Rosalind Franklin Outside of School

Rosalind Franklin grew a lot during her time at school. She became very vocal and serious about politics, as her sister describes in her memoir: "Her very full and frequent letters show her gradually maturing from her schoolgirl outlook, when she tended to echo her parents' beliefs (except in religion, which she had already firmly rejected), to her own outspoken left-wing independence." She would often write about politics in her letters while she was at Newnham.

She was very vocal about issues at school, too, and would write about it to her family and sometimes criticisms to the school about their teaching. She was also unhappy about how the war was impacting her school, which she complained about in letters home. She wrote to her family about her complaints, politics, her schooling, exams, and interesting occurrences in day-to-day life. During war-time she would write about air-raids and other war-related events that were happening around her.

Franklin was very serious about political issues and her work, however she didn't have no social life. For example, she attended a skiing trip in Switzerland. She enjoyed skiing, even though, of course, it was not easy for a beginner like her, especially since this was prior to ski lifts! She preferred climbing, however, to skiing. She also enjoyed hiking. "She played hockey, squash, and tennis, and skated on frozen fens," her sister describes. Franklin liked to do these outdoor activities as a break from the stress of her schoolwork and, later, work. 

She was involved in school clubs as well. She joined the Chemical Society, the Archimedians (the math club), and the Jewish Society in her first term at Cambridge. 

Rosalind Franklin mountain climbing in Norway, around the 1940s, Courtesy of Jenifer Glynn

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