Miss Matilda Clementson Maurice
Nurse, Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), British Red Cross
Date of Birth: 21st August 1895
Place of Birth: Wolstanton, Staffordshire
VAD hat badge
In 1901, Matilda is living at Brookdale Terrace, Dawlish, Devon, with her father, John Alfred, mother, Lucy Haldon, sister, Lucy G W, and brother, Alfred Price. They have three servants, one from Paris, France.
Miss Matilda Clementson Maurice was shown in the 1911 census as living at Ashleigh, New Road, Teignmouth, Devon. The family have five servants.
Torquay Town Hall, used as a VA Hospital during WW1. (CC BY-SA 2.0) © Copyright David Harper. (Modified, cropped and changed to black and white)
Matilda was engaged with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) from October 1914 and was still serving October 1919, she served as a Nurse in hospitals in Dawlish and Torquay.
Matilda appears in the 'The Devon and Exeter Gazette, dated Thursday April 10 1930, for taking part in the Devon V.A.D. team in the first eliminating round of the 'All England 'Stanley' Shield competition' in Exeter.
1939, Matilda has moved to Amoy, Paignton, Devon. Matilda appears in 'The Western Morning News' dated Saturday, November 11, 1939, where she is left 'certain furniture' in Mr. Halliwell's will, 'who has so unselfishly for many years devoted herself to my care'.
1952, Matilda boards a ship, Arawa, at Southampton destined for South Africa. Matilda is listed as a 'Radiographer'.
Victoria Hall V.A. Hospital, Dawlish
Germany declared war on France in WW1, and to attack France whilst avoiding French fortifications the German Army crossed Belgium, they did so by force and invaded Belgium on August 4th 1914.
Almost 9,000 Belgian civilians were deliberately killed by the Germans. An estimated 1.5 million Beglian civilians left their country and 150,000 of those people sought refuge Britain.
Many of the soldiers of Belgium's small army were injured or killed and 25,000 wounded men came to Britain to convalesce.
Fugitives from Antwerp following the occupation of the city on 10 October by German forces.© IWM (HU 52449)
The patients and refugees were shipped across the Channel and were allocated housing in towns and villages including Teignmouth, Shaldon and Dawlish.
The Dawlish V.A. Hospital and Belgian Nursing Home was opened in the Dawlish Victoria Hall to help treat the Belgian refugees.
Approximately 35 people from the local area became engaged with the Voluntary Aid Detachment and worked at the hospital as Nurses and in other supportive roles.
In 1915 a new hospital was opened in Dawlish and the Victoria Hall VA Hospital closed.
More about the Belgian refugees in Teignmouth and Shaldon
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"hundreds of thousands of refugees, their goods on barrows and hand-carts and perambulators and wagons, moving with infinite slowness out into the night, two unending lines of them, the old men mostly weeping, the women with hard drawn faces, the children playing or crying or sleeping.
That's what Belgium is now: the country where three civilians have been killed for every one soldier… It's queer to think one has been a witness of one of the greatest crimes of history. Has ever a nation been treated like that? And how can such a stain be wiped out?"
Rupert Brooke, Poet describing the scene in a letter home
(He saw action near Antwerp)
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Records
Date of engagement with VAD: October 1914, still serving October 1919.
Rank: Nurse.
Service rendered at:
Red Cross Belgian Nursing Home, Dawlish, Devon. October 1914 - May 1915.
Town Hall Red Cross Hospital, Torquay, Devon. Aug 1916 - still serving April 1919.
Paid: £26 pa (worked full-time).
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Cards
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Card. ©2018 British Red Cross (CC BY-NC 2.0 UK)
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Card. ©2018 British Red Cross (CC BY-NC 2.0 UK)
