Story of Cheshire's pioneering scientist Gertrude Walsh

Her father came to Winsford from Bowden and initially lived in New Road, undertaking the position of railway station master, most likely at the Winsford and Over Station.

He then became a salt merchant and met his wife, Mary Emily Crosby, a shop assistant and native of Over.

They moved to Delamere Street, and eventually, by 1901, they lived at the Hollies in Darnhall School Lane, where they stayed for many years (now having been replaced by the Muir Housing development).

Gertrude was a very bright student, and after leaving the Verdin secondary school, she obtained a BSc in 1907 and an MSc in 1908, attending Owens College, which evolved to become Manchester University.

She performed research under the guidance of Chaim Weizmann, who later became president of Israel.

Winsford and Over Station at the end of Whitegate Way (Image: Rose Hurley)

Here Gertrude met her future husband, Robert Robinson of Chesterfield.

They married at St Chad's Church, Winsford, on August 7, 1912. They travelled widely through their combined chemistry skills, from Sydney, Australia, to St Andrew's Scotland, London University and finally settling in Oxford, where Robert became the WaynFlete professor of chemistry at Magdalen College.

The science world was an almost impossible area for women to work and excel in at that time.

Although Gertrude was a hugely talented organic chemist, many of the accolades were bestowed on her husband even though she had significantly contributed to the joint papers published.

The site of Hollies House (Image: Rose Hurley)

She spearheaded investigations into synthesising fatty and non-fatty saturated acids and was the leading chemist in plant pigments and their properties.

She was also the first to synthesise a particular molecule with antibiotic properties similar to penicillin.

Gertrude and her husband's work relating to another synthesis led to a process named 'Piloty-Robinson' in their honour.

Gertrude and Robert had two children, Marion, born in 1921, and Michael, born in 1926.

Gertrude was a keen mountaineer, enjoyed travelling, and, possibly due to their interest in plants, both were avid gardeners.

New Road in the 1940s (Image: Rose Hurley)

Amazingly there does not appear to be any available images of Gertrude, although there are numerous ones of her husband, Sir Robert.

Gertrude recognised the difficulty for women to be recognised for their scientific achievements.

When, in 1933, women were refused admission to a dinner to celebrate scientific accomplishments, she organised another dinner solely for women in the same hotel with the same menu as the men's dinner.

Her point was clearly made; the following year, women were allowed to attend the previously male-dominated celebration.

Owens College (Image: Rose Hurley)

Robert Robinson was knighted in 1939 for his extensive research into organic chemistry and, particularly, alkaloids and was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1947.

Gertrude finally received some recognition when she was given an honorary degree in Master of Arts in 1953 by Oxford University, which acknowledged her contributions and qualities as a chemist.

Sadly, Gertrude died just one year later after a sudden heart attack aged 68 and is buried just down the road from where she lived, in Wolvercote Cemetery Banbury Road, Oxford.

Her husband, Sir Robert Robinson, went on to remarry an American widow, Stern Sylvia Hillstrom. He died at Grimm's Hill Lodge Great Missenden in 1975 at the age of 89. 

St Chads Church (Image: Rose Hurley)

Gertrude Maud Walsh was a brilliant woman who spent her childhood formative years in Winsford.

Although she is mainly unrecognised in her own right, she achieved many scientific firsts.

She greatly assisted her husband in his recognition, as he is quoted as saying in his autobiography (The Memoirs of a Minor Prophet – 70 Years of Organic Chemistry), not published until after his death, "I cannot postpone an acknowledgement of the very great help that my wife gave me at all stages of my career.

"Looking back, I see how she subordinated her interests to mine and was always such a ready collaborator in scientific work."