Dame Louisa Jane Wilkinson, ( Lumsden; 11 December 1889 – 4 December 1968) was a British military nurse and nursing administrator who served as Matron-in-Chief of the

Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') is the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage t ...

(QAIMNS) from 1944 to 1948. She founded Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC), and was also president of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. ...

Personal life

Wilkinson was born Louisa Lumsden in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, the daughter of merchant seaman James Lumsden and Louisa Lumsden (''née'' Benskin). She was educated at Bede Collegiate School in Sunderland and Thornbeck Collegiate School in Darlington. On 20 December 1917 she married Captain Robert John Wilkinson of the Royal Irish Fusiliers at the Fulham register office, but he was killed in action in France on 2 July 1918. She died in 1968 in

Crowborough Crowborough is a town and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the Weald at the edge of Ashdown Forest in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 mile ...

of a

coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart at ...

Nursing career

She saw service as a nurse during both World Wars. The 22-year-old Lumsden began her nursing training in 1911 at the Royal Infirmary in Sunderland. She had just finished her training when the First World War began in August 1914, and she promptly enlisted as a reserve in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS). She served in hospitals in the UK and Malta prior to her marriage in 1917. After the First World War, Wilkinson became a regular member of the QAIMNS, starting as a staff nurse in the UK. In 1926 she was posted to India. In the Second World War, after returning to the UK, she was principal matron at the War Office, tasked to set up nursing services for the war. In 1942 she went back to India to organise the Indian military nursing services and centres for auxiliary nursing with the rank of Chief Principal Matron. She organised a training programme in nursing for Indian women that included postgraduate training in nursing administration. She was appointed Matron in Chief from 1944 until she retired in 48, and after retirement was named Colonel Commandant from 1948 - 1950. Dame Louisa Wilkinson was involved in bringing the QAIMNS and the

Territorial Army Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') is the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritag ...

together in 1948 as the

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') is the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage ...

. She was the first Controller Commandant until 1954. She also founded the QARANC Association. She was President of the

in 1948.

Honours

*1919:

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

*1919:

Associate of the Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Memb ...

(ARRC) second class. *

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Memb ...

(RRC) first class *1943:

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) for her work in India. * 1946:

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) *

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(DBE) military division

References

External links

Photo at NPG profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Louisa 1889 births 1968 deaths People from Sunderland Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officers British nursing administrators Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire British women in World War I British women in World War II Presidents of the Royal College of Nursing British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Members of the Royal Red Cross Deaths from coronary thrombosis