Nurse Probationer STEWART

		Source
		CWGC	SDGW	Uttoxeter Advertiser	Other
Parents	Mr. and Mrs. George Stewart	Not applicable – she was a civilian	Not applicable – she was a civilian	2a	5c
Position in the family	Third daughter
Where born
When born	About 1895				4
Position in the family	3^rd daughter			2a
Address	Parents: Ivy Bank, Uttoxeter			2a	5c
Where educated
Spouse	None			2b
Children
Employment Before Joining up	Governess
Where enlisted
Regiment	British Red Cross Society
Unit	Nurse Probationer in the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD)				1
Rank	Nurse
Service Number	N/A
Date of Death	26 October 1918			2a	1, 5b
Age at time of death	23				1, 5c
Where Killed or died	1^st Southern Military Hospital, Stourbridge, England				1
How he died
Location of Grave or Memorial	Uttoxeter Cemetery			2b	3
Awards
Where commemorated	Uttoxeter Town War Memorial

Christine Stewart is the only woman on any of the town’s War Memorials^[4].

She was a 23 year old governess who volunteered to be a nurse at the Southern Military Hospital in Stourbridge, a hospital which had beds for hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers^[5b].

While working in the hospital she caught and died of the ‘Spanish’ influenza.

Her obituary in the Uttoxeter Advertiser^[5c] said that she was ‘imbued with that sense of patriotism which has pervaded every section of the community since the outbreak of the war’.

She resigned her position as a governess and took up new work in the form of nursing^[5c]. From May 1918 she had been serving in this capacity at the Southern General Military Hospital, Stourbridge, where some hundreds of soldiers were being treated^[5c].

A few days before her death, several of the nurses became victims of the influenza epidemic, including Christin Stewart^[5c]. The influenza was such a virulent strain that it was only a day between her first showing symptoms and her death^[5c]. Her death therefore came as a shock; the Uttoxeter Advertiser described it as coming with ‘painful suddenness’^[2a].

Christine’s obituary in the Uttoxeter Advertiser^[5c] said that she showed much patience and tenderness to the soldier patients under her care, and her untimely death was felt very much by them. She was also described as always being bright and cheerful^[5c].

On 6^th November 1918 the Uttoxeter Advertiser published an account of her funeral, in which it was reported that she had been afforded semi-military honours^[2b]:

Her coffin was brought from Stourbridge on Tuesday 29^th October, shrouded with the Union Jack and several beautiful wreaths sent by the hospital nurses, officials, soldiers and other people who all respected her highly^[2b].

On arrival in Uttoxeter, her coffin was placed in the Parish Church, where it remained until the service on Thursday 31^st October.

The Vicar, Leslie Knights-Smith, who lost both of his own sons as a result of their war service, conducted the service, and a number of parishioners, in addition to the mourners, were present.

During the service, the hymns “Thy Kingdom come, O God” and “Peace, perfect peace” were sung.

Her coffin was borne from the church by six members of the Uttoxeter Volunteers, who also carried the bier to the grave at the cemetery.

The Reverend W. Armstrong officiated at the graveside, and her coffin was lowered by the Volunteers into the family grave, which had been beautifully lined with flowers.


Given the reverence with which she was buried, it is now very sad to see Christine Stewart’s grave. It lies woefully neglected in Uttoxeter Cemetery.