Annie Warren Gill & Bar (1862 – 2 March 1930) was a British nurse who served as president of the College of Nursing in 1927.

Life

Gill was born on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

and trained as a nurse at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh eventually being appointed as a head nurse (later retitled

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). She left the Infirmary in 1900 during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

to serve as matron of the Edinburgh South-East of Scotland Hospital that had been relocated to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. On completion of her assignment in South Africa she resumed her role at the Royal Infirmary for a time before being asked to return to the country as matron of a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

in the Orange River Colony, for which she received the Royal Red Cross in October 1901. Gill was a Principal Matron in the Territorial Army Nursing Service (2nd Scottish). In June 1903 Gill was appointed to the position of matron of the Royal Berkshire Hospital before being elected in 1907 by the board of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as matron, a position she held until 1925. She was the first trainee of the RIE - known as a ‘pelican’ – to hold the position of Lady Superintendent. During the debate that led to the introduction of mandatory registration for nurses in the United Kingdom, Gill, as a member of the General Nursing Council for Scotland, campaigned for separate registration in Scotland. Gill was involved in the founding of the College of Nursing in 1916. She was instrumental in establishing the Scottish board of the College of Nursing, which held its first meeting on 1 November 1916 at 122 George Street, Edinburgh. She also saw the necessity of setting up local branches to build up membership. In the 1919 New Year Honours, Gill was awarded a bar to the Royal Red Cross in recognition of her service during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After consultation with Bedford Fenwick she founded the Scottish Matrons' Association, similar to the Matron's Council of Great Britain and Ireland. She was president of the Scottish Matrons Association from 1910 to 1925 and president of the College of Nursing in 1927. She was a member of the National Council of Women and an assistant editor of the British Journal of Nursing. Gill took a considerable interest in nursing organisations and attended the Interim Conferences of the International Council of Nurses in Paris (1907) and Geneva (1927). Bergljot Larsson spent time at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with Gill from 1908 to 1911. When she returned to Norway she founded and led the Norwegian Nursing Association. In June 1929 she was appointed Commander in the Civil Division of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. Gill died in Hove on 2 March 1930.

Legacy

The Annie Warren Gill prize for Dietetics was created in her memory. In 2013 the Isle of Man College of Further & Higher Education named a building in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Annie 1862 births 1930 deaths 20th-century Manx people Presidents of the Royal College of Nursing British nurses Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Royal Red Cross Nurses of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh