Gledhow Hall Military Hospital Photograph Album

Edith Cliff,

OBE 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 ...

, (1871–1962) was the

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of Gledhow Hall Military Hospital in

Gledhow Gledhow is a suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, east of Chapel Allerton and west of Roundhay. It sits in the Roundhay ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency. Etymology The name ''Gledhow' ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England from its opening in 1915, throughout the First World War until it closed 1919. Edith Maud Cliff, daughter of William Dewhirst Cliff of Meanwood Towers in Leeds was born in 1871. A woman of independent means, she began to train as a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

(VAD) nurse in 1911. After the outbreak of the

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 ...

, her cousin

Albert Kitson, 2nd Baron Airedale Albert Ernest Kitson, 2nd Baron Airedale (7 October 1863 – 11 March 1944) was a British peer. He was ''inter alia'' a director of Midland Bank. Family Kitson was the son of James Kitson, an iron and steel manufacturer in Leeds. He was educ ...

offered his home, Gledhow Hall, for use as a VAD hospital. It opened in 1915 and Cliff was appointed its commandant, that is, officer in charge, a position she held throughout the war. Cliff was awarded an

in the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Janu ...

for her service. Cliff's scrapbook, ''The Great European War, Gledhow Hall Hospital'', documents life there between 1915 and 1919 in letters, photographs and newscuttings. Leeds Libraries consider this one of the treasures of their collection, along with a 1480 ''

Book of Hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

''. In 1935 Edith Cliff married Sir Thomas Willans Nussey, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

Member of Parliament until 1910. They were in their mid-60s when they married. Edith Cliff, Lady Nussey, died aged 90 in 1962. Her husband had predeceased her by 15 years.

References

External links

Link to digitised images of the Gledhow Hall Scrapbook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cliff, Edith 1871 births 1962 deaths People from Meanwood Members of the Order of the British Empire British women in World War I 19th-century English people 20th-century English people Wives of baronets Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses