Esther Davies

Place of birth: Swansea ?

Service: Driver

Death: 1919/09/22, Gowerton, Septicaemia / Gwenwyn gwaed

Notes: Esther Davies, aged about 30, died after complications from a miscarriage. A Swansea midwife, Mary Lavinia Beynon [qv], was charged with her murder, the charge being that she had used an instrument to procure an abortion. Esther Davies, described as ‘a woman of prepossessing appearance’, seems to have lived a rackety life driving for the Munitions service whilst her husband was in the army. ‘Gentlemen friends’ and ‘visits to Birmingham’ with another woman, Nurse Poulson, were reported in the Swansea press. She had been fined 10s by Neath Magistrates Court in 1917 for failing to produce her driving licence; on that occasion Esther was described as ‘stylishly dressed’ and ‘still smiling’. Mrs Beynon, a Police Inspector’s wife, was found not guilty.

Reference: WaW0302

Newspaper report

Cambria Daily Leader 1st June 1917.

Press photograph

Photograph of Mrs Esther Davies, South Wales Weekly Post 13th September 1919.

Newspaper report

Report of first court hearing of the Esther Davies case. South Wales Weekly Post 16th August 1919.

Newspaper report

Report of verdict in the Esther Davies murder case. South Wales Weekly Post, 8th November 1919.

Jennie Williams

Place of birth: Llanberis ?

Service: Nurse, VAD, June 1916 – January 1919 / M

Death: 1919/1/31, Le Havre, Pneumonia / Niwmonia

Memorial: War Memorial, Llanberis, Caernarvonshire

Notes: Jennie Williams came from a comfortably-off family, and joined the VAD in June 1915. She left for France in October 1916, and died of pneumonia following influenza in January 1919, aged 45. She is buried in Ste Marie Cemetery, Le Havre.

Sources: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/4021189/WILLIAMS,%20JENNIEhttp://www.roll-of-honour.com/Caernarvonshire/Llanberis.html

Reference: WaW0175

Jennie Williams VAD

Jennie Williams VAD in uniform

Red Cross record

Red Cross record for Jennie Williams VAD

Red Cross record (reverse)

Red Cross record for Jennie Williams VAD

Letter

Letter to the Women’s Work Subcommittee, Imperials War Museum, regarding a photograph of Jennie Williams.

Grave Registration form

Graves Registration Report Form including details of Jennie Williams. Ste Marie Cemetery, Le Havre

Welsh Book of Remembrance

Name of Miss Jennie Williams in the Welsh Book of Remembrance

Newspaper Report

Newspaper report of the death of Jennie Williams, Y Dinesydd Cymreig, Chwef 12 1919

Ryda Rees

Place of birth: New Quay, Cardiganshire

Service: Nurse, VAD, 1915 - 1919

Death: 1919/11/16, illness / salwych

Notes: Ryda, who was 29 when she died, served at the 3rd Western Hospital, Cardiff ‘until her health broke down’.

Reference: WaW0206

Ryda Rees

Ryda’s photograph was collected by the Women’s Subcommittee of the Imperial War Museum as part of its collection of women who died during the War.

Letter

Letter to the Secretary of the Women’s Committee from Ryda’s mother Mary Rees 16th March 1920.

Red Cross record card

Red Cross Record card for Ryda Rees

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Red Cross Record card for Ryda Rees (reverse)

Catherine J James

Place of birth: Llanelli

Service: Nurse, St Johns Ambulance

Death: 1919/12/04, Llanelli, Tuberculosis / Y diciáu

Memorial: Tabernacle Chapel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire

Notes: Catherine was a member of the St John’s Ambulance. She served throughout the War, first in Porthcawl and then in Stebonheath, Llanelli (where she may have contracted the TB that killed her aged 28.) Her name appears on the war memorial plaque in Tabernacl Chapel, Llanelli.

Sources: https://www.wwwmp.co.uk/carmarthenshire-memorials/llanelli-tabernacl-chapel-war-memorial

Reference: WaW0404

War Memorial

Catherine James’s name on the memorial plaque in Tabernacl Chapel, Llanelli.

