Mary Jane Moir Douglas

Parents:

• Birth*: Mary Jane Moir Douglas was born in 1903 at Kirkden, Forfarshire, Scotland, .^2,3
• She was the daughter of William Douglas farm servant and Mary Jane Moir.¹
• Marriage*: Mary Jane Moir Douglas married David Stewart Chalmers mixer battery factory in 1922 at Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, .⁴
• (Bride) Marriage*: Mary Jane Moir Douglas married John Findlay Paterson baker, restaurenteur, son of John Findlay Paterson baker and Sarah Copeland Smith, in January 1953 at Dunnichen, Angus, Scotland, ; 1953 Paterson John Findlay, Douglas, Mary Jane M, Dunnichen Angus.⁵
• (Deceased) Death*: Mary Jane Moir Douglas died on 22 May 1964 at 1 McGill Street, Dundee, Angus, Scotland, , 1964 deaths in the district of Dundee East in the county of Angus, ref 336; Mary Jane Moir Paterson widow of 1st David Stewart Chalmers, mixer battery factory, 2nd John Findlay Paterson fish restaunteur, died May Twenty-Second found dead 8h 50m am last seen alive May Twenty-first 9h 0mpm 1 McGill Street Dundee, female aged 61 parents William Douglas farm servant (dec) & Mary Jane Douglas ms Moir (dec), cause 1a) Haematemesis b) probably cardiovascular degeneration 2) Adiposity, seen after death by W Fyffe Dorward MBChB; signed Annie Kidd daughter, registered 1964 May 25th at Dundee signed Albert Bowman assist registrar, initialled CWB registrar (C W Baxter.)⁶
• (Deceased) Death RCE: Her death registration was corrected on 7 July 1964 at Dundee, Angus, Scotland, , Vol 29, page 25, register of Corrected Entries for the district of Dundee East in the county oof Angus; The following report of Result of a Precognition has been received touching the death of Mary Jane Douglas or Chalmers or Paterson registered under the entry no 336 in the register of deaths for year 1964; Mary Jane Moir Douglas or Chalmers or Paterson, aged 61 years, female; Died between 9pm 21st May and 8.50am 22nd May 1964 at 1 McGill Street Dundee, cause Haematemesis, cardiovascular degeneration, Adiposity; recorded procurator Fiscal's office Dundee 7th July 1964, certified by signed A Watson Wishart Procurator Fiscal; registered 8th July 1964 at Dundee signed R THomson assist registrar initialled CMB registrar (CM Baxter.)⁷

• Married Name: As of 1922, her married name was Chalmers.⁴
• (Informant) Death: She registered the death of David Stewart Chalmers mixer battery factory on 13 January 1950 at 81 Drumlanrig Drive, Dundee, Angus, Scotland, ; 1950 deaths in the district of St Andrew in the burgh of Dundee, ref 23; David Stewart Chalmers mixer battery factory married to Mary Jane Moir Douglas, died 1950 January thirteenth 9h 55m am 81 Drumlanrig Drive Dundee, male aged 51 years, parents William Chalmers assistant jute mill overseer (dec) & Mary Chalmers s Doglas (dec), cause carcinoma larynx 10 months as seen by William L Johnston MBChB, signed Mary Chalmers widow present, registered 1950 January 14th at Dundee signed Norman Steele registrar.^4,8
• Newspaper Article*: Mary Jane Moir Douglas was mentioned in a newspaper article They Call Her “Dundee's Unpaid Lawyer”
  WHEN Mrs Mary Chalmers, Dundee, moved from Drumlanrig Drive to Dundee's new housing scheme at Mains of Fintry, neighbours decided she should flit in state. They paid for a taxi for her and her family. Into the taxi they put gifts of butter dishes, ornaments, boxes of sweets.
  That's the sort of thing that happens to low in spirit. the city's most remarkable granny. She's stout, genial, a widow with eight of a family.
  Most of her leisure time Mrs Chalmers has given to helping others. She is a voluntary filler-up of other people's forms - documents relating to old age pensions, extra coal supplies, lost ration books, milk for babies, etc.
  For the past two years she has been Scottish national secretary of the next-of-kin association. She has taken up the cudgels on behalf of 700 war-bereaved families who received no pensions.
  In 400 of those cases, which cam from al over Scotland, she was successful in making the Ministry of pensions change its mind.
  One Ministry official has told her, "You know, sometimes I have to admit you know more about this business than we do."
  She was being complimented on her labours of love by Dundee minister, Rev. Harry Andrew. "You called your association by the wrong name." he said. "You should have named it "Service Through Understanding".
  The tireless grandmother answers simply, "It's become my main pleasure in Life.
  "I was feeling very depressed, very low in spirit. I found that by helping others I helped myself."
  The depression of Granny Chalmers came after D-Day. One of her boys, Driver David Chalmers, was in that mighty landing. He never came back.
  In 1947 Dundee's next-of-kin association branch was formed with Mrs Chalmers as secretary. Fourteen other branches sprang up in Scotland. They made Mrs Chalmers their national representative.
  The following March she was off to the House of Commons to present a petition recommending pensions for war bereaved mothers. She has written to every Scottish MP pointing out the inadequacy of war pensions. She has sent a similar communication to almost 400 trade union secretaries.
  She was responsible for the awarding of a pension to the widow on an ex-service-man who died of cancer.
  There had been no case in the past where cancer had been classed as a disease that could be produced or aggravated by war. Granny Chalmers was able to point out to the tribunal that six months elapsed between the time the soldier complained and the time of his first X-ray.
  In one week she received 100 letters from War bereaved who claimed to be suffering hardship.
  One came from a woman who married following her finance's demob. Shortly afterwards he died. She didn't come into the war widow category.
  It was left to Mrs Chalmers to prove that the death was the result of was service. A pension award was made.
  Says the grandmother who likes to help others:- "When I was young I always wanted to write. I never dreamt I'd get my wish this way." in March 1951 at Dundee, Angus, Scotland, .^9,10
• Married Name: As of January 1953, her married name was Paterson.
• (Informant) Death: She registered the death of John Findlay Paterson baker, restaurenteur on 29 February 1956 at Royal Infirmary, Dundee, Angus, Scotland, ; 1956 deaths in the district of Dundeee West in the burgh of Dundee, ref 239; John Findlay Paterson restaurenteur (retired) married to 1st Helen Summerton, 2nd Mary Jane Moir Douglas or Chalmers; 1956 February twenty-ninth 11h 30m pm Royal Infirmary (UR 18 St Dennis Place) Dundee; m aged 73 years; parents John Paterson master baker (dec) Sarah Paterson ms Smith (dec); myocardiac infarction, diabetes mellitus as cert by Peter R Baker MBChB; Mary Paterson widow; 1956 March 1st at Dundee T J McIntosh assist registrar.^11,12