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.

Caroline Emily Booker (née Lindsay)

Place of birth: Glanafon, Glamorgan

Service: Vice president, VAD, 1909-1919

Notes: Mrs Booker was widowed in 1887. She became the founder of the local Glamorgan detachment of the VAD (22) in 1909. She seems to have instigated the use of Tuscar House, Southerndown, as a Red Cross Hospital in May 1915, and most of her 7 daughters played a greater or lesser role in the running of the hospital. [qv Etta,Ellen, Mabel, Ethel and Dulcie Booker]. Mrs Booker provided a car and the petrol to ferry patients to and from the station in Bridgend 5 miles away.

Reference: WaW0470

Record of Caroline Booker

Mrs Booker’s entry in The County Families of the United Kingdom, Edward Walford (this edition c 1920)

Red Cross record card

Red cross card for Caroline Emily Booker.

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Red Cross card for Caroline Booker showing her VAD activities.

Tuscar House

Tuscar House Red Cross Hospital, Southerndown. The house was used as a hospital in WW2 as well.

Dulcie Booker

Place of birth: Southerndown ?

Service: Nurse, Sister-in-charge, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, VAD, 1914/10/01 – 1919/04/30

Notes: Dulcie Booker managed the finances involved in setting up Tuscar House Hospital as well as its day-to-day running costs. From 1917 she also acted as Sister in Charge of the hospital. She took a main part, together with her sister Mabel [qv] in arranging entertainments for the patients, including leading the Tuscar Red Cross Hospital Band. She was a sought-after local accompanist.

Reference: WaW0475

Red Cross record card

Red Cross record for Dulcie Booker.

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Reverse of Red Cross record for Dulcie Booker, showing her service at Tuscar Hospital.

Newspaper report

Report of a ‘welcome home’ reception which included a performance by the Tuscar Hospital Band. Glamorgan Gazette 19th July 1918

Newspaper report

Report of a Grand Matinée given at Bridgend Cinema by the soldiers of Tuscar House (and others). Glamorgan Gazette 29th November 1918

Newspaper report

Report of a presentation to Dulcie and Ethel Booker when Tuscar House hospital closed in April 1919. Glamorgan Gazette 4th April 1919

Ellen ‘Nellie’ Mariana Booker

Place of birth: Southerndown ?

Service: Secretary then Commandant, VAD, 1909 - 1917

Death: February/Chwefror 19, Southerndown, Not known / anhuybys

Notes: Nellie Booker was the sixth daughter of Caroline Booker [qv]. With her mother and sister Etta [qv] she established the Southerndown branch of the Red Cross Society. At the outbreak of war she was the Secretary of the Tuscar House Hospital, and later became its Commandant. Unusually she was given a military funeral: ‘a unique honour for a lady’ (Glamorgan Gazette). Her Red Cross record card does not survive.

Reference: WaW0472

Newspaper report

Report of the opening of Tuscar House Red Cross hospital. Glamorgan Gazette 28th May 1915

Tuscar House Red Cross Hospital, Southerndown. The house was used as a hospital in WW2 as well.

Newspaper report

Report of the troops recovering at Tuscar House. Glamorgan Gazette 18th June 1915

Newspaper report

Part of the report of Nellie Booker’s military funeral. Glamorgan Gazette 2nd March 1917

Ethel Anna Booker

Place of birth: Southerndown ?

Service: Nurse, Quartermaster, Commandant, VAD, 1915/04/01 – 1919/04/30

Notes: Ethel Booker began her service at Tuscar House as a voluntary kitchen-maid, but became an efficient quartermaster in August 1915. She became Commandant of the hospital following the death of her sister Nellie [qv] in 1917. Her record of service (filled out by her mother Caroline [qv]) says she lived at the hospital and took no leave for the last 18 months of her time there. Ethel and her sister Dulcie [qv] were the prime organisers of events both for fundraising and for amusing the patients at the hospital.rn

Reference: WaW0474

Red Cross record card

Red Cross record for Ethel Booker

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Reverse of Ethel Booker’s Card, detailing her service, and written by her mother. Caroline Booker.

Tuscar House

Tuscar House Red Cross Hospital, Southerndown. The house was used as a hospital in WW2 as well.

Newspaper report

Report of a Grand Matinée given at Bridgend Cinema by the soldiers of Tuscar House (and others). Glamorgan Gazette 29th November 1918

Newspaper report

Report of a presentation to Ethel and Dulcie Booker when Tuscar House hospital closed in April 1919. Glamorgan Gazette 4th April 1919

Etta J O Booker

Place of birth: Southerndown ?

Service: Nurse, Commandant, VAD, FANY, 1909 - 1919

Notes: Etta Booker served as Commandant of the Glamorgan [22] detachment when it was founded in 1909. In November 1914, she was part of a group of six nurses from Glamorgan sent to the French Base Hospital at Saumur for 6 months. After her return to Southerndown she worked for a while in the Tuscar House hospital, but then relinquished her rank as Commandant to go to Calais with the FANY. After a breakdown of health she was moved to Nice to work in the Officers’ Hospital, then back to northern France where she worked in several hospitals, ending as a charge nurse in the Anglo Belge Hospital in Rouen in 1919. She was nearly 40 years old by this time, and had had only short breaks at home, when she worked with her sisters [Booker qv] at Tuscar House. Etta seems to have remained a member of the Red Cross, as her medals include a Silver Jubilee medal (1935) as well as French and Belgian decorations.

Reference: WaW0471

Red Cross record card

Red Cross card for Etta Booker, heavily annotated.

Red Cross record card (reverse)

Reverse of Etta Booker’s Red Cross card, with details of her service (presumably written by her sister Ethel [qv].

Newspaper report

Report of Etta’s departure for France. Glamorgan Gazette 6th November 1914

Etta Booker’s medals

Etta Booker’s medals, which were sold at Bonhams, London for £1440 in 2013. They include the Medal of Queen Elizabeth; Belgium and the France, Ministry of the Interior, silver medal

Medal card

Record of medals awarded to Etta Booker. There are two separate cards in the National Archives, this one listing her as a Trooper then Nurse in the FANY

Medal card

Record of medals awarded to Etta Booker. There are two separate cards in the National Archives, this one listing her as VAD, French Red Cross and FANY