E Bethel

Place of birth: Talywain ?

Service: Munitions Worker

Notes: E Bethel’s name is recorded as a National Munitions Worker in the Roll of Honour at Pisgah Baptist Church, Talywain. Nothing is known of her.

Reference: WaW0293

Roll of Honour

E Bethel’s name on the Roll of honour at Pisgah Baptist Church, Talywain.

Margaret Walker Bevan

Place of birth: Swansea

Service: Nurse, QAIMNS

Death: 1915 - 1919, Cause not known

Notes: Born in Swansea in 1883, Margaret trained as a nurse in Coventry and later worked in Barnsley. Early in 1915 she joined the staff of the Welsh Military Hospital, Netley. The Welsh Hospital was designed to be moveable, and it was soon packed up and sent, with its staff, to Deolali in India. Margaret worked there, and in Mesopotamia, until December 1919. After the war she became Matron of the new Memorial Hospital in Farnborough, Surrey.

Sources: People’s Collection Wales

Reference: WaW0429

Photograph

A ward at the ‘Welch’ Hospital, Deolali. Margaret is standing on the left. Thanks to Dave Gordon.

Photograph

Margaret in a hospital tent, possibly in Basra, Mesopotamia. Thanks to Dave Gordon

Magazine article

Description of the Welsh War Hospital, Netley. 'The Hospital' 24th October 1914.

Minnie Bevan

Place of birth: Swansea

Service: Munitions Worker

Notes: Suffered from shock but survived the accident that killed Gwendoline (Gwenllian) Williams and Sarah Jane Thomas 8th January 1919

Reference: WaW0085

Newspaper report of explosion

Minnie Bevan mentioned in a newspaper report, Carmarthen Journal Jan 1919

Helen Beveridge

Place of birth: Abergavenny ?

Service: Nurse, Scottish Womens Hospitals, November 1916 - September 1919

Notes: Born in 1887, Helen volunteered for the Scottish Women’s Hospitals on November 1916, and left immediately for Salonika. She remained in Serbia until she was invalided home in the summer of 1919. She was awarded the medal of the Royal Serbian Red Cross for her work there.

Reference: WaW0274

Red Cross record card

Red Cross record for Helen Beveridge

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Red Cross record for Helen Beveridge (reverse)

Newspaper report

Report of a gift of a wrist watch to Helen Beveridge at Frogmore St Baptist Church. Abergavenny Chronicle 24th November 1916.

Newspaper report

Report of Helen’s return from Serbia. Abergavenny Chronicle 26th September 1919

Mary Lavinia Beynon

Place of birth: Swansea ?

Service: Midwife

Notes: Mary Beynon, aged 40, was charged with the murder of Esther Davies [qv]. The charge was that she had used an instrument to procure an abortion, as a result of which Esther Davies died. Mary, who was the wife of a Police Inspector, was cleared of the charge in November 1919.

Reference: WaW0303

Artists impression

Artists impression of Mary Beynon, Cambria Daily Leader 9th September 1919.

Newspaper report

Report of the charge against Mary Beynon. Cambria Daily Leader 11th August 1919.

Newspaper report

Report of the ‘not guilty’ verdict. Report of the charge against Mary Beynon. Cambria Daily Leader 11th August 1919.

Maisie Bowcott

Place of birth: Abergavenny

Service: Nurse, VAD, 1918/07/01 - 1919

Notes: Maisie Bowcott worked in English hospitals, first in Wimborne, Dorset, and then at the Military Hospital, Tidworth, Hants.

Reference: WaW0155

Red Cross card

Red Cross Card in name of Maisie Bowcott

Red Cross card (reverse)

Red Cross Card in name of Maisie Bowcott (reverse)

Frances Ethel Brace

Place of birth: Manorbier

Service: Nurse, QAIMNS, 16/06/1916

Death: 1916-09-21, Military Hospital, Malta, Malaria

Memorial: War Memorial, Cosheton; Llanelwy, Pembrokshire, Flintshire

Notes: Frances Brace trained at Carmarthen Infirmary, and joined QAIMNS in 1916. She was posted to Salonika as a staff nurse. There she contracted malaria and dysentery, and was transferred to Malta. She died there on 2ist September 1916, aged 30.

Sources: http://www.wwwmp.co.uk/pembrokeshire-war-memorials/;http://www.flintshirewarmemorials.com/memorials/st-asaph-memorial/st-asaph-cathedral-welsh-nurses-ww1/brace-frances-ethel/

Reference: WaW0001

Cosheton War Memorial

Frances Ethel Brace's name on War Memorial, Cosheston

Memorial plaque in Malta

Died in Military Hospital, Malta

Frances Ethel Brace on the left

Frances Ethel Brace and a colleague

Nurses

Frances Ethel Brace's name on the Nurses' Memorial, St Asaph

Frances Ethel Brace

Nurse Frances Ethel Brace before she joined QAIMNS

Newspaper report

Report of the death of Frances Ethel Brace, Herald of Wales 30th September 1918

Mary Brebner

Place of birth: not known

Service: Lecturer, University College Aberystwyth, 1898 - 1919

Notes: Mary Brebner was a University College, Aberystwyth, graduate and subsequently trained at the Cambridge Training College for Women under Elizabeth Phillips Hughes [qv]. She then took an MA at London University in 1891. After working in London as well as Wales, and travelled on a scholarship. Her book The Method of Teaching Modern Languages in Germany is still in print, and she has been described as the most influential women in the teaching of modern foreign languages in Britain. In 1899 she was appointed Assistant Lecturer at Aberystwyth in modern languages and Latin. At the outbreak of war Dr Ethē, Professor of German at Aberystwyth since 1875, was in Germany and did not return. Mary was promoted to lecturer and ran the department for the whole of the war, including the 1918-19 session which was ‘considerably interrupted owing to influenza’. She then retired, replaced by a man, to live in Penmaenmawr, though she remained on the board of the University of Wales.

Reference: WaW0451

Newspaper report

Report of Mary Brebner’s MA at London University. South Wales Daily News 31st July 1893.

Newspaper report

Report of Mary Brebner's appointment to the University College. Welsh Gazette 5th October 1899

Book catalogue

Mary Brebner’s book on teaching modern foreign languages 1898.

University College Report

Report of the German department, 1919. Reports submitted to the Court of Governors / University College of Wales, Aberystwyth

Annie Matilda Breeze

Place of birth: Machynlleth

Service: Nurse, TFNS ?, 1914 -

Notes: Annie Breeze probably trained in London, as her name appears at number 1 on the Roll of Honour at the Welsh Chapel, King’s Cross. She worked in hospitals in Aldershot before leaving for France in 1916. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross that year.

Reference: WaW0196

Roll of Honour

Roll of Honour of those who served in WWI, Kings Cross Welsh Chapel London

Annie Breeze’s name on Roll of Honour

Annie Breeze’s name on Roll of Honour of those who served in WWI, Kings Cross Welsh Chapel London

Newspaper report

Report concerning Annie Breeze, Cambrian News and Merioneth Standard 3rd November 1916

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.