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RRCs for the Boer War 13 years 1 month ago #78

  • djb
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Georgina Elizabeth Moncreiffe was born on 9 August 1846, the daughter of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 7th Bt. and Lady Louisa Hay-Drummond. She married William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley, son of William Humble Ward, 10th Baron Ward of Birmingham and Amelia Pillans, on 21 November 1865. As a result of her marriage, Georgina Elisabeth Moncreiffe was styled as Countess of Dudley on 21 November 1865 and her married name became Ward. Her husband died on 7 May 1885.

During the Boer War and Great War, Lady Dudley served with the British Red Cross Society. In late 1900, she was involved in running the Mayfair nursing home for disabled officers under the auspices of the Red Cross. Her actions at that time proved to be pivotal in ensuring Captain Trenchard (later Marshal of the Royal Air Force) recovered from his wound. She was invested as a Dame of Justice, Order of St. John of Jerusalem (DJStJ) and decorated with the award of Royal Red Cross (RRC).

Dr David Biggins
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RRCs for the Boer War 13 years 1 month ago #79

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There is an interesting note in Wikipedia about the interaction with Captain Trenchard:

After Trenchard was brought to the hospital in Krugersdorp, he slipped from semi-consciousness into unconsciousness. The surgeons believed that he would die as the bullet had punctured his left lung and they had removed six and a half pints of blood from his pleural cavity through a tube. On the third day, Trenchard regained consciousness but spent most of that day sleeping. After three weeks, Trenchard had shown some improvement and was moved to Johannesburg where he made further progress. However when he tried to rise from his bed, Trenchard discovered that he was unable to put weight on his feet, leading him to suspect that he was partially paralysed. He was next moved to Maraisburg for convalescing and there Trenchard confirmed that he was suffering from partial paralysis below the waist. The doctors surmised that after passing through his lung, the bullet had damaged his spine.

In December 1900, Trenchard returned to England, arriving by hospital ship at Southampton. He hobbled with the aid of sticks down the gangplank where his concerned parents met him. As a disabled soldier without independent financial means, Trenchard was now at his lowest point. He spent the next fortnight at the Mayfair nursing home for disabled officers which was run by the Red Cross. Trenchard's case came to the attention of Lady Dudley, by whose philanthropic efforts the Mayfair nursing home operated. Through her generosity she arranged for Trenchard to see a specialist who told Trenchard that he needed to spend several months in Switzerland where the air was likely to be of benefit to his lung. Trenchard and his family could not afford the expense and Trenchard was too embarrassed to explain the situation. However, without asking any questions, Lady Dudley presented Trenchard with a cheque to cover the costs.

Source: wapedia.mobi/en/Hugh_Trenchard,_1st_Viscount_Trenchard
Dr David Biggins
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RRCs for the Boer War 11 years 10 months ago #3476

  • Henk Loots
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Hi David

At last the mystery is cleared up as to where Georgina's group is!!
I had an unexplained "computer glitch" in the last moments of the bidding and my very high bid went through just after it closed.
I was very keen to get it as I my 2 Boer War RRC groups are for service in SA and not in the UK.
The vendor implied that the successful bidder may consider a swop as he "wanted an example RRC group to every monarch" : I, however, never followed it up.

Congratulations!

Henk

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RRCs for the Boer War 4 years 5 months ago #66420

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It has been a while since we last saw an RRC on the market. This example is from the next City Coins auction:


Picture courtesy of City Coins

RRC VR
QSA (0) (Nursing Sister. K.G. Hill) engraved

RRC LG 10 September 1901.

Earl Roberts. Despatch p 5968 under Civil Staff, Mafeking Miss C. Hill, Matron, Victoria Hospital, p 1094 The Edinburgh Gazette, October 1, 1901, Mafeking. To have the Decoration of the Royal Red Cross. Lady Sarah Wilson. Mother Superior Teresa. Miss Hill. Miss Craufurd.

Only 84 awards of the Royal Red Cross were made during the Boer War.

Kate Hill was an extraordinary woman as were most who pursued a career in nursing in Victorian England. She travelled to South Africa to help the British forces in their hour of need. An Irish girl by birth - she was born in County Cork in 1871. Having finished her schooling she enrolled in Monkstown Hospital in nearby Dublin for her nursing training ... by the time October 1899 the war, which had threatened between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal finally erupted into open conflict.. It was especially on the nursing front that the lack of expertise and staff was felt the most keenly. There were simply not enough trained and qualified nurses and doctors to cater for the needs of the military and civilian populations.

Whilst undergoing her training at Adelaide Hospital a young Katherine Hill met and worked with one of the most eminent consulting surgeons of his day - Dr (later Sir) Kendal Franks. Franks was a brilliant and artistic man but one who was doomed to marry women whom he outlived. After he had lost his second wife at a young age he remarried for a third time but, again, to a woman who was in indifferent health. Determining to take her to South Africa where the climate would be better suited to her health he made the move in the late 1890's. It is uncertain as to when Hill followed suit but the records indicate that she came out to South Africa to administer to Franks' wife.

As already indicated the country was crying out for trained, experienced medical personnel and Nurse Hill came as a godsend to the sleepy town of Mafikeng, under siege from the Boers two days after the war had commenced. For details of how she was engaged we must turn to the October 28th 1899 edition of the Nursing Record and Hospital World.

The siege endured for a period of 217 days and was lifted only on 17 May 1900. Of military casualties there were not many - certainly not many shot and wounded by Boer bullets or cannon but, as can be imagined, foodstuffs and other vital supplies were soon in short supply. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell described the situation in his report published in the London Gazette of 6 February 1901. It read, in part, as follows:

“General Cronje with an army of 3000 Boers and 10 guns, surrounded the place. On the approach of the enemy we sallied out and, in a sharp little engagement, dealt them a severe blow, by which they lost 53 killed and many more wounded, and which had a lasting moral effect. During the first phase of the siege, October and November, General Cronje made various attempts to take the place. These attacks we beat off without difficulty in every case and responded by sorties , varying their nature every time as far as possible, and making them so sudden and so quickly withdrawn as not to give the enemy’s supports time to come up and overpower us. The enemy’s losses in this period were very heavy compared to ours.”

Baden-Powell went on to make specific mention of those whose conduct had warranted distinction - these mentions included the Victoria Hospital (Mafeking Hospital) and the Nursing Staff: Miss Hill (Matron) and three nurses, assisted by four volunteers and also by Mother Teresa and six sisters (nuns). So there it was - a 29 year old nurse had been catapulted into bearing the responsibility of a hospital in wartime with the full status of Matron. Baden-Powell went on to say that:

“On outbreak of war I took over the town hospital, but at first the administration was not satisfactory, on account of want of supervision, over expense of sores, and sanitation. I therefore appointed an issuer and storekeeper and a sanitary inspector. Both Doctors and Nurses did excellent work. Always shorthanded, and frequently under fire. (All the hospital buildings were struck by shells and bullets) and the first convalescent hospital was wrecked and the second damaged by 94 pound shells.)”
In another section of his report he mentioned that:

“Miss Hill, the Matron of the Victoria Hospital, was assisted by a number of lady volunteers, in addition to her regular staff. The above ladies worked with the greatest zeal and self- devotion throughout the siege. The protracted strains of heavy work, frequently carried out under fire, told on most of them, Miss Hill being at one time prostrated by overwork. It was largely due to their unremitting devotion and skill that the wounded, in so many cases, made marvellous recoveries, and the health of the garrison remained so good.”

With Mafeking relieved a lady like Matron Hill was not going to stand idle - she moved on to Vryburg a short distance away and assisted at the hospital there for a period before moving down to Wynberg in Cape Town where she continued her sterling work. She was awarded, in addition to the RRC, the Queens Medal - sadly she was unable to sport the Defence of Mafeking clasp on her medal as nursing staff were deprived of this honour no matter how richly deserved. Inevitably affairs of the heart took control and, on 27 June 1902, a couple of months after the cessation of hostilities, she wed a dashing 33 year old Lieutenant in the Cape Police - Claud Edward Wimble in Kimberley. She signed herself "C.G. Hill" for the last time.

The son, Ernest Alfred Hugh Edward Wimble was born in Kimberley 1902.

The second son, Hewitt Edward Mervyn was born to the couple. He died at El Alamein on 23 October 1942 as a Lance Corporal with the Rand Light Infantry. Perhaps Katherine Hill had been spared the news? There is no report on hand to inform us as to when and where she died.
Dr David Biggins
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RRCs for the Boer War 4 years 5 months ago #66422

  • Rory
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I posted the write-up on this medal on the forum quite a while ago. Matron Hill was one of the unsung hero's of Mafeking

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RRCs for the Boer War 4 years 5 months ago #66434

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Rory,

Thank you for reminding me. An excellent write-up from a time when the RRC was not with the QSA?

angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-awar...ertrude-hill?start=0
Dr David Biggins

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