! Still further, to reassure any nervous passengers, a lucky mascot in the shape of a tin policeman keeps a watchful eye on any Edwardian ‘road ragers’.

But the story is also interesting for the way it casually sheds light on other matters of the day, such as Parliament’s prejudice against women and the ongoing protests by the Suffragettes.

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Dundee Courier – Tuesday 29 December 1908

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000164/19081229/166/0007