On a visit to the Parade shopping centre in Shrewsbury (formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary) some time ago I noticed a small plaque tucked away near the main entrance. Every curious, and wondering of course if it might be a war memorial, I looked more closely. Sure enough, it was a memorial to Katherine Mary Harley who rendered “gallant service for many years on behalf of women and children. Killed by a shell at Monastir on 7th March 1917 while tending the distressed Serbians during the Great War”. Intrigued, I determined to find out more. She is also remembered on the roll of honour in nearby St Mary’s church and also in Condover church, her home village. It appears that she went out to France early in the War to work at the Scottish Women’s Hospital but then moved on to Macedonia were she was attached to the Serbian army. There she became responsible for setting up an independent ambulance unit to serve the civilian population in the city of Monastir. On 7th March she had been distributing food to starving Serbians at her house. Whilst taking a break, she sat by a window. Sadly, when the usual bombardment began, shrapnel burst near the house and a fragment struck her in the head ending what had been a selfless and heroic life.
She was buried in Lambet Road military cemetery in Thessalonika. Katherine had interesting family connections. She was a sister to none other than Field Marshall French, Commander-in-chief of the British forces in France. Her sister, Mrs Charlotte Despard was also a “noted pacifist, emancipationist and socialist”. Following Katherine’s death, a memorial fund was raised in her honour. Part of the money was used to endow a cot in the RSI and the remainder invested and the income used to fund the Harley medals. These were then awarded annually to the two nurses who achieved the highest marks in their hospital exam finals. Apparently, the book ‘The Quality of Mercy’ by Monica Krippner contains more information about her. In it she is described as “wiry and energetic with a well chiselled nose, pale piercing eyes, slight and graceful and a love for everything militaire” She is said to have always been attired in full uniform so her relationship with her pacifist sister would have been an interesting one!
3 comments:
Isabel Emslie Hutton wrote about Mrs. Harley in her book "With a Woman’s Unit in Serbia, Salonika and Sebastopol" (published 1928)Mrs. Harley's younger daughter, Edith, was with her in SWH, while her older daughter, Florence, was a Queen Alexandra’s nurse. In January 1916 she was on the British hospital ship Egypt, in Salonika bay when it was struck. Fortunately, nobody got hurt.
tispoEIsabel Emslie Hutton wrote about Mrs. Harley in her book "With a Woman’s Unit in Serbia, Salonika and Sebastopol" (published 1928)Mrs. Harley's younger daughter, Edith, was with her in SWH, while her older daughter, Florence, was a Queen Alexandra’s nurse. In January 1916 she was on the British hospital ship Egypt, in Salonika bay when it was struck. Fortunately, nobody got hurt.
http://padlet.com/nichris/cy783kkl7ow5
Here is a link to some pictures of her grave here in Thessaloniki, Greece!
Thank you for the information you provide on her. Her grave stands out as far grander than all the other 1633 soldiers (British, Serbian, French and Italian) buried there.
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