Rachel Crowdy
Encyclopedia
Dame Rachel Eleanor Crowdy, DBE
(3 March 1884, Paddington
- 10 October 1964, Outwood
, Surrey
) was an English nurse and social reformer. She was Principal Commandant of Voluntary Aid Detachments in France and Belgium from 1914 to 1919 and Chief of the Department of Opium Traffic and Social Issues Section of the League of Nations
from 1919 to 1931. She was also an active member of the British National Committee for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade.
. She met Katharine Furse
in 1911, volunteering to serve as a Red Cross nurse in case of invasion. At the outset of World War I
Furse and Crowdy travelled abroad to discover what was being done for the wounded, their investigation resulting in the establishment of rest stations. Crowdy was appointed Principal Commandant of V.A.D.s in 1914. She was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 1919.
From 1919 to 1931 Crowdy was Head of the Social Questions and Opium Traffic Section of the League of Nations
, making her the only woman to be head of an administrative section of the League. In 1920-21 she accompanied the International Typhus Commission to Poland at the height of the post-war epidemic there. On her retirement from the League, she was guest of honour at a dinner for six hundred women at the Café Royal
.
in 1931 Crowdy was a member of the British delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations
conference at Shanghai
. She sat on the 1935-36 Royal Commission
on the Private Manufacture of Armaments, visited the Spanish Civil War
in 1937 with the Parliamentary Commission in 1937, and sat on the 1938-39 Royal Commission on the West Indies. In 1939 Rachel Crowdy married Colonel
Cudbert John Massy Thornhill, CMG, DSO (4 October 1883 - 1952), a British Officer of the Indian Army and of The Secret Intelligence Service
(MI-6). In World War II she acted as Regions Advisor to the Ministry of Information, reporting on bomb damage in British cities.
Dame Rachel Crowdy died at her home in Outwood
, Surrey
on 10 October 1964.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(3 March 1884, Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
- 10 October 1964, Outwood
Outwood
Outwood may refer to:*Outwood, Greater Manchester, formerly a civil parish*Outwood, Somerset*Outwood, Surrey*Outwood, West Yorkshire*Outwood, Worcestershire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) was an English nurse and social reformer. She was Principal Commandant of Voluntary Aid Detachments in France and Belgium from 1914 to 1919 and Chief of the Department of Opium Traffic and Social Issues Section of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
from 1919 to 1931. She was also an active member of the British National Committee for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade.
Life
The daughter of James Crowdy, Rachel Crowdy was educated at Hyde Park New College before training as a nurse at Guy's HospitalGuy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
. She met Katharine Furse
Katharine Furse
Dame Katharine Furse, GBE, RRC , founder of the English Voluntary Aid Detachment force, was born Katharine Symonds, daughter of the poet and critic John Addington Symonds and Janet Catherine North...
in 1911, volunteering to serve as a Red Cross nurse in case of invasion. At the outset of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Furse and Crowdy travelled abroad to discover what was being done for the wounded, their investigation resulting in the establishment of rest stations. Crowdy was appointed Principal Commandant of V.A.D.s in 1914. She was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1919.
From 1919 to 1931 Crowdy was Head of the Social Questions and Opium Traffic Section of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, making her the only woman to be head of an administrative section of the League. In 1920-21 she accompanied the International Typhus Commission to Poland at the height of the post-war epidemic there. On her retirement from the League, she was guest of honour at a dinner for six hundred women at the Café Royal
Café Royal
The Café Royal was a restaurant and meeting place on 68 Regent Street in London's Piccadilly.-History:The establishment was originally conceived and set up in 1865 by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, who was a French wine merchant. He had to flee France due to bankruptcy, arriving in Britain in 1863 with...
.
in 1931 Crowdy was a member of the British delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations
Institute of Pacific Relations
The Institute of Pacific Relations was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity over the years, consisted of professional staff members who...
conference at Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. She sat on the 1935-36 Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on the Private Manufacture of Armaments, visited the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1937 with the Parliamentary Commission in 1937, and sat on the 1938-39 Royal Commission on the West Indies. In 1939 Rachel Crowdy married Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Cudbert John Massy Thornhill, CMG, DSO (4 October 1883 - 1952), a British Officer of the Indian Army and of The Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
(MI-6). In World War II she acted as Regions Advisor to the Ministry of Information, reporting on bomb damage in British cities.
Dame Rachel Crowdy died at her home in Outwood
Outwood
Outwood may refer to:*Outwood, Greater Manchester, formerly a civil parish*Outwood, Somerset*Outwood, Surrey*Outwood, West Yorkshire*Outwood, Worcestershire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 10 October 1964.