Letitia Clark
Letitia Sarah Clark MBE, RRC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1870 Mile End, London |
| Died | 1939 Stroud, Gloucestershire |
| Alma mater | The London Hospital |
| Occupation | Nursing Leader |
Letitia Sarah Clark MBE, RRC (1870-1939) was a matron and nursing leader.[1][2][3] She ran West Ham Union Infirmary, later Whipps Cross Hospital from 1907 for over 24 years.[1] From 1917 she also ran Whipps Cross War Hospital.[4][5] She was a founding member of the College of Nursing and a member of the college's governing council. She was a member of the General Nursing Council, and an advocate for the State Registration for nurses.[6]
Early life
[edit]Clark was born in Mile End, East London in 1870.[7] She was the eldest child of ten born to her father Thomas, a dock clerk, and his wife Letitia.[8]
Career
[edit]
Clark had extensive training. She trained at Mile End Old Town Infirmary for over two years, and was on the private staff of Newark General Hospital for 20 months before she trained at The London Hospital under Eva Luckes between 1898-1900.[2][1][9] After one year as a staff nurse at The London, Clark undertook midwifery training in Newcastle and gained promotion as Night Sister at Newcastle upon Tyne Union Infirmary where she was appointed matron in 1902.[6][10][11] In 1907 she was appointed matron of West Ham Union Infirmary, and she was also responsible for Whipps Cross War Hospital from 1917 which had 500 soldier patients at anyone time.[5][12] Clark retired in 1931 after 24 years as matron.[1]
As well as her busy matronship, she was committed to the professionalisation of nursing and sat on a number of important national committees.[1] Clark was president of the County and County Borough Hospital Matron's Association until 1935.[6][13] She was on the council of the College of Nursing Council from 1919 until 1933.[1] She was also a member of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales, and one of two matrons selected for a Lancet Commission on Nursing in 1931.[6][14]
Retirement
[edit]In 1931 Clark returned to Whipps Cross Hospital for a nurses reunion attended by 500 former and current nurses and other staff, at which she received a retirement cheque.[15] She retired to the country, and lived in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire until her death.[16][1] She died on 28 June 1939 in the Stroud General Hospital, Gloucestershire.[16]
Honours
[edit]Clark was awarded an Royal Red Cross in 1919 for her role as matron of Whipps Cross War Hospital.[4][17][18] In 1928 she received an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours for nursing services to the Empire.[3][19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary: Miss Letitia S. Clark, MBE, RRC". The Nursing Times. 35 (1784): 872. 8 July 1939 – via Women's Studies Archive.
- ^ a b Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
- ^ a b "Birthday Honours". The Nursing Times. 24 (1206): 696. 9 June 1928 – via Women's Studies Archive.
- ^ a b "Awarded the Royal Red Cross". The London Gazette: 15458. 12 December 1919.
- ^ a b "Whipps Cross War Hospital". The Nursing Times. 14 (705): 1120. 2 November 1918 – via Women's Studies Archive.
- ^ a b c d "Miss Letitia Clark, MBE, RRC". The Nursing Times. 27 (1372): 903. 15 August 1931 – via Women's Studies Archive.
- ^ Clark, Letitia Sarah, ONS Births registered in Settember Quarter 1870, p.87, available via ancestry.co.uk
- ^ 1871 and 1881 censuses for Mile End Old Town.
- ^ Letitia Sarah Clark, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/6, 123; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
- ^ Letitia Sarah Clark, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/1, 220; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
- ^ Matron’s Annual Letter to Nurses, No.11, Matron's Annual Letter to Nurses, 1894–1916; RLHLH/N/7/2, No.11, April 1904, 13; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
- ^ "Whipps Cross Hospital's vital role during First World War". Guardian-series. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Appointment of Presidents". The British Journal of Nursing. 83: 323. December 1935 – via www.rcn.org.uk.
- ^ "The Lancet Commission on Nursing : First Interim Report". The Lancet. 28 February 1931.
- ^ "500 at Hospital Reunion". The Daily Herald: 3. 1 January 1932 – via www.findmypast.co.uk.
- ^ a b Probate Record for Letitia Sarah Clark, died 28 June 1939, Probate granted 25 July 1939, Gloucestershire.
- ^ "Royal Investiture". The Nursing Times. 17 (829): 325. 19 March 1921 – via Women's Studies Archive.
- ^ Letitia Sarah Clark, 12 December 1919, Register of The Royal Red Cross, 1883–1994; WO145/2, 339; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk, accessed on 7 March 2021]
- ^ "Birthday Honours". The London Gazette: 3856. 4 June 1928.