Laura Wilkinson (née Spedding) was born in Dunedin in 1866. She married Howitt Wilkinson in 1887 and together the couple had four children. During the First World War, Laura became involved with the Otago Patriotic and General Welfare Association. She participated in a number of fundraising campaigns, contributed goods and money to various wartime causes and helped to collect substantial sums in support of the Belgian Relief Fund. For her fundraising efforts on behalf of Belgium, Laura was awarded the Médaille de la Reine Elisabeth (Queen Elisabeth Medal) by the Belgian government.
Family information
Parents: Donald Mackenzie Spedding and Margaret Spedding (née Glass)
Born: 1866
Died: 16 November 1927, aged 61 years
Buried: Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin, Block 104, Plot 3
Married: Howitt Key Wilkinson, 1887
Children:
- Laura Evelyn Wilkinson, b. 1890
- Frank Howitt Wilkinson, b. 1892
- Stanley Wilkinson, b. 1895
- Maurice Harold Wilkinson, b. 1902
Active in: Dunedin
Obituary/death notice:
WILKINSON – On November 16, 1927, at 83 Royal terrace, Laura, beloved wife of Howitt Key Wilkinson. Private Interment.
'Deaths', Otago Daily Times, 17 November 1927, p. 8
Selected sources
'Otago Women's Patriotic Association', Otago Daily Times, 21 July 1915, p. 9
'Otago Women's Patriotic Association', Otago Daily Times, 8 September 1915, p. 10
'The Otago Patriotic Fund', Otago Daily Times, 11 April 1917, p. 5
'The War', Otago Daily Times, 14 May 1917, p. 6
'Amusements', Otago Daily Times, 9 October 1917, p. 4
'Dunedin Women Honoured', Evening Star, 5 January 1920, p. 6
Community contributions