Emily Blair
Dame Emily Mathieson Blair, DBE, RRC (12 January 1890 – 25 December 1963) was a British military nurse and nursing administrator who served as Matron-in-Chief of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (1938–43), Joint War Committee (1943–47) and the British Red Cross Society (1947–53).[1]
Dame Emily Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 January 1890 Boghead, Lenzie, Scotland |
| Died | 25 December 1963 (aged 73) London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army (1916–18) Royal Air Force (1918–43) |
| Years of service | 1916–1943 |
| Rank | Matron-in-Chief |
| Commands held | Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (1938–43) |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal Red Cross Mentioned in Despatches Florence Nightingale Medal |
| Other work | Matron-in-Chief British Red Cross Society (1947–53) |
Early life
Emily Mathieson Blair was born on 12 January 1890 at Boghead, Lenzie, Kirkintilloch, the daughter of Mary Ann (née Croll) and Hugh Blair, a businessman and muslin manufacturer.[2][3] From 1912 to 1916 she trained as a nurse at Western Infirmary, Glasgow.[3]
Nursing career
During the First World War Blair served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.[1] When the Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 she moved to the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service, becoming Matron-in-Chief in 1938. During the Second World War she was mentioned in despatches.[1]
In 1943, Blair was appointed Matron-in-Chief of the Joint War Committee. When the committee was disbanded in 1947, Blair served as Matron-in-Chief of the British Red Cross Society until 1953, and was responsible for supplying trained nurses for service in hospitals and convalescent homes.[1] She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 2 June 1943, and was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1947.[3]
Later life
Blair retired in 1953 and remained a member of the Council of the British Red Cross until her death. She died of lung cancer on 25 December 1963 in a London nursing home.[1]
References
- "Dame Emily Blair – Nursing the Forces". Obituaries. The Times. No. 55893. London. 27 December 1963. col E, p. 10.
- "1890 BLAIR, EMILY MATHIESON (Statutory registers Births 498/ 25)". Scotland's People. National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon.
- "Blair, Dame Emily Mathieson (1890–1963), nurse and nursing administrator". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51954. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)