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Winifred Ann Lidderdale, nee Neumann Thomas was born in Cape Town
in 1882. Her father Charles was Black Rod in Parliament and organist
at St. George's Cathedral. After her marriage to Henry Maxwell Lidderdale,
she lived in England and the USA. In 1951 the childless couple returned
to Cape Town for their retirement.
Mrs Lidderdale is widely remembered for her outstanding ability
as a public speaker until her death at the age of 95 in 1977. Her
public spirit is evident in the range of the following local civic
achievements.
It was through her initiative that the Springbok Library was assembled
in 1944 and housed in South Africa House, London, for the use of
SA Volunteers in the UK. She subsequently arranged for the Springbok
Library to be transferred to the South African Library in Cape Town
in 1946. Mrs Lidderdale's concern for the elderly was demonstrated
by the establishment of a fund known as Senior Security administered
by the Rotary Club of Cape Town. Finally, her ardent desire to turn
a dream of establishing a house museum to commemorate the British
contribution to life at the Cape was made possible by her bequest
to the nation.
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