Isobel Addey Tate (1 May 1875 – 28 January 1917) was an Irish medical doctor who served overseas and was the only woman to be included in the

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

Roll of Honour and War memorial for her services in

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 ...

Early life and career

Tate was born to John Tate and Isabella Cherry on 1 May 1875 in

Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...

, a merchant and Methodist family. She completed her matriculation at Queen's College Belfast about 1893 and graduated with a medical degree in 1899. She registered with the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...

of Ireland on 8 September 1899. However she then moved to

Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...

, east Yorkshire where she continued to train as a doctor gaining her Doctorate in Medicine in 1902. Her next job was as resident physician at Hailey sanatorium near Oxford. She continued her education getting her Diploma in Public Health from Victoria University Manchester in 1904. This lead her to her next position as resident medical officer at Burnley Union Infirmary. From there she worked in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

in 1908 as Medical Inspector of school children and then Preston as a School Medical Inspector in 1911.

The War

After the outbreak of World War I Tate joined The

Serbian Relief Fund Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

which created dispensaries in Serbia to treat the local population. Tate was in charge of the x-ray department in Serbia. The groups were forced to evacuate as the war closed in on the areas where they were based. Diseases where rife and some, including Tate, fell ill to typhoid and were sent back to Britain. There she worked in

Graylingwell Hospital Graylingwell Hospital (formerly the West Sussex County Asylum, or West Sussex County Lunatic Asylum) was a psychiatric hospital in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Foundation The Local Government Act, 1888 created the administrative co ...

which was also requisitioned as a military hospital dealing with men sent back from the front. In 1916 Tate volunteered for service with the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

and left for

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

on 24 August 1916. She worked in the military hospitals there but on 28 January 1917 she died at Victoria Junction,

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

, Malta.

Memorials

The inscription on her grave in Pieta, Malta reads: Her name is also included on a memorial to members of Lancashire County Offices staff "who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War", at

County Hall, Preston County Hall is a municipal building in Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is the headquarters of Lancashire County Council. History In July 1877, county leaders identified the need for enlarged accommodation for the county court, wh ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Isobel Addey 1875 births 1917 deaths Medical doctors from County Armagh Irish women medical doctors 19th-century Irish medical doctors 20th-century Irish medical doctors People from Portadown Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Women in World War I 19th-century Irish women medical doctors 20th-century Irish women medical doctors Nurses killed in World War I