Kate (Anna Catherine) Miller

Place of birth: Grangetown Cardiff

Service: Worker, QMAAC, 1918 - 1920

Death: 1920-07-29, St Pol-sur-Ternoise cemetery,France, Pneumonia / Niwmonia

Notes: aged 27. Buried St Pol-sur-Ternoise cemetery

Sources: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx?cpage=11&sort=name&order=asc; folder

Reference: WaW0038

Anna Catherine Miller

Anna Catherine (Kate) Miller, QMAAC

Elizabeth Davies

Place of birth: Burry Port

Service: Munitions Worker

Death: 1920:05:09, Llanelly Hospital, Accident: ruptured liver/Damwain, afu wedi ei rwygo

Notes: A young woman, Elizabeth Davies, of Sandfield House, Burry Port, died at Llanelly General Hospital on Sunday, from injuries sustained at the Pembrey National Filling Factory. The deceased was dismounting from a works train while in motion at its arrival at the Factory on Friday, when she slipped between the footboard and the platform. She was dragged some distance and sustained severe internal injuries. Llanelly and County Guardian 13th May 1920 Aged 17. 'A young woman, Elizabeth Davies, of Sandfield House, Burry Port, died at Llanelly General Hospital on Sunday, from injuries sustained at the Pembrey National Filling Factory. The deceased was dismounting from a works train while in motion at its arrival at the Factory on Friday, when she slipped between the footboard and the platform. She was dragged some distance and sustained severe internal injuries.' Llanelly and County Guardian 13th May 1920 A young woman, Elizabeth Davies, of Sandfield House, Burry Port, died at Llanelly General Hospital on Sunday, from injuries sustained at the Pembrey National Filling Factory. The deceased was dismounting from a works train while in motion at its arrival at the Factory on Friday, when she slipped between the footboard and the platform. She was dragged some distance and sustained severe internal injuries. Llanelly and County Guardian 13th May 1920

Reference: WaW0089

Elizabeth Davies.

Coloured photograph of Elizabeth Davies

Elizabeth Davies Death Certificate

Death certificate for Elizabeth Davies

Report of Elizabeth Davies's accident

Newspaper report of Elizabeth Davies's death

Carine Evelyn Nest Pryse-Rice

Place of birth: London

Service: Nurse, VAD, 1914 – 1919

Death: 1921, Forden, Montgomeryshire, Not known / Anhysbys

Memorial: St Dingats Church, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire

Notes: Nest and her sister Dorothea were daughters of Margaret Pryse-Rice, President of the Carmarthenshire Red Cross. She served through the whole war, mostly at the Llandovery Auxiliary Hospital but 1918 - 1919 at the Nannau Hospital for Officers, Dolgellau. She died aged 25

Sources: http://www.wwwmp.co.uk/carmarthenshire-war-memorials/llandovery-carmarthenshire-red-cross-memorial/

Reference: WaW0204

Memorial plaque

Memorial plaque commemorating Dorothea and Nest Pryse-Rice, St Dingat’s, Llandovery

Grave of Nest Pryse-Rice

Grave of Nest Pryse-Rice, St Dingat’s Church, Llandovery

Red Cross record

Red Cross record card for Nest Pryse-Rice

Gwyneth Marjorie Bebb (Thomson)

Place of birth: Oxford

Service: Lawyer

Death: 1921, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Complications of childbirth / Cymhlethdodau esgor

Notes: Gwyneth Bebb moved to Wales when her father, Llewellyn John Montford Bebb, was appointed Principal of St David’s College Lampeter in 1898. She attended Lampeter Girls School for a while (and was an enthusiastic hockey-player). She studied law at St Hugh’s College, the 6th woman to study law at Oxford, and was the first to gain first-class marks in her finals, though she was not allowed to graduate. In 1913 she and three other women started an unsuccessful legal action, known as Bebb vs. the Law Society, to enable women to enter the legal profession. There was considerable support in the Welsh press. By this date women could practise in all other professions except the law and the Church. The case failed, and it was not until the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919 that women were admitted to the legal profession. During the War Gwyneth worked at the Ministry for Food. As Head of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Food in the Midlands she used her legal skills to help prosecute black-marketeers. While there she met and married T W Thompson, a solicitor. Her first child was born the day after the Sex Discrimination (Removal) Act became law. Soon afterwards she was accepted to read for the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. She would have become Britain’s first women barrister if she had not died, aged 31, following the disastrous birth of her second child.

Sources: https://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/celebrating-the-life-of-legal-pioneer-gwyneth-bebb\r\nhttps://www.lincolnsinn.org.uk/library-archives/archive-of-the-month/february-2017-the-admission-of-gwyneth-bebb/

Reference: WaW0400

Gwyneth Bebb

Gwyneth Bebb, now Thomson with her baby daughter Diana, early 1920.

Newspaper photograph

Newspaper photograph and article ‘Are Lawyers Afraid of Women’s Brains?’ Daily Sketch, December 1913.

Newspaper report

Report of a hockey match between Lampeter Ladies’ Team and Lampeter Girls’ School. Gwyneth is the only Girls’ School member mentioned. Carmarthen Journal 27th June 1903.

Newspaper report

Report of Gwyneth Bebb’s evidence at the Appeal Court. Carmarthen Weekly Reporter 4th July 1913.

