Saidie Paterson, Trade Unionist and Peace Activist, Born in Belfast

Saidie Patterson MBE (25 November 1906 – 16 January 1985) was a feminist, trade unionist and peace activist in Northern Ireland.

Saidie Patterson was born Sarah McKinley Moore[1] on 25 November 1906 in Belfast.[2] Her parents were Sarah and William Patterson. Her father was a blacksmith for Harland and Wolff. Saidie’s father died when she was six years of age.

MBE

In 1953, Patterson was awarded an MBE. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland commissioned a portrait of Patterson by TP Flanagan in 1975

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service

Legacy

Patterson died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on 16 January 1985 aged 78. Patterson was unmarried and had no children.[9] Patterson’s commitment to women’s rights and to peace, directly contributed to the reduction of child poverty and improved living conditions in Northern Ireland and better terms and conditions for working women