Gertrude Richards

Gertrude Richards
Born(1864-09-16)16 September 1864
Nottingham, England
Died18 September 1944(1944-09-18) (aged 80)
West Bridgford, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchArmy Nursing Service
Years of service1904–1919
RankPrincipal Matron
UnitQueen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
Battles / warsFirst World War
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Red Cross

Gertrude Mary Richards CBE RRC (16 September 1864 – 18 September 1944) was a British nurse and military nursing leader during the First World War.[1][2] She was matron and principal matron in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service from 1904 until her retirement in 1919.[3][4][5]

Early life

Richards was born in Nottingham on 16 September 1864,[5] and was one of at least six children born to her parents William, a solicitor and mother Harriette.[6]

Nursing career

Richards lived at home until she undertook nurse training at The London Hospital between 1891 and 1893, under Eva Luckes.[7][8][3] Richards remained there as a sister until she became matron of Moorfields Hospital in 1899.[8][7][9][3][10] In 1904 she was appointed as matron in the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, and her first posting was to the Royal Herbert Military Hospital in Woolwich.[5][11][12][13] In 1917 Richards became principal matron in the War Office, until her retirement in 1919.[5] She was one of twenty-seven military matrons who served in the First World War and who trained under Eva Luckes, including Sarah Oram, Maud McCarthy and Ethel Becher.[3]

Honours

Richards was awarded the Royal Red Cross in July 1915 and appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by 1941.[14][15]

Personal life

After her retirement in 1919, Richards moved back to Nottinghamshire and in 1939 was living with her younger sister, Lily, in West Bridgford.[16]

Richards died on 18 September 1944, and left her estate to her sister Lily.[17]

References

  1. ^ Gertrude Mary Richards, Birth Certificate, 16 September 1864, Nottingham; General Register Office for England and Wales
  2. ^ Gertrude Mary Richards, Death Certificate, 18 September 1944, Beeston, Nottinghamshire; General Register Office for England and Wales
  3. ^ a b c d Rogers, Sarah (2022). A Maker of Matrons’? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919 (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022
  4. ^ Matron's Annual Letter, No.11; Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No.11, April 1904, 13; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.
  5. ^ a b c d Gertrude Mary Richards, British Army Nurses’ Service Records 1914–1918; WO399/6988; The National Archives, Kew
  6. ^ The Richards Family, RG11/333, 132; The General Record Office, The England and Wales Census 1881 for Beeston, Nottinghamshire; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk, accessed on 20 January 2018]
  7. ^ a b Gertrude Mary Richards, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/1, 141; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
  8. ^ a b Gertrude Mary Richards, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/3, 240; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
  9. ^ Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
  10. ^ "Appointments". The Nursing Record. 23: 311. 14 October 1899 – via www.rcn.org.
  11. ^ "Appointments". The Hospital. 36 (916): 27. 16 April 1904.
  12. ^ The Minutes of the Twenty-seventh Nursing Board, 30 September 1903; Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service: Proceedings and Reports; April 1903 – March 1904; WO243/21, Vol.2, 76; The National Archives, Kew.
  13. ^ Matron’s Annual Letter to Nurses, No.11, Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No.11, April 1904, 13, 29; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.
  14. ^ "Royal Red Cross". The Nursing Record. 55 (1422): 7. 3 July 1915 – via www.rcn.org.
  15. ^ Richards, Gertrude , CBE, RRC, Army List, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service -Retired Pay, 1941, 1650.
  16. ^ Richards, Gertrude M., RG101/6245l; 1939 England and Wales Register for West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 20 January 2018]
  17. ^ Richards Gertrude Mary, died 18 September 1944, Probate granted 17 February 1945; Probate Search Service [Available at: https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk ]