Hilda Beatrice Currie (born Hilda Beatrice Hanbury; 24 July 1872 – 19 September 1939) was a British voluntary worker 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 ...

politician.

Early life, Italy

She was the only daughter of the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

, Sir Thomas Hanbury and Katherine Aldam Pease of

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

, Italy. She grew up at the botanical gardens her parents were creating. She lived much of her early life in Italy, where she was closely identified with the training of nurses, for which she was decorated by

Elena of Montenegro Elena of Montenegro (; 8 January 1873 – 28 November 1952) was Queen of Italy from 29 July 1900 until 9 May 1946 as the wife of King Victor Emmanuel III. As Victor Emmanuel's wife, she briefly claimed the titles Empress of Ethiopia and Quee ...

, the Queen of Italy.''The Woman's Year Book'', 1923 She founded and maintained the first school for hospital nurses in Italy at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, for which she received the

Benemerenti medal The Benemerenti Medal (, ) is a medal awarded by the Pope to members of the clergy and laity for service to the Catholic Church. Originally established as an award for soldiers in the Papal Army, it is now a civil decoration but may still be awa ...

from the Pope.

Wiltshire

After moving to Britain she took up residence in Upham House, Aldbourne, Wiltshire, which she had purchased in 1909. In 1913 she married Sir James Currie. When her husband was knighted in 1920 for his services as Director of Training, Ministry of Labour, she became Lady Currie. She joined the Liberal party and became a member of the executive of the Women's National Liberal Committee, also serving as its treasurer. She undertook much local voluntary work regarding nursing and the welfare of the blind. She was selected as Liberal candidate for the

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

Division of Wiltshire at the 1922 general election; as her home constituency, she was already known to a number of the local electorate. This was a Unionist seat that the Liberals had not won since their landslide victory of 1906. At the previous general election in 1918, the Unionists had polled two-thirds of the vote. Although the Unionists held the seat, Lady Currie was able to reduce their majority. Her husband died in 1937. In 1939 she died at home of pneumonia."Deaths." ''Times'' ondon21 Sept. 1939: 1. The Times Digital Archive. Accessed 13 February 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, Hilda Beatrice 1872 births 1939 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Recipients of the Benemerenti medal British expatriates in Italy