TOPIC:

Nora Valentine Blythe

Nursing Sister, Army Nursing Service Reserve – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal to NURSING SISTER N.V. BLYTHE, A.N.S.R.
- Kings South Africa Medal to NURSING SISTER N.V. BLYTHE.
- Reserve Medal (silver) “Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve”

Nora Blythe was born in Liverpool, Lancashire on 14 February 1873 – given the day on which she was born her parents could be forgiven for naming her “Valentine” in honour of the occasion. Her father George was a Resident Secretary of an Insurance Society whilst her mother, Kate Bradstreet Perry (Dr Perry of Bonn on the Rhine was her father) was a lady of leisure.

Eight years later, at the time of the 1881 England census, a 7 year old Norah was at home in 8 Pelham Grove, Toxteth Park with her parents and siblings Helen (12) and Sidney (11) with Jane Hallen, a Domestic Servant in the family’s employ to help with the children and the housework.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1891 England census, the family had moved to 102 Addington Street, Toxteth Park. Their circumstances were sadly changed with George Blythe having passed away earlier that year at the age of 54. Quite what decided her on a career as a Nurse is unknown but it is to this vocation that she gravitated. According to a newspaper article in the Worcester Chronicle of 20 June 1896, referring to the Worcester Infirmary, mention was made of a donation of behalf of “A. Friend” per Nurse Norah Blythe of £2.2 shillings.

Fortunately “out and about” in the working world she would not have felt the loss of her surviving parent so keenly when her mother passed away at the age of 55 on 12 December 1898 leaving her with only her brother and sister at the age of 25.



As the 19th century drew to a close the war clouds that had been gathering between the two Dutch-speaking Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and Great Britain erupted into full scale conflict on 11 October 1899. Those at home in England were galvanized into action, especially on the medical front where it soon became apparent that the meagre resources of the Royal Army Medical Corps would be insufficient to cope with the numbers of wounded, sick and dying that soon began to fill the few beds available in the field.

Many wealthy patrons either organized and paid for ambulances, field hospitals etc. or leant their weight and money to the organizing of the same. Caught up in the patriotic fervour that permeated every walk of Victoria life Nurse Blythe soon put her hand up to be counted among those volunteering for the long trek south. The Greenock Telegraph of Monday, March 12, 1900 carrying an insert wherein “No 10 General Hospital left Aldershot today for the Royal Albert Docks to embark on the Avoca for the Cape. The hospital has a large number of civilian doctors attached for special service. Surgeon Lt. Colonel Wellington is in charge.”

Nora Blythe would have been aboard that ship and, upon landing at the Cape, was transported with her colleagues to Norvals Pont in the Northern Cape which is where No. 10 Hospital was first pressed into service. A nurse with the Princess Christian’s Army Nursing Service Reserve she was soon “in action” providing succour to those men stricken with illness, disease or wounded in action. The Anglo Boer War was characterized as a conflict wherein the numbers of men who died from disease and the effects of poor nutrition far outweighed the number who died at the hands of Boer Mauser.



One of the many small but important tasks that Nursing Sisters had to undertake was that of letter writing on behalf of men unable to do so themselves – either through illiteracy (which was still widespread in the army at the time) of illness/wounds. They also provided a vital link between those at home desperate for news of a loved one but unable to navigate the official channels (such as they were) to get updates on their kith and kin. Fortunately correspondence between the family of a young Australian soldier’s family and Blythe has been retained for posterity and it provides a glimpse into the all-to-human side of war.

Writing from No.10 General Hospital Field Forces, South Africa on June 8th 1900 Blythe addressed herself as follows:

“Dear Madam

Although your son (Ash Whitney) is not now in my ward I often go and see him as I take a great interest in him. He is such a good patient. I am glad to be able to say…
He has had a bad attack of Pneumonia as well as Enteric and his temperature for the first week was daily 105. He wishes me to give you his best love and he hopes to be home again ere long and hopes you are all well. Believe me.

Sister N.V. Blythe.”

As an almost immediate follow up to this Blythe wrote again from No.10 General Hospital on 22 July 1900,

“Dear Mrs Whitney

It was not until your bawdy was well out of danger that I dared raise your hopes and tell you that the Almighty has spared him to you a little longer. You will I am sure be glad to hear that he is now much better and getting up. Poor laddie, he is very thin and I am afraid if you saw him now you would scarcely know him but now we hope to fatten him up and send him home as soon as possible. I am very glad indeed to be able to write this to you and hope it will cheer you up. This is indeed a very sad time for the people at home. God grant it a speedy ending. Believe me.

Sincerely yours

Sister N.V. Blythe”

One can only imagine what a wonderful tonic this letter must have been to Trooper Whitney’s family.

As the warm moved on so too did No.10 General Hospital – moving from the rarified platteland of Norvals Pont to the hustle and bustle of Bloemfontein, the capital city of the Orange Free State which surrendered to Lord Roberts in March 1900. Many months later the health situation in Bloemfontein was still dire with Enteric Fever and Dysentery decimating the British troops stationed there. Sister Blythe and her staff would have been kept very busy ministering to their needs. It was more than likely here that she met her future husband. Dr Robert Corfe of the R.A.M.C. was a Doctor stationed in Bloemfontein at the same time Nurse Blythe was there.



The Boer War finally over on 31 May 1902 Blythe was able to return to England where, in Worcestershire in October 1902, she tied the know with Robert Corfe. How she occupied her time as the wife of a busy Medical Doctor is unknown but she probably assisted him in his practice. When the 1911 England census came round Robert was a 40 year Physician and Surgeon whilst Nora was 38 and in charge of the household staff of two servants – a cook and a housemaid. Heavily pregnant with daughter, Helen Mary who was born on 11 July 1911, she would have had need of their assistance.

Two years later, on 23 April 1913, the couple welcomed Marina Margaret into the world. These happy events took place in Greenwich which is where Corfe maintained a practice.

World War I erupted onto the international stage on 4 August 1914 and Robert Corfe, a serving R.A.M.C. officer, was dispatched to France on 20 June 1916 leaving Nora at home to look after the children. According to the Voter’s Roll of 1918 the family were living at 6 Croom’s Hill, South Greenwich.

Robert returned from the war but passed away on 25 September 1927 at the age of 57. His obituary in the British Medical Journal read, in part, thus.

“We regret to record the death of Dr Robert Corfe after a short illness. He held the appointments of house-surgeon and obstetric officer at St Mary’s Hospital, was resident medical officer at the Ipswich General Hospital and during the Boer War he acted as Civil Surgeon. In 1902 he settled in Greenwich, where he carried on practice for the past twenty five years. At the outbreak of the late war he was called up as a Territorial Officer, R.A.M.C., and served in France and Salonika throughout its duration, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He leaves a widow and two daughters.”

Now widowed Nora carried on and, according to the 1939 Register, was living at Beech Farm in Malling, Kent. She passed away at Mole Hill, Warren Corner, Ewshot, Hampshire on 21 December 1962 bequeathing an estate of £ 9718 to her two married daughters.

She had done her duty.

Acknowledgments:
- Newspaper quoted above
- Ancestry. com

Afternoon Rory,
Very nice indeed, is the reverse of the Tippet badge hallmarked, a nice thing to find these days and with original silk ribbon too.
Regards Frank

Afternoon Frank - no hallmarks that I could make out but the reverse is impressed J.R. GAUNT. LONDON

Regards

Rory

Think this might be the manufacturer of Nora's Tippet Medal:



Warstone Parade lay within the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham.

The 1902 Worcestershire Wedding suggests that Nora may have worked at a Worcestershire hospital for a time. Do you have an actual location in Worcestershire? All I can find is the registration of the wedding in the Kings Norton, Worcestershire Registration District. The KN Reg District is the bane of my researches because until 1924 it included Smethwick in Staffordshire & Edgbaston in Warwickshire as well as Kings Norton & Harborne in Worcestershire. So on that basis she could have married in Smethwick - unlikely, more likely one of the churches in posher Harborne or Edgbaston. At the time there was a large hospital in the centre of Birmingham and residing in Edgbaston would have been an easy commute, alternatively the Kings Norton Workhouse Infirmary - not as bad as it sounds as a large new one had been built in1897 and it transmogrified into the present day Selly Oak Hospital.

Finally Ash(ley) Whitney appeared on this site getting on for four years ago:

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/2-introductio...ing-13-minutes#76673

Photos and more info about him can be found on-line but google Trooper Ashley Whitney rather than plain Ashley Whitney when you will learn a lot about a female USA swimmer.