Meritorious Service Record

Margaret Sandeman Davies was an Australian missionary and educator from Allansford, Victoria.
She arrived in Busan, Korea, as an Australian missionary on December 2, 1910. From December 1911 to 1914, she served as principal of Siwon Girls' School, where she also ran Sunday schools. In 1916, she became the principal of Ilshin Girls’ School (日新女學校), an institution operated by the Australian Presbyterian Church, where she educated women and spread Christianity.
When the March 1st Movement broke out in Seoul in 1919, Ilshin Girls’ School teacher Ju Gyeong-ae (朱敬愛) coordinated with Busan Commercial School and informed Ilshin students about the demonstrations. On March 10, 1919, eleven senior students secretly made 50 Taegeukgi (Korean national flags) in a closet, with dormitory supervisor Isabella Menzies providing materials for their production.
On March 11, after classes ended, eleven students, along with teachers Ju Gyeong-ae and Park Si-yeon, marched towards Jwacheon-dong, holding the Taegeukgi. Margaret Davies, as the school principal, joined the demonstration alongside fellow teacher Daisy Hocking.
Hundreds of people participated in the Ilshin Girls’ School-led protest, but within two hours, Japanese authorities arrested all key organizers, including students and teachers. Davies and Hocking were also arrested and detained at Busanjin Police Station until their release on March 13. However, fearing international diplomatic repercussions, Japanese authorities did not prosecute them and dismissed their charges.
In the 1940s, as Japan intensified its suppression of Christianity and forced Shinto shrine worship in schools, the Australian Presbyterian Church decided not to operate schools that complied with this mandate. Agreeing with this stance, Davies returned to Australia in March 1940 when Ilshin Girls' School was closed.
In 2022, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Margaret Sandeman Davies the Order of Merit for National Foundation (National Medal) in recognition of her contributions to Korea’s independence.