Marjorie Foster
Born20 June 1893
Hampstead
Died30 March 1974 (1974-03-31) (aged 80)
Woking
NationalityBritish
OccupationPoultry farmer
PartnerBlanche Margaret Mary Badcock

Marjorie Elaine Foster (20 June 1893 – 30 March 1974) was a United Kingdom rifle shot and poultry farmer. In 1930 she became the first (and, until 2000 only) woman to win the prestigious King's Prize for shooting.

Life

Foster was born in Hampstead in 1893 and when she was eight her father encouraged her to join a shooting club. Her father, Lancelot Henry William Foster, made syphons and her mother was Mary Aldridge (born Leetham).[1]

When the first world war started she was working as a sculptor and she joined the Women's Legion of Motor Drivers where she acted as a driving instructor. She met Blanche Margaret Mary Badcock and after the war they set up a poultry farm and home together. The both knew about shooting and they were able to join the South London Rifle Club at Bisley - the only one which accepted women.[1] She won the club championship four times.[2]

The most prestigious competition for shooting was the King's Prize which was an annual event that had been won every year since 1860 by a man who was or had been a member of the armed forces. Blanche Margaret Mary Badcock entered the competition and in 1929 Foster took part. In 1930 she became the first woman to win the competition. She received £250, a gold medal and a personal telegram from the King.[3][4] In keeping with tradition she was "chaired" off the range in a sedan chair carried by the spectators, while the scene was filmed by Pathe News.[5] She was returned to Frimley on their fire engine and she toured the town. Frimley was so overcome with pride that they gave her a car paid by public subscription.[2]

Foster died in Woking in 1974[1] and it was not until 2000 that another woman, JF Hossack, equalled her feat of winning the Sovereign's Prize.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marjorie Elaine Foster.
  1. 1 2 3 Kay, Joyce (2004-09-23). Foster, Marjorie Elaine (1893–1974), rifle shot and poultry farmer. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/65174.
  2. 1 2 "Marjorie Foster (1893–1974)". Exploring Surrey's Past. Exploring Surrey's Past. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Imogen Lyons (6 January 2016). "Marjorie Foster: prize-winning rifle shot and poultry farmer". Intriguing People. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "Surrey's bygone sporting heroes to be celebrated". BBC News. 19 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  5. ↑ ""See The Conquering Heroine Comes" Again!". Pathé News. British Pathé. 21 July 1930. Archived from the original (Video) on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "First woman to win Bisley in 70 years". The Independent. 2000-07-23. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
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