Qualified Nurse 1914-1915 Star Medal Trio to Etaples Hospital Nursing Sister

Qualified nurse  1914 – 1915 Star trio awarded to Hettie Fox. The medals are correctly name as per the medal rolls. The Star is named H. Fox B. R. C. & ST. J. J. and is recorded on the British Red Cross Society and Order of St, John Nursing Sister (France) medal roll. The War and Victory Medals are named  H. Fox. O. St. J. and are on the Order of St. John (Brigade Hospital) medal roll. The medals are in good condition. The ribbon on the 1914-1915 Star is the wrong way around but as there’s a safety pin in this ribbon (and in the Victory medal ribbon) it appears  this is how she wore it and I’ve left it as it is. Copies of the medal rolls, index card and British Red Cross cards and census records are included.

There can sometimes be difficulty in definitively tying medals to a person when there is no unique service number but there is no doubt that these are the medals awarded to Hettie Fox. She is the only H. Fox on any BRC&STJJ 1915 Star medal roll. I have checked the British Red Cross records  there are 9 other H Foxes (4 Hilda, 2 Herbert, 1 Harriett, 1 Henrietta, and a Hereward) none them served overseas and therefore could not have qualified for these medals.

Hettie Fox is recorded on the 1901 census living at 8 The Grange in Carlton Curlieu Leicestershire her parents and 3 sisters and her occupation is given as “hospital nurse”. On the census for 1911 she is recorded at the residence of the De Guchy family in Forest Hill, London, her relationship to the head is given as “hospital nurse” and her occupation as “trained nurse”.

She has 2 records with the British Red cross. Her overall record lists her engagement from 5th May 1915 to 12th February 1919 her rank was Trained Nurse and her weekly pay in engagement was £1, 1shilling and £1 4shillings and 10d at the end.  This record also has her new address and her married name, Young added. Her overseas record for the British Red Cross is for service at Etaples hospital from September 1st 1915 to 14th August 1917 which corresponds with dates on the medal rolls. Her rank at Etaples was Sister. The awards section of the overseas records states “1915 Star” Her name is spelled incorrectly as “Hetty” on her overseas record. Both record her department as TN (trained nurse) as opposed to VAD.

The St Johns Ambulance Hospital at Etaples opened on September 6th 1915 Hettie Fox was in the first group of Nursing Sisters to arrive there. She was a nurse with at least 14 years experience by this time.

The Museum of the Order of St John website has published some weekly reports from the Etaples hospital in an ongoing project, the September 1st report includes:

My Lord,
I received your telegram this morning and proceeded to Boulogne to see that proper arrangements had been made for the transport of the sisters arriving to Etaples. I found that the Commissioner, Sir Arthur Lawley, had arranged for their lunch at the Hotel Christol on landing, and closed motor buses for their transport to Etaples, and lorries for their luggage after lunch. They have all arrived safely at the hospital.
Similar arrangements will be made for each batch as they arrive on Friday and Monday. With the exception of the X-Ray Department the hospital is ready to receive patients and will be open on Monday the 6^th

Hettie Fox is mentioned in 2 of the weekly reports published so far,  the first on 11th October 1916 “On Saturday the 7^th Sisters Ely, Fox and Minikin. went on leave.” and again on 25th October “On the 21^st. Sisters Ely, Fox and Minikin returned from leave”.   Hopefully as more of the archive is published online more details of her time there will become available.

After the war Hettie Fox married Alfred Young in 1921 and moved to Southampton, she was still living at the address on her British Red Cross record in 1939, that  register records her as unpaid domestic. She died in Southampton, aged 83, in 1962.

I’m unsure how to price this group, Trained Nurse’s medals are significantly more scarce than awards to VAD nurses and 1914-1915 Star trios to nurses significantly more scarce than BWM & Victory pairs. On that basis I’m starting the auction at £1 and I’m not taking offers, the auction will run to the end.

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