Lady Sybil Grey
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Lady Sybil Middleton (''née'' Grey; 15 July 1882 – 4 June 1966) was a British philanthropist and
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 ...
nurse. She was commandant of the Anglo-Russian Hospital in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
during the First World War.


Early life

Grey was born in
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
, the second daughter of Albert Grey, M.P., and his wife, Alice Holford, the second daughter of
Robert Stayner Holford Robert Stayner Holford (1808–1892), of Westonbirt, in the village of Weston Birt, Gloucestershire, MP for East Gloucestershire, was a wealthy landowner, gardening and landscaping enthusiast, and an art collector. With his vast wealth, he rebu ...
. Her great-grandfather was the
2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. As prime minister, Grey w ...
, prime minister of the United Kingdom (1830–34), and namesake of the famed tea. In 1894, her father inherited the earldom from his father's older brother, the 3rd Earl. Lady Sybil was raised in
Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
. She had a brother, Charles, 5th Earl Grey, and three sisters; Lady Victoria Sybil Mary Grenfell (1878-1907), Lady Evelyn Alice Jones (1886–1971), and Lady Lilian (1891-1895). During her time in England, she competed at rifle ranges and horse racing.


Canada

In 1904, the Greys moved to
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, Ontario, Canada where her father would serve as the
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
until 1911. In 1906, Lady Sybil and 15 Ottawa women cofounded the Ottawa chapter of the
Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire The Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) is a women's charitable organization based in Canada. It provides scholarships, bursaries, book prizes, and awards, and pursues other philanthropic and educational projects in various communities ac ...
(IODE), a patriotic club to support Canadian troops fighting overseas during the War. Another part of her efforts during the First World War was serving 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 ...
nurse at a hospital in Northumbria. She transformed her family home in Northumberland into a hospital to look after 400 patients during the war.


Anglo-Russian Hospital

In October 1915, a year into 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 ...
, Lady Sybil moved to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
to run the Anglo-Russian Hospital, begun by
Lady Muriel Paget Lady Muriel Evelyn Vernon Paget CBE DStJ (''née'' Finch-Hatton; 19 August 1876 – 16 June 1938) was a British philanthropist and humanitarian relief worker, initially based in London, and later in Eastern and Central Europe. She was made an ...
, daughter of the
Earl of Winchilsea Earl of Winchilsea is a title in the Peerage of England. It has been held by the Finch-Hatton family of Kent, and united with the title of Earl of Nottingham under a single holder since 1729. The Finch family is believed to be descended from He ...
. The Imperial Russian government had been begging in vain for military aid from the British, and instead, in a scheme devised by Lady Muriel, a
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
hospital was set up as a "grand gesture" at Princess Elizabeth Palace. The hospital was dubbed "The Empire's Gift to Our Russian Allies." The involvement of the two aristocratic women were mocked, with ''
The British Journal of Nursing ''The British Journal of Nursing'' is a medical journal covering nursing. In addition to academic material on nursing and hospitals, the journal provides information on people and events as well as photographs and advertisements. There have been ...
'' (BJN) dismissing their efforts due to their lack of experience. In the winter of 1915, ships bringing hospital supplies from Britain were icebound in the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, but the hospital was taking in patients by February 1916 and would go on to treat 8,000 Russian soldiers. The hospital remained open even as the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
began in 1917. The story of how Lady Sybil became Lady Muriel's surprising replacement in Saint Petersburg was recounted by her brother-in-law Sir Lawrence Evelyn Jones many years later: The two women also established field hospitals on the Eastern Front in Ukraine, in
Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...
,
Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
and Carpathia. During her stay at a field hospital, Lady Sybil suffered a facial injury as a result of a hand grenade. She returned to England to stay with her dying father and worked at the
Dorchester House Dorchester House was a mansion in Park Lane, Westminster, London, which had many different forms over time. The last version used as a private residence was that built in 1853 by Robert Stayner Holford. It was demolished in 1929 to make way for ...
hospital. She continued her nursing efforts and eventually spent nearly a year in France leading the Women’s Legion. Lady Sybil was made an
Officer 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 ...
at the
1918 Birthday Honours The 1918 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to ...
for her efforts during the war.


Personal life

In 1922, Lady Sybil married Lambert Middleton, son of Henry Nicholas Middleton of Lowood House,
Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett R ...
, and Sophia Elizabeth Meredith, daughter of Sir
William Collis Meredith Sir William Collis Meredith, (23 May 1812 – 26 February 1894) was Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec, Superior Court for the Province of Quebec from 1866 to 1884. In 1844, he was offered but refused the positions of Solicitor Genera ...
. Middleton served as director of the
National Bank of Scotland The National Bank of Scotland was founded as a joint stock bank in 1825. Based in Edinburgh, it had established a network of 137 branches at the end of its first hundred years. In 1918 the bank was bought by Lloyds Bank (historic), Lloyds Ban ...
before his death in 1941. They had one son, BBC executive Henry Lambert Middleton, and one daughter, Mary Sybil Boyd. She died in June 1966 at her home Burley Grange in
Ringwood, Hampshire Ringwood is a market town in south-west Hampshire, England, on the River Avon, Hampshire, River Avon close to the New Forest, northeast of Bournemouth and southwest of Southampton. It was founded by the Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxons, ...
. Her funeral was held at St John the Baptist Church in
Burley, Hampshire Burley is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It has ancient origins and is now somewhat tourist-oriented. The village Burley is located towards the western edge of the New Forest, south-east of the town of Ring ...
, followed by a memorial at St Paul's Church in
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...
, London.


Further reading

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Lady Sybil 1882 births 1966 deaths Red Cross personnel British expatriates in the Russian Empire Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Northumberland British women in World War I Daughters of British earls Wives of baronets 20th-century British philanthropists Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses