10 replies to this topic

[welshgirl]

I am trying to trace a lady by the name of Alice W Gordon. She was a nurse at several hospitals during the war. I am lucky enough to own her autograph book,I found it in a junk shop many years ago, and have just decided to try to find out more about her,but not having much luck. She may have been born in Scotland, as on the first page she signs herself Alice W Gordon of Halmyre.The book contains many photos,memoirs and signatures of the soldiers she cared for along with photos of possibly herself.The first hospital she was based at was in Up-Ottery Manor, Devon-dated May 3rd til July 3rd 1915.She then went on to Green Hall Hospital ,Belper (?)-dated August 25 1915. Next came ....... Grange Newark Oct 1916. Then Red Cross hospital in Knighton and finally Bryn Glas Hospital in Newport Monmouthshire.

Any information would be gratefully received and I would also be happy to scan and share the contents of the book.

Sian

[Jim Strawbridge]

Upottery is no more than a village between Honiton (Devon) and Chard (Somerset). Obviously a manor house turned over for hospital service. Very unlikely to have any clinical equipment so I assume that it was for recuperating wounded soldiers or for those with tb/influenza.

[welshgirl]

Thank you for your information. The soldiers writings while at Upottery mention being sick with rheumatisum and resting after many months hard fighting.

[Sue Light]

Sian

Any surviving records of her service will be held by the British Red Cross Archives - there's always a good chance that they will have information on her, although they really do like something like date of birth, home address to confirm identity - it may be worth trawling the Scottish census returns first to try and pin her down to Halmyre.  The address for enquiries can be found here:

British Red Cross Society Archives

Beyond that, it's likely to be very difficult.

Sue

[welshgirl]

Sue,

Thank you for your help. I have been in touch with the Red Cross, but not tried the Scottish census returns.Will keep searching,really want to find out who she was!
Many thanks,
Sian

Sian

Any surviving records of her service will be held by the British Red Cross Archives - there's always a good chance that they will have information on her, although they really do like something like date of birth, home address to confirm identity - it may be worth trawling the Scottish census returns first to try and pin her down to Halmyre.  The address for enquiries can be found here:

[url="http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-and-archives/Resources-for-researchers/Volunteers-and-personnel-records"]British Red Cross Society Archives[/url]

Beyond that, it's likely to be very difficult.

Sue
[/quote]

[alf mcm]

Hello Sian,
   I was at New Register House in Edinburgh last night and had a chance to look for a birth certificate for Alice W. Gordon. Unfortunately, after searching fro 1855 to 1904, there was no Alice Gordon with a middle name begining with 'W'. This could mean a couple of things:- Firstly, she was not born in Scotland. Next, she was born in Scotland and then married, with her married name being 'Gordon'. Perhaps her maiden name began with a 'W'. The search facility at New Register House does not allow you to search for a marriage using female forename 'Alice' and husband's surname 'Gordon'. At least not without individually looking at a lot of certificates. The new version of Scotlandspeople, however, may allow this kind of search. Not a very positive result, but it may make a difference. I also did a death searc for Alice W Gordon, but with no success. This is not surprising since middle names are not always used.

Regards,

Alf McM.

[welshgirl]

Hello Alf,

Wow!Thank you so much for looking for me,how thoughtful you are! I too have drawn  a blank,which is so frustrating as it is such a wonderful diary with lots of photos,it obviously meant a lot at the time to Alice. I will keep searching and many thanks again for thinking of me and of Alice. I am now in contact with a person at Kirkcudbright Museum and "The Grange"where Alice starts her diary, so am hoping for a link there. I am pleased you mention about her maiden name possibly begining with a W as the first photo in the book shows her with  a Mr and Mrs  Wilkinson- I had never thought that she may be an Alice Wilikinson-my search will take me there now! Apologies for not replying earlier but I have been busy elswhere and not had time to view this site.Many thanks again,I will keep on searching-because it would be wonderful  to find a member of Alice's family to hand the diary back to.
Thankyou,
Sian
Hello Sian,
   I was at New Register House in Edinburgh last night and had a chance to look for a birth certificate for Alice W. Gordon. Unfortunately, after searching fro 1855 to 1904, there was no Alice Gordon with a middle name begining with 'W'. This could mean a couple of things:- Firstly, she was not born in Scotland. Next, she was born in Scotland and then married, with her married name being 'Gordon'. Perhaps her maiden name began with a 'W'. The search facility at New Register House does not allow you to search for a marriage using female forename 'Alice' and husband's surname 'Gordon'. At least not without individually looking at a lot of certificates. The new version of Scotlandspeople, however, may allow this kind of search. Not a very positive result, but it may make a difference. I also did a death searc for Alice W Gordon, but with no success. This is not surprising since middle names are not always used.

Regards,

Alf McM.
[/quote]

[alf mcm]

Hello Sian,
    I did a search on Scotlandspeople and therev is no record of an Alice Gordon marrying a Wilkinson.

Regards,

Alf McM

[David Faulder]

What about an Alice Wilkinson marrying a Gordon - the Mr and Mrs Wilkinson could have been her parents rather than her parents-in-law?

Sian,

If you have a photo of her in uniform, try posting it and see if someone (probably Sue) can confirm exactly which organisation she served with.

David

[emz82]

welshgirl, on 07 September 2010 - 03:57 PM, said:

Then Red Cross hospital in Knighton and finally Bryn Glas Hospital in Newport Monmouthshire.

Any information would be gratefully received and I would also be happy to scan and share the contents of the book.

Sian

Hi Sian,
I have some information on Brynglas House in Newport. I happen to have the pages relating to the hospital photocopied from the book - History of the Red Cross in Monmouthshire 1910-1918 by Robin Jones. It's available at Newport Library but am happy to scan the documents in and email to you.

It was a house handed over to the military as a hospital for the duration of the war. Newport opened a number of military hopsitals during the war. I would be very interested in finding out what she wrote about her time in Newport if there is much in there for that.

Thanks,
Emily

[jar091]

welshgirl, on 07 September 2010 - 03:57 PM, said:

I am trying to trace a lady by the name of Alice W Gordon. ...  she signs herself Alice W Gordon of Halmyre.

Sian

Not Alice W Gordon but Alice Magdalene Gordon, 2nd daughter of Archibald Gordon of Halmyre, C.B., M.D. by his 2nd wife Mary Preston Crealock.  See the DNB for an entry on Archibald, who was Inspector General of Hospitals.  The family was at 76 Cornwall Gardens, Kensington in the 1881 census.  Alice was born in 1866 or 1867 in Blackheath, Kent and died at Treverbyn (house name?), Tavistock, Devon on 7 May 1938.

Halmyre is a house and estate in the parish of Newlands, Peeblesshire, bought by Alice's grandfather William Gordon (an illegitimate son of Gordon of Gordonstoun) in 1808.  It passed to Alice's half-brother Charles Ferrier Gordon after their father's death in 1886.

John