Daisy Moore

Miss Daisy Moore

As headmistress of the Devonport High School for Girls, she was a passionate advocate for better secondary education for girls, and for them going on to university afterwards. She retired in 1946, but left a considerable legacy behind her. The previous headmistress, Miss Hill, had campaigned for Devonport Secondary School to become the High School in 1910, just before Miss Moore joined as the Maths teacher. Thereafter, she worked with Miss Hill, and on her own account, looking to support from Nancy Astor and others like Dr Mabel Ramsay, to develop the School. Besides good teachers, she lobbied hard for appropriate buildings (to include modern science labs), winning the support of many in the City, including successive mayors. New premises finally opened in 1937, with her as headmistress. In particular, she was interested in promoting opportunities for girls to develop careers in science and medicine – to promote opportunities in pharmacy, she had established the school as a Pharmacy Society recognised training centre in 1937, and in 1939 was working to develop a pre-nursing course there. She also managed the evacuation of the school during WW2, after the damage done to the buildings during the Plymouth Blitz in 1941, as well as supervising its return in 1945, before her retirement in 1946. Miss Moore has been described as a small, but indomitable figure, capable of putting her point firmly and even of being waspish on occasion.