Caroline Twigge Matthews,
MBChB
A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...
(25 September 1877–1927) was a British doctor and
war correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone.
War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...
, and was dubbed a "war heroine".
She served in the
Italian Red Cross
The Italian Red Cross (IRC, or ''CRI'') is the Italian national Red Cross society. The Italian Red Cross was one of the original founding members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1919.
History
Early history
The present-day I ...
in the
1908 Messina earthquake
A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily f ...
, and in military hospitals during the
Balkans War and
First World War
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 ...
, and was taken as a prisoner of war. She was awarded
King Victor Emmanuel's Medal, the Italian Red Cross Medal, King Victor Emmanuel's Commemoration Medal and the Montenegrin
Order of Danilo
The Order of Prince Danilo I () is an Order (decoration), order, formerly of the Principality of Montenegro, Principality and later Kingdom of Montenegro, Kingdom, of Montenegro; it is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of ...
.
When she died, the press said she was "The
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...
of the Balkans."
Early life and education
Caroline Twigge was born on 25 September 1877,
to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
parents, John Twigge (1848–1908) and his wife Caroline Sara Twigge, née Sargeant (born 1847),
who lived in the Waterloo area of the city, and she was baptised on 26 June 1878. She had two brothers, John S. Twigge (born 1872)
who was to become a
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
at
Waverton-cum-
Dundraw
Dundraw is a hamlet and a civil parish near Abbeytown, in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The hamlet is approximately three-and-a-half miles east of Abbeytown, nine-and-a-quarter miles south-east of Silloth-on-Solway, three-and-a-q ...
, Cumbria
before in 1896, being ordained in
Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral, formally the , is a Listed building, Grade I listed Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is a ...
to serve in the parish of
Ravenstondale, Westmorland. Her younger brother, Herbert L. Twigge (born 1875), had already followed their father into business as a rice and fruit merchant in 1901.
She was privately tutored before went to study medicine in 1898 at the age of 21 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, and was living in Newington, in the 1901 census, and at three addresses during her studies, finally at
Masson Hall
Masson Hall opened in 1897 as the first 'proper' hall of residence for women attending the University of Edinburgh. It was established by the Edinburgh Association for the Education of University Women (EAEUW) at 31 George Square. This site is ...
, George Square. In 1902–1903, her final year as a student, the family holidayed together in
Aboyne
Aboyne (, ) is a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, approximately west of Aberdeen. It has a swimming pool at Aboyne Academy, all-weather tennis cou ...
, Scotland.
Matthews passed the third level professional examinations in medicine and surgery in July 1903, and qualified in medicine on 17 October 1903,
after studying as an
extra-mural to the University of Edinburgh, based at the
Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women
The Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women was established by The Scottish Association for the Medical Education of Women whose leading members included John Inglis (civil servant), John Inglis, the father of Elsie Inglis. Elsie Inglis went on t ...
.
Her academic tutors included analytical chemist,
W. I. Macadam, radiologist pioneer
Dawson Turner
Dawson Turner (18 October 1775 – 21 June 1858) was an English banker, botanist and antiquary. He specialized in the botany of cryptogams and was the father-in-law of the botanist William Jackson Hooker and of the historian Francis Palgr ...
,
D.Noel Paton,
William Craig,
William Russell,
Harvey Littlejohn and neurologist
Alexander Bruce, as well as Dr
Grace Cadell
Grace Ross Cadell (October 25, 1855 – February 19, 1918) was a Scottish medical doctor and suffragist, and one of the first group of women to study medicine in Scotland and qualify.
She was, with Elsie Inglis, one of the initial entrants ...
at the New Town dispensary.
She later holidayed as a single woman in Brighton in 1905.
She married Joseph Matthews, a surgeon who was a widower and almost thirty years her senior, in 1907, in the
Sheriff Court
A sheriff court () is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland, with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to , and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason, murder, and ra ...
in St Giles district, Edinburgh, but at the date of her death, she was already a widow.
Career
Messina and Calabria disaster
Matthews served voluntarily in the
1908 Messina earthquake
A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily f ...
