Lizzie Morrison - new info

[alfylfc]

I've got new information on Lizzie (Neill) Morrison, who was discussed earlier this year.

She came from Killead in Co Antrim and it was initially believed she served as a nurse in the war at Salonika.

Sue Light informed me that a Lizzie N Morrison worked as an orderly in Serbia in 1916-17 as part of the America Unit of the Scottish Women's Hospital.

Lizzie died in London in July 1918, aged 30. I've just received her death certificate which states her occupation as Cook VAD, which makes me think this is not the same woman. (She died of influenza while living with relations in Chiswick)

On her church memorial the info with her name states "Hospital Work, Salonika" so her being a hospital cook in the city seems the logical conclusion.

However, if anyone can provide some clarity I would be grateful.

[Jim Strawbridge]

I have some information on Lizzie Morrison. I believe that they are the same woman. Lizzie's name is on the Crumlin War Memorial. It is here that some service in a war hospital is Salonika is mentioned and this conforms with the theatre of war shown on the Medal Information Card.

[alfylfc]

Yes Jim, I started that thread and thanks to your help I was able to get the death certificate, which stated her occupation as Cook VAD and not in a nursing capacity as we had thought (and hoped).

The brief information I have on the medal card you mentioned, for a Lizzie N Morrison, states that she was an orderly with the French Red Cross - you may have the complete medal card which provides further information.

Is there a list of VADs who may have served in Salonika/Serbia? At present I have to go with her being a cook VAD and that she worked in Salonika (as listed in the church memorial) until I get firm evidence otherwise.

My last hope, as I'm unable to find any of her relations, is to look out for an obit. She died in Chiswick, where her brother's family was living - would you have any idea what newspaper in that area may have carried an article/obit on her? So far I've found nothing in the papers over here.

Alvin.

[royalredcross]

I confirm Lizzie Mill Morrison as an Orderly with the SWH America Unit. She would therefore not have been a VAD.

The name Mill (as typed in the SWH records) seems unusual. Perhaps short for Millicent ????

Norman

[Jennyford]

You ask whether there's list of VADs who served in Salonika/Serbia. You could start with Sue Light's invaluable list of women who served with the SWH http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/138.html

Jennian

[royalredcross]

Agreed, this is a valuable list, but they will not be VADs. VADs worked under the Joint Committee of the British Red Cross and Order of St. John for British military. The Scottish Women's Hospitals served French and Serbian wounded.

NGG

[Sue Light]

I think this has would have been less confusing if the new information had been added to the original Lizzie Morrison thread. But my two-penn'orth is that there is only one woman involved here, and the error comes in:

a. The mis-transcription of her middle name on the SWH lists which give it as 'Mill.' The SWH medal roll gives her middle initial as 'N' which fits in with Niell.

b. The assumption that as an orderly, she would necessarily be involved in nursing work in Serbia/Salonika.

Lizzie N. Morrison served with the Scottish Women's Hospital as an orderly from 4/8/16 until 1/5/17. As an orderly she may well have been engaged for a role other than nursing, e.g. a cook. Only seven women are actually given as 'Cook' in the America Unit lists, and as that covers them working short contracts over more than three years, there must have been a number of other women who also worked as cook-orderlies during their service but are simply given as 'orderly'.

There is a period of more than a year from the time she ended her service with the SWH until the date of her death. It seems more than likely that she continued working on her return home, and quite possibly as a VAD. By that time General Service VADs were employed in almost all large military hospitals and she could have been a nursing VAD, or a VAD cook/orderly/clerk etc.

If the entry in the Scottish Women's Hospital lists that give her middle name as 'Mill' is ignored, everything else points to there being only one Lizzie Morrison in this puzzle - an orderly with SWH, a VAD in the UK, and in one, or both of these employments, working as a cook.

Sherlock now signing out

Sue

[alfylfc]

Sue, thanks for your reply.

This definitely fits in with the information available and I'm going to go with it in my book.

Thanks to everyone who has helped out - I think we've finally solved the Lizzie Morrison mystery.