Helen Campbell Norman, RRC (27 January 1856 – 31 July 1913) was a leading British military nurse who was awarded the Royal Red Cross for her role in the Anglo-Egyptian War. She was later in charge of nursing at Netley Hospital in Southampton.
Helen Campbell Norman | |
|---|---|
 Norman in 1875 | |
| Born | 27 January 1856 Peshawar, British Raj |
| Died | 31 July 1913 (aged 57) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Army Nursing Service |
| Years of service | 1883–1910 |
| Rank | Matron-in-Chief |
| Commands | Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (1906–10) |
| Battles / wars | Anglo-Egyptian War |
| Awards | Royal Red Cross |
| Relations | Field Marshal Sir Henry Wylie Norman (father) |
Nursing career
editNorman was born in Peshawar in the British Raj on 27 January 1856. She was the second daughter of Selina Eliza Davidson and Lieutenant (later Field Marshal Sir) Henry Wylie Norman.[1][2] She trained to be a nurse in Paddington at St Mary's Hospital under the supervision of Rachel Williams,[3] who was a close friend of Florence Nightingale.[4]
In 1882 Britain sent soldiers to Egypt as part of the Anglo-Egyptian War. Assets were under threat including the Suez Canal. Norman was the first British nurse to arrive in Egypt when she was sent to Ismailia.[3] When she returned she was decorated with the fifteenth Royal Red Cross in May 1883 and later that year she joined the Army Nursing Service.[2]
In October 1889 Norman succeeded as the Superintendent at the Netley Hospital, taking over from Jane Cecilia Deeble.[5] Nurse Caulfield had been offered the job but she refused so Norman was the next choice. Norman served at that military hospital in Southampton until 1902.[3]
In 1906 Norman became matron-in-chief of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service and she held that position until 1910.[3] Norman died in Brisbane, Australia, on 31 July 1913, aged 57.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Netley Military Cemetery – research about the people who are laid to rest there – Norman Helen Campbell". www.netley-military-cemetery.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ a b Higgs, Michelle (2011-07-12). Tracing Your Medical Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84468-662-9.
- ^ a b c d McDonald, Lynn (2011-11-01). Florence Nightingale on Wars and the War Office: Collected Works of Florence Nightingale, Volume 15. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. ISBN 978-1-55458-382-9.
- ^ Buhnemann, Kristin. "Rachel Williams". Florence Nightingale Museum London. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Cohen, Susan L. (2024-01-11), "Deeble [née Egan], Jane Cecilia (1827–1913), nurse", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000382491, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8, retrieved 2024-01-16
- ^ "Obituaries". The British Journal of Nursing. 51: 112.