An invitation to attend – as a Soroptimist – a meeting of the ‘1918 Club’ in Liverpool was a surprise for Dorothy Zack-Williams (President, SI Liverpool).
The club is possibly the oldest continuously existing women’s club in the city. Today – as a century ago – it offers women the opportunity to meet socially and engage in contemporary issues. President Dorothy was able to tell members about the work of Soroptimist International, and was warmly welcomed.
Developed by Eleanor Rathbone and Elizabeth Macadam, the luncheon club idea was set up after the 1918 Armistice. It aimed to preserve many of the friendships made through the war-period and many of the alliances forged through the suffrage campaign.
Revolutionary at the time, it enabled members to form new contacts among fellow professional working women and social welfare workers. The 1918 Club still provides a common meeting ground for women from many professions and offers an ideal opportunity for the interchange of ideas.