British Groups

Lot 2060    Session 7 (11.30am Thursday)    British Groups

Estimate $5,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $7,000

GROUP OF FIVE. Royal Red Cross (VRI) and Bar for Second Award. Serving Sister of the Order of St John. Queen's South Africa Medal 1899 - no bar. King's South Africa Medal - no bar. Queen Alexandria's Imperial Military Nursing Service Badge. Nursing Sister C.H. Keer. Ghost dates on QSA. Medals only named, impressed. Good very fine.

Caroline Helen Keer, Matron-in-Chief QAIMNS, the second daughter of Major General J. Keer, Bengal Staff Corps was born at Kasauli India on 11 December 1857. On the general's retirement the family emigrated to Canada. In 1886 Caroline Keer commenced her nursing training at Boston City Hospital Training School, Boston Massachusetts. Following graduation in 1887, she travelled to England, commencing her career at the Royal Victoria Hospital Netley, near Southampton. The following year she was posted to Egypt and five years later returned to England taking up a posting at a miltary hospital at Dover. She remained there until the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, when she was posted to South Africa. Assigned firstly to Natal she went onto Ladysmith and when that town was relieved, she moved to Newcastle and Standerton in the Transvaal. Matron Keer remained in South Africa until the signing of the peace at Veerininging in 1902, a ceremony which she attended. In December of that year after return to England, Matron Keer was made a member of the Royal Red Cross. She was again posted to South Africa in 1903 as Principal Matron, having under her supervision the nursing departments of the various military hospitals, 16 in all. Her headquarters were at Pretoria and there she remained until 1906. Recalled to London, she was appointed Matron-in-Chief of the QAIMNS, the highest promotion and she proved an efficient commander until she retired in 1910. During a four year incumbency of this important post Matron Keer had supervision of 500 trained nurses scattered across the British Isles, Gibralter, Malta, Egypt, South Africa and Hong Kong. On the outbreak of the first world war Matron Keer came out of retirement and for five years did splendid work in the St John's Nursing Service, being one of the matrons in charge of the department which trained nurses for work in military hospitals at home and overseas. In 1916, she was made a honorary Serving Sister of the Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in England. Her war services were rewarded in July 1918 with the award of a bar to the Royal Red Cross. Retiring once more, Matron Keer died suddenly at West Worthing on 29 December 1928 aged 71 and is buried at Broadwater Cemetery Worthing. Together with: Set of miniatures without RRC;. Ribbon bars; Large illuminated diploma as Honorary Serving Sister of the Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in England dated 21 January, 1916; Bound volume of her handwritten lecture notes whilst studying at City Hospital, Boston Mass. together with photographs of the hospital; Copy of 'The Hospital' Nursing Mirror dated 6 July 1901 (with an article relating to the recipient); Autograph book containing HM Queen Alexandria's autograph and covering letter returning the book to the recipient; documents and the Lord Chamberlain's telegram relating to the investiture of the Royal Red Cross and the second award; numerous photographs of the recipient as a student, during her military service and in later life, including a studio portrait in uniform wearing her medals and one of her grave and two official photographs of the peace ceremony in Veeriniging; Newspaper articles and copies of newspapers from UK and USA relating to her career and death, retyped copies of her letters written whilst on war service to her father ; and a copy of her appointment as Principal Matron in 1903.