, when the city lost almost half its population including nurses and doctors. She was among those involved in the international relief effort who were awarded
King Victor Emmanuel's Medal.
She had been expected to take up a medical role with a
leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
community in China but did not get there,
returning from Tibet on a ship specially chartered to lend assistance to Italy. Matthews was said to have been simply treated as one of the soldiers when attached to the
Grenadiers
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...
and had seen "horrors unspeakable" or "gruesome sights", including an "inferno worse than that depicted by
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
", whilst working to save lives in this destructive disaster. In 1910, Matthews was the only woman, and the only English speaker, among the soldiers assisting civilians in the village of
Cinquefronde, Calabria, where a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
infection was also rife and the town was placed "under the
yellow flag". She herself had to rest with an unspecified "serious illness" in Rome, before being able to return home.
Her former associates at ''
The Gentlewoman
''The Gentlewoman'' was a weekly illustrated paper for women founded in 1890 and published in London.
For its first thirty-six years its full title was ''The Gentlewoman: An Illustrated Weekly Journal for Gentlewomen''.Nos. 1 to 1,853 dated bet ...
'' magazine's Children's Salon wrote rather romantically of her: "Sturdily the stranger in the camp,
heworked with a will, sharing the hardship of the men."
In 1911 she was honoured with the
Italian Red Cross
The Italian Red Cross (IRC, or ''CRI'') is the Italian national Red Cross society. The Italian Red Cross was one of the original founding members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1919.
History
Early history
The present-day I ...
medal and the King Victor Emmanuel's Commemoration Medal.
War service experiences
Balkan War 1912–1913 Montenegro
In 1912–1913 she became a surgeon in the Montenegrin army and war correspondent for ''
The Sphere''. She was awarded another honour, that of the
Order of Danilo
The Order of Prince Danilo I () is an Order (decoration), order, formerly of the Principality of Montenegro, Principality and later Kingdom of Montenegro, Kingdom, of Montenegro; it is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of ...
.
Her war diary articles, for example, in ''The Sphere'' of January 1913, explain more about her experiences; for example, in an incident when Matthews was going to the aid of an injured officer at night in a blizzard, she fell on the rough road. Whilst trying to protect the medical supplies she carried, she fractured her jaw, broke some teeth and got cuts to her face. She continued on with the journey and task of treating the man's wounded leg, and, after a few days for her own recovery, returned to her hospital post. Matthews also spoke of the continuing patriotic attitude of the Montenegrin people, despite their extremes of poverty and severity of many people's injuries. In her article, she also comments on the relative comfort of the Turkish prisoners of war.
In November 1912, in ''The Gentlewoman'', an item titled "A Lady Doctor at the Front", tells that she was in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
before volunteering for military hospital work, and thus was inappropriately clothed for the Balkan weather. Her recollections give gossipy details of her journey, contrasting with a matter of fact approach to detailing the wounded in body and mind she came across during concerns with poor quality hygiene and a lack of resources, in the military hospital. She recounts there were 4,000 wounded treated per week, with only amateur nurses and even children as "ward orderlies", but surprisingly only 16 deaths, despite her own language problems and lack of support from Russian doctors. She also praises the courage and chivalry of the injured men, whom she calls "brave, patient, grateful" ... but longing to be "out" serving at the front again.
First World War

As the First World War began, Matthews again volunteered, this time to serve in Serbia, at her own expense,
and became a medical officer in the Serbian army after her plan to join the Serbian Field Ambulance service had been denied.
She said (unlike many middle- or upper-class women of the day who lacked her resilience) that as she used her skills, she felt that 'Life was worth living in these days.'
Her articles for ''The Sphere'' formed an illustrated war diary e.g. in July 1915, describing the Scottish Women's unit travelling to Malta to assist the evacuated wounded, and then to Greece, and on to Nish (
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
) in Serbia. She touches on the relationships between captors and prisoners of war, and praises the international group of women (and men) working in the military hospitals in very difficult circumstances, including during a severe outbreak of typhus, which killed two of the
Scottish Women's Hospital's doctors.
Her final role in the field was in volunteering to stay with the wounded, and in charge of the military hospital at Uzsitsi,
for the
Serbian Red Cross
The Red Cross of Serbia () is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that provides humanitarian aid, disaster relief and education in Serbia. It is the national affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societi ...
, after the Serbian retreat on 13 October 1915, although she knew she would be captured by the advancing Austrian allied forces. This happened in the night, with German soldiers pushing her, threatening and bullying her,
whilst they searched her room for medications.
As she had later refused to treat the occupying army who had stolen patients' blankets, she was accused of espionage, and taken as a prisoner to Belgrade.
She was eventually released to the Scottish Women's Ambulance Unit, in Hungary, and allowed to leave with them, but had further challenges running into German 'spies' whilst travelling through Switzerland,
one of whom she was said to have pushed off the train at
Lucerne
Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
.
Matthews was pictured under the heading "Lady Doctor in Khaki" on the front page of ''The Sheffield Independent'' on her return. Her dress in breeches and an officer-like coat had drawn comment, but was most practical for riding.
Correspondence from the front
''The Sphere'' published Matthew's war experience updates on 1 April and again on 22 April 1916, in two-page illustrated features, titled "In the Hands of the Enemy – A Personal Narrative by Dr. Caroline Matthews". She was explaining the need for at some times being brave and defiant, and at others more cautious and reserved, in conversations with her captors. Despite physical attacks, she described her determination not to allow the Germans "the desired-for satisfaction of seeing fear in British eyes".
Matthews also wrote a series of articles on the same themes for ''The Courier,'' titled "In the Hands of the Hun – The Experiences of a Woman Doctor in Serbia".
Her war experiences, together describing "perhaps the most extraordinary time of a varied life",
were published by
Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...
in a book ''Experiences of a Woman Doctor in Serbia'' in 1916, which she dedicated "in love and gratitude to Amy M. Johns, a friend in a thousand".
The book was described by ''The Courier'' as "a graphic panorama" and "a thrilling narrative".
She gave details, such as working amicably with the Hungarian chief medical officer during a deadly
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...
outbreak, who was to be replaced by a "coward" CMO, who would not enter the
cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
ward, but left Matthews in charge.
She detailed her tales of the enemy arriving, taking all the patients' blankets for their troops and stealing her medical instruments and money. But she said she was "cheered and encouraged by a little
Union Jack
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags.
It is sometimes a ...
on a chocolate box". Matthews explains that she caught diphtheria herself and felt desperate but "crawled" round the wards.
Her tales include the brutality on the night of her capture, then being taken in "a bullock-cart, through bitter weather" as a prisoner under escort, suffering various deprivations, including such hunger that she had traded her wedding ring for chocolate.
In her own words, quoted in ''The Yorkshire Post'', despite experiencing evil spirits in men's eyes, cunning and blood-lust, Matthews had "never met before such peculiarly fiendish expressions of absolute hatred as were directed towards me by those
Teutonic officers".
During a hearing and interrogation on the trumped-up spy charge, Matthews defiantly complained of her treatment and the thefts, to be told "there was no Geneva Convention now".
And she recounted the pleasure of suddenly hearing a familiar voice call "How are you, Twiggie!" It was Dr
Alice Hutchison from the Scottish Women's Hospital (31 of whom were also held captive there).
These episodes contrast with later encounters with shepherds whilst recuperating from her illness in 1916 on "Christmas Day in Jerusalem", in another article in ''The Sphere''.
Her work was compared with autobiographical writing from another woman who became a volunteer fighter in the Serbian army,
Flora Sandes
Flora Sandes (, 22 January 1876 – 24 November 1956) was a British woman who served as a member of the Royal Serbian Army in World War I. She was the only British woman officially to serve as a soldier in that war. Initially a St John Ambulance ...
,
whose memoirs were aimed at raising money for the Serbs. Matthews' stories and the consideration of her bravery in press reports, travelled to Australia, as well as across the regional press in Britain. It was said that her ''Experiences'' book could be seen as "a monument to the almost superhuman courage and daring of Dr Caroline Matthews";
and was "an unaffected story of courage and devotion to duty" which "does honour to her native country";
and "a moving story of self-sacrifice and heroism",
and it has been republished a century later.
