The Beefeatress in question is not, as you might imagine, a middle-aged matron in the mould of Margaret Dumont but a 38-year-old lassie from Lochgilphead, Argyll, named Moira Cameron. (Those who got her forename wrong or thought she came from Fife are pardoned.) Special commendations to Jim Davies, Michael Brereton, W.J. Webster and David Schofield. The prizewinners, printed below, get £40 each, and the bonus fiver goes without hesitation to that vivid veteran Basil Ransome-Davies.
When a girl has a yen to compete with the men for a uniformed job at the Tower
She must fearlessly fight to establish her right and not weep like a baby or cower.
She must dig in her heels with the pride that she feels as she challenges outmoded attitudes,
Be a heroine who dares all those prurient stares and the mouthing of chauvinist platitudes.
For the tabard and hose is the costume she chose and she’ll wear it with honour and loyalty
As a notable first with a soul that’s immersed in the privileged service of royalty.
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