Ethel Margery Davie, Lady Templer (23 July 1904 – 24 March 1997) was a lieutenant colonel in the

St John Ambulance Brigade St John Ambulance is an affiliated movement of charitable organisations in mostly Commonwealth countries which provide first aid education and consumables and emergency medical services. St John organisations are primarily staffed by volunteer ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the founder of Lady Templer Hospital in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

and active during the Malaya Emergency. She was the wife of Sir

Gerald Templer Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer (11 September 1898 – 25 October 1979) was a senior British Army officer. He fought in both the world wars and took part against the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Pales ...

, and when he was British High Commissioner of Malaysia, she was known as the "First Lady of Malaysia".

Biography

Ethel Margery Davie was born in Devon to Charles Davie, a retired

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

, and his wife Beatrice, on 23 July 1904. An intelligent child, Davies' father reportedly removed her from school after the headmistress suggested she take an entrance exam to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. She first met Gerald Templar when staying with her grandparents in 1920. The two were engaged in 1924, married on 8 September 1926, and, according to her obituary in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', for many years she "made a successful career as an officer's wife, resolutely in the background and supportive to a man who could at times be prickly". Templer ran social clubs. During the Second World War, she lived in Woodford, Wiltshire and was a lieutenant-colonel in the

. They would have a daughter in 1934 and a son in 1945. In Malay with her husband, Templer learned to speak and broadcast the

Malay language Malay ( , ; , Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by Malays (ethnic group), Malays in several islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula on the mainland Asia. The lang ...

, and founded the Lady Templer Hospital. The hospital began treating solely

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and was later made a

general hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

. With the help of

Margaret Herbison Margaret McCrorie Herbison (11 March 1907 – 29 December 1996) was a Scottish Labour politician who was Minister of Social Security from 1964 to 1967. Early life Herbison was born on 11 March 1907 in Shotts, Lanarkshire to Maria Jane McCr ...

, Templer founded a

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...

-like organisation. During the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

, communists reportedly warned against Templer attempting to trick women into joining her organisation, saying "This woman bandit is cunning." She was later involved with the Commonwealth Society for the Deaf and the

SSAFA SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, also known as the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association, is a UK charity that provides trusted support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dep ...

. Templer died on 24 March 1997, aged 93. A biographer of Gerald Templer wrote that "Peggie had a strong will and a determination to achieve what she wanted which would sometimes show through the very genuine sympathy and warmth which she constantly conveyed to all around her."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Templer, Ethel M 1904 births 1997 deaths British activists Wives of knights People from Devon Place of death missing