Sarah Chapman

Sarah Chapman (later Dearman; 31 October 1862 – 27 November 1945) was a British trade unionist who was one of the leaders of the 1888 Bryant & May matchgirls' strike. Chapman and others involved in the strike have since been recognised as "pioneers of sex equality and fairness at work who left a lasting legacy on the trade union movement".

About Sarah Chapman Sarah Chapman was born on 31 October 1862, the fifth of seven children born to Samuel Chapman, a brewer's servant, and Sarah Ann Mackenzie. By 19, alongside her mother and elder sister, Sarah was employed as a matchmaking machinist at Bryant & May. By the time of the 1888 strike, Sarah Chapman occupied a comparably well-waged position at the Bryant & May factory and was an established member of its workforce.

Sarah Dearman died in Bethnal Green hospital on 27 November 1945, at the age of 83, and was survived by three of her six children. Chapman and the Strike Committee also received help from Toynbee Hall and the London Trades Council, andfollowing a meeting with Bryant & May managementtheir list of demands was agreed to. It was the largest female union in the country. Chapman was elected as the Union's first representative to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), and was among those who attended the 1888 International Trades Union Congress in London, and the 1890 Congress in Liverpool. Donations were received for the creation of a headstone for Sarah Chapman, and the charity aims to erect a statue in commemoration of strikers and organisers. In July of that year, a motion was tabled in Parliament expressing concern over this planned destruction of Sarah Chapman's burial site. The plaque was unveiled at Bow Quarter, Fairfield Road, Tower Hamlets on 5 July 2022 by former EastEnders actress and patron of The Matchgirls Memorial Anita Dobson, who "grew up aware of the courage and bravery of these women who against all odds went on strike for better working conditions."

Popular culture Chapman appears as a character in the 2022 Netflix film Enola Holmes 2, played by actress Hannah Dodd. The film provides a fictionalized account of the origins of the Matchgirls' Strike, in which both the title character and her brother Sherlock become entangled.