Publications
* ''Hints of a Lady Doctor'' (1905)
* "A Lady Doctor at the Front" (article in ''The Gentlewoman'') (1912)
* "With the Montenegrins – How Hunger and Starvation are Facing the Brave Fighters of the Little Kingdom" (article in ''The Sphere)'' (1913)
* "With the Wounded Serbs at Nish: A Personal Narrative by a British Red Cross Worker in Serbia" (article in ''The Sphere'') (1915)
* "In the Hands of the Enemy – A Personal Narrative by Dr. Caroline Matthews" (article in ''The Sphere)'' (1916)
* ''Experiences of a Woman Doctor in Serbia,'' book, published by
Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...
London (1916)
* "In the hands of the enemy" (article in ''The Sphere'') (1916)
* "Christmas Day in Jerusalem – How I met the Shepherds in their Leopard-Skin Cloaks and Helped to Revive their Frozen Lambs in the Monastery of Marielas (or Mar Elyas)" (article in ''The Sphere'') (1916)
Personal life post-war
After the war, Matthews continued her friendship with, and became "devotedly attached" to,
Amy Maria Johns,
to whom she had dedicated her 1916 ''Experiences'' book. Amy Johns wrote a poem to Matthews, as the foreword:
Matthews and Johns went travelling together, after the war, in India for more than a year, but Johns died suddenly in 1923, on a train from Dover to London on her return,
and was buried at Downe. As Matthews had had an interest in
Spiritualism
Spiritualism may refer to:
* Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community
* Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...
, and a
medium
Medium may refer to:
Aircraft
*Medium bomber, a class of warplane
* Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film
* ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...
had predicted her (own) sudden death, which she had believed would occur due to her residual ill health (including suffering "heart attacks") "as a result of her privations while serving as a doctor during the Serbian retreat", she had transferred £500 of war bonds to Johns. But it was in the event Johns who had died first.
Matthews then contested her friend's will for re-transfer of these bonds but this was denied.
Despite that dispute, her friend's family gave permission for Matthews to be eventually buried in Johns' grave, when she died in 1927.
Matthews' own estate was valued as £1904.
Death and memorial
Matthews' health was indeed harmed from her war experiences, and she died of pneumonia after influenza
at the age of 49, at home in Longton Grove,
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...
and buried in Amy Johns' grave in the small cemetery at
Downe
Downe, formerly Down (), is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley, which formed part of the historical county of Kent until 1965, and is beyond London's contiguous urban area. Charles Darwin lived ...
, near
Farnborough.
The funeral was taken by the local vicar, Reverend A. A. Gibson, and was given "very many floral tributes" with a range of "expressions of affection and regret".
Matthews was called "The
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...
of the Balkans" in the ''Evening Telegraph''.
Her uniform and other war possessions were sought by the National War Museum.
Now Matthews' khaki rucksack, mentioned in her book,
and her graduation gown as well as some of her field medical equipment, and medals,
are in the
Science Museum
A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, Industry (manufacturing), industry and Outline of industrial ...
or
Wellcome
Wellcome ( zh, first=j, c=惠康, j=wai6 hong1, p=Huìkāng) is a supermarket chain owned by British conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings via its DFI Retail Group subsidiary. The Wellcome supermarket chain is one of the two largest super ...
library medical collection.
External links
* Science Museum Group collection �
Catherine Twigge Matthews
*Book ''Experiences of a Woman Doctor in Serbia'' Catherine Twigge Matthews (1916) by Mills & Boon
Reprint editions published in (2015), (2016), (2018)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Caroline
1877 births
1927 deaths
20th-century Italian women physicians
20th-century Italian physicians
Military hospitals in Serbia
War correspondents of World War I
War correspondents of the Balkan Wars
1908 Messina earthquake
Italian surgeons
Italian women surgeons
British women surgeons
Women in the Balkan Wars
Women in World War I