Mrs Gartside Tipping

[Terry Denham]

Sue

Understood.

I have just checked those commemorated by CWGC as British personnel with the French Red Cross Society and belatedly realised that none of them are nurses. All are male personnel fulfilling other functions.

You can check them all on the CWGC site. There are only seven.

LEE, W

ROOPER, R B

DAVIS, M C

GREEN, B V

MALCOLMSON, H F

BUCK, G H

STUBLEY, J R

[bruce]

I wondered why their names were on the Southport War memorial.

According to Bannister's Southport's Valiant Hearts, Henry retired from the Navy due to ill health, and took a job inspecting lifeboats for the RNLI, especially along the north-west coast. Mrs Tipping was the daughter of Lady Pilkington, and so came from Southport.

The book also mentions that Mrs Tipping had the C de G, and was in the Women's Emergency Committee for the Soldiers Society.

Not sure that this advances things much, but at least it explains the names on that memorial.

Bruce

[Michael Johnson]

British and Commonwealth members of the French Red Cross qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal (I have several examples in my collection). I would think that that fact alone should qualify them.

Michael

[Sue Light]

Sue

Understood.

I have just checked those commemorated by CWGC as British personnel with the French Red Cross Society and belatedly realised that none of them are nurses. All are male personnel fulfilling other functions.

You can check them all on the CWGC site. There are only seven.

LEE, W

ROOPER, R B

DAVIS, M C

GREEN, B V

MALCOLMSON, H F

BUCK, G H

STUBLEY, J R

Thanks Terry - that certainly fits in with what I suspected. I can image that there must have been British nurses of the French Red Cross who did care for British personnel, particularly during periods where there was a lot of movement and men were scattered, but to examine the situation at this distance would clearly be impossible. But interesting to know the exact situation.

Sue

[Sue Light]

British and Commonwealth members of the French Red Cross qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal (I have several examples in my collection). I would think that that fact alone should qualify them.

I don't think the two are actually connected here. As civilians they received the medals for entering a theatre of war, but to meet the CWGC criteria they would have to have given aid/care to British personnel - and I imagine it would now have to be proved that they did. I think that they were entitled to either French (or those of another nationality) or British service medals, and if they chose to receive French, that excluded them from British ones. If they chose British, then they signed a disclaimer stating they would not claim the foreign medals.

Sue

[Marilyne]

On 17/11/2008 at 14:19, chrisharley9 said:

Terry

just a thought - is she a non world war grave in the care of the CWGC

secondly if she was buried in a French Military Cemetery how do I check their records

Chris

 

HI guys, 

 

just getting this thread out of the mothballs because this might be a woman that I'll visit for my own endeavour to figure out all the women who served with the Commonwealth forces and are buried in France and Belgium. 

She is still not in the CWGC database so I find it interesting that you tell me her grave is CWGC care. I'll visit her as soon as I can and I'll research her history... I mean... wife of a sailor killed in a freak accident on the front line ... that surely qualifies as a war casualty who deserves a bit more than just a thread on this forum. 

If anyone has more information about her, could you send it to me please??? 

 

Thanks, 

 

Marilyne

 

 

Edited 30 October , 2018 by Marilyne

[Jim Strawbridge]

1 hour ago, Marilyne said:

 

HI guys, 

 

just getting this thread out of the mothballs because this might be a woman that I'll visit for my own endeavour to figure out all the women who served with the Commonwealth forces and are buried in France and Belgium. 

She is still not in the CWGC database so I find it interesting that you tell me her grave is CWGC care. I'll visit her as soon as I can and I'll research her history... I mean... wife of a sailor killed in a freak accident on the front line ... that surely qualifies as a war casualty who deserves a bit more than just a thread on this forum. 

If anyone has more information about her, could you send it to me please??? 

 

Thanks, 

 

Marilyne

 

 

 

Lots of information about her. Her husband was probably the oldest naval man to have been killed in action. He drowned when the H.M. Yacht Sanda was sunk by gun fire off the coast of Belgium on the 25th September 1915. He was aged 67. His wife, Mary Gartside-Tipping was a member of the Women's Emergency Canteens and as such travelled around the rest areas providing food, drink and other comforts to servicemen. This organisation was not part of the Committee that comprised the Voluntary Aid Detachment and so is not one who can be commemorated by the CWGC. She is buried in a French National Cemetery but the CWGC has chosen to make her an exception (and why not) by having her grave as a non-World War Grave in their care.

 

[Michelle Young]

[Bartimeus]

One item not mentioned (that I can see) is the manner of Mrs Gartside-Tipping's death. She was shot dead by a disgruntled French soldier who had been denied access to her canteen.

Bart