Five years ago, Mary Lawson received a visit from former Provost Alan Brown to commemorate her 100th birthday and on 14 February this year, she celebrated her 105th with Depute Provost Colette McDiarmid and her family.
Emily Mary Lawson (known as Mary) was born in the North of England in 1919, just three months after World War I ended. Her father was a veteran and fought in the Battle of the Somme.
Mary went on to study Science and Mathematics at University and sat her final exams in May 1940. During this time Hitler’s army was invading France.
Throughout the war, Mary worked as a sound engineer for the BBC in London. She recorded and broadcasted Winston Churchill’s speeches, news reports from BBC correspondents across the globe and coded messages for French Resistance fighters.
In addition to her hard work at the BBC, she volunteered as an ambulance driver in her free time where she helped to save the lives of those injured by the V1 and V2 bombing raids across London.
After World War II ended, she began a career in science for the government where she specialised in building materials. She married a biologist working at Glasgow University, who she moved to Scotland with and the couple had three children
In Scotland, she played a role in setting up the Building Research Establishment in East Kilbride, helping to mend issues that occurred during the building boom in the 1950s and 60s. She was elected to be the first female President of the Scottish Institute of Clay Technology in 1981.
Mary enjoys music and has attended concerts all her life. At the age of 90, she achieved a Degree in music through the Open University.
Mary has lived in Kirkintilloch for the past twenty years and enjoys walking along the Forth & Clyde Canal with her children and grandchildren, taking in the lovely views of the Campsies.
Depute Provost Colette McDiarmid said, “It was an honour to be invited to join Mary and her family to celebrate Mary’s 105th birthday. Mary has led a remarkable life and she continues to thrive. She is truly an inspiration.
“I would like to thank her and her family for allowing me to be a part of her big day and hope she had a wonderful birthday.”