Newspaper report

Report of Gwyneth Bebb (Mrs Thomson)’s admittance to Lincoln’s Inn. Cambria Daily Leader 31st December 1919.

Annie Elizabeth (Nancy) Brewer (Mistrick)

Place of birth: Newport

Service: Nurse, Fondation Baye

Death: 1921/01/30, Newport, Brights disease

Notes: Annie Brewer, also known as Nancy, was born in 1874. Her father worked in the Dos Road Nail factory. She qualified in ‘the nursing and attendance of insane persons’ in 1899. After a few years working in hospitals she seems to have become a nurse/companion, travelling to many parts of Europe. At the outbreak of War she joined a private French hospital and ambulance organisation, the Fondation Baye, and worked as part of the Fondation in many war zones of France. She was wounded when her ambulance was bombed, and also suffered serious illness. She remained in France in the Army of Occupation until late 1920. She was decorated several times by the French government, including two awards of the Croix de Guerre and also the Legion d’Honnour. During her time in France she also married a young ambulance driver, Daniel Mistrick. She returned to Newport early in 1921 to nurse her mother, but died very shortly afterwards. Annie took many photographs of her time in France, and was also frequently photographed by others. A selection can be seen below.

Sources: www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/authors/88112f9c-1724-34e3-8c65-6d48968dc06b22cb34378481r_date%22%20and%20%28gallica%20all%20%22nancy%20Brewer%22%29

Reference: WaW0187

Annie (Nancy) Brewer

Photograph of Annie (Nancy) taken in Torquay, 13 . 3 . 15

Annie Brewer and ambulance

Annie Brewer beside an ambulance possibly driven by Daniel Mistrick

Annie in the operating theatre

Annie Brewer giving an anaesthetic in a camp operating theatre.

Announcement of award of Croix de Guerre

Announcement in the Journal Officiel de la Republique Français, 17th December 1917: Miss BREWER (Nancy), voluntary nurse in the de Baye unit, at the hospital at Dugny: a highly skilled nurse whose moral strength and devotion have been conspicuously shown on many occasions, notably 18 August 1917 during the shelling of her ambulance. Gave on that day a magnificent example of coolness and of absolute disregard for danger, lavishing her care on the wounded while under enemy artillery fire.

Nurses looking at a zeppelin

Photograph by AB of a group of nurses looking up at a zeppelin flying over.

Young man bathing

AB’s photograph of a young man, possibly Daniel Mistrick, bathing in a river.

Annie Brewer

Annie Brewer in a snow covered dugout

Announcement of award of Medaille de la Reconaissance français

Announcement in the Journal Officiel de la Republique Français 22nd October 1920: Miss Brewer (Annie Elizabeth, Nancy), British, senior nurse in the unit of Mlle de Baye: has been with this at the Front since 1915, at Vitry-le-François, at Deuxnouds, before Beauzée, at Souilly, at Dugny; since the Armistice has been attached to the Army of Occupation, notably at Saarbrücken; taken ill in April 1918, has had to undergo a long period in hospital; scarcely able to return to duty, daily imposing on herself new tasks way beyond her strength; at present undergoing treatment in rnhospital in a condition that her doctors describe as extremely serious.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Thomas

Place of birth: Seven Sisters

Service: Nurse, QAIMNSR, 1915 - 1920

Death: 1921/09/27, Neath ?, Tuberculosis / Y dicléin

Memorial: Seven Sisters , Glamorgan

Notes: Born in 1890, Lizzie attended Neath County School and trained as a nurse at Swansea General and Eye Hospital. She volunteered for QAIMNS Reserve in 1915, and was sent to Salonika via Egypt in November. It is said that the troopship she was on was torpedoed, and that she spent some hours in the water. She returned home in December 1916, and in January 1917 was given a reception by the local community, including the presentation of a medal and the singingof an embarrassingly effusive poem in Welsh. She spent the rest of the War, until she was demobbed in October 1920, at Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross in April 1919. Lizzie returned home to nurse in Neath, but died less than a year later of TB. Her name appears on the Seven Sisters War Memorial

Sources: Jonathan Skidmore: Neath and Briton Ferry in the First World War

Reference: WaW0477

Elizabeth Thomas

Lizzie Thomas in uniform

Poem / song

The embarrassing song performed at the reception for Nurse Thomas in January 1917. ‘Composed by Mr R. D. Harris and sung by Messrs. D. T. Davies and John Hughes’. Llais Llafur 6th January 1917

Army Form W. 3538

Lizzie Thomas’s new posting to Fort Pitt Military Hospital, Chatham, 1st September 1917

Seven Sisters War Memorial

Photograph taken shortly after its opening 1920?