Ethel Lindsay

Ethel Lindsay (1950s). Courtesy of Rob Hansen

(March 23, 1921 – June 16, 1996)

Ethel Lindsay was a UK fanwriter and editor. She joined Glasgow's New Lands SF Club in 1952 after seeing an advertisement for the group and a letter from its secretary Matt Elder in the first issue of the prozine Nebula (Autumn 1952). She was also an active member of Operation Fantast. Her first convention was Supermancon in 1954 where she was part of the committee. She was nicknamed Small Sister Lindsay since she was short and a Nursing Sister [Registered Nurse].

Before attending her first meeting of the New Lands group, Lindsay was alarmed to read an article on them in a local newspaper, 'Spacemen Short of Cash', saying, 'Recent recruits include a number of women members, many of them housewives. One of the newest fans is Sister Ethel Lindsay of Glasgow Ophthalmic Institution.' She later said, 'Since that day I have carefully omitted the title and hospital from the address in my fan correspondence ... The first thing fandom nearly did to me was lose me my job. I only quit quaking 3 months later'. Of the meeting she said:

I remember going home clutching a copy of Slant that they gave me. It was a good job I was then in my thirties or I might never have gone back because I found these four men pretty shy of me... and found myself having to do most of the talking. Fortunately I could think of plenty of questions to ask them.

Lindsay found her second meeting at the Page household more welcoming, in large part due to the presence of Margaret Page. There had been no other women, housewives or otherwise, at her first meeting; they were a creation of the reporter.

Lindsay lived in Surrey (just SW of London) 1955–78; she was a member of the London Circle 1955–59 (including serving as President) and then a founder and Chairman of the Science Fiction Club of London (1959/60?–68) which she served as Chairman and later secretary. She hosted it at her Surrey flat, 'Courage House'. She was secretary of the successful London in '65 Worldcon bid (see Loncon II). She was on the Loncon, Cytricon, LXICON and RePetercon committees and a member of BSFA and the Romiley Fan Veterans and Scottish Dancing Society.

Lindsay published the long-running fanzines Scottishe and Haverings, and for years was the UK agent for SF Chronicle. She won the Skyrack poll for best fan writer, and was involved in the Joan W. Carr hoax.

Lindsay won TAFF in 1962 (defeating Eddie Jones; see her platform in Orion #28 p2), becoming the second female TAFF winner, but the first to use funds for the journey (after American Lee Hoffman in 1956 TAFF Race), and duly published a full trip report The Lindsay Report.

Lindsay was a member of IPSO and of OMPA (from its second mailing; also OE in the 1963/5 seasons). She held a Cry Letterhack Card.

Fanzines and Apazines

• Bletherings (first in OMPA, then in FAPA)
• Clattering (for OMPA)
• Distaff [1958, one issue of resurrected and then renamed-backFemizine]
• Femizine (assistant editor from the beginning, and then editor)
• Haverings
• The Lindsay Report (TAFF trip report)
• The Lindsay Trader
• The Mystery Trader
• Natterings
• Nibblings [1970]
• Scottishe (for OMPA)
• The Skyreck Newsletter
• The Wall

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1962 -- TAFF
• 1965 -- Knight of St. Fantony
• 1971 -- Eastercon 22
• 1973 -- Doc Weir Award

Links

• Obituary in Ansible

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Person

1921—1996

This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names.