The list of passengers sailing on S.S. “Patuca” from Avonmouth on 27^th January 1930 included Mrs M.E. Miller, a nursing sister from the north of England, who for the next two years worked in the Government General Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas. Sister Miller was one of the trained nurses who worked in the British Colonies, the origins of which are found in the Colonial Nursing Association formed by Lady Mabel Piggott in 1895. Sister Miller’s voyage, during the inter-war years and the final years of the British Empire, was located at the end of one era and the beginning of another.

Professor Elizabeth Mason-Whitehead, PhD, began her academic career at the University of Liverpool. Prior to this, having qualified in London, she had worked as nurse, midwife and health visitor. In 2008 Elizabeth was involved in setting up the University of Chester Museum and Historical Society. As Professor Emerita Elizabeth now has more time to develop her interest in the history of nursing and medicine, including her current projects – the British military surgeon Sir John Hall, and Elizabeth’s grandmother, nursing sister Margaret Miller, who was a colonial nurse in the 1930s.  

All are welcome to attend the in-person talks free of charge. Booking is encouraged for refreshment and seating purposes and in case there are any last-minute changes (contact details below). Please check the event listings for updates to the programme: www.chester.ac.uk/events (scroll down to see the individual events). Access to the Riverside Museum and event venues is via a flight of steps and lift/step access thereafter. For those with limited mobility, there is an accessible route and please pre-book to arrange this access.fhsc.histsoc@chester.ac.uk or 01244 512126