The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service - The Girton and Newnham Unit - 1915-1918. Thursday 5th December, 7:30pm.

 Our next meeting will be on Thursday 5th December in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch at 7:30pm. Elaine Morrison and Carol Parry will give a talk on the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service - Girton and Newnham Unit - 1915-1918. The Scottish Women’s Hospitals were organised, run and staffed by women during the First World War to provide surgical and medical care to sick and wounded Allied soldiers. The Girton and Newham Unit served in France, Serbia and Greece.  The inspirational women involved showed great courage both personally and professionally.

Elaine Morrison is a retired Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist. She was the Honorary Librarian at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow for two terms and continues as a Senior Fellow.  She is currently a member of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine’s Council. She has a particular interest in the history of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and, the lives & work of the early women doctors.

Carol Parry is an archivist by training and is Honorary Librarian at the Trades House of Glasgow.  She was formerly the Library and Heritage Manager at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She was Editor of Scottish Archives, the journal of the Scottish Records Association, from 2012–2023 and is a former Secretary of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine. 

Significant personalities in Kirkintilloch and District by the Research Group: Wednesday 20th November, 2pm.

 Our next meeting will be in the Park Centre at 2pm on Wednesday 20th November, when the Research Group will present profiles of several significant personalities in the history of Kirkintilloch and District that they have been researching over the past year. The personalities are all buried in the Old Aisle Cemetery and were featured in our exhibition in the William Patrick Library and guided walk round the cemetery on Doors Open Day on7th September. 

The personalities include some who are well known, such as Petticoat Dan and others who were significant in their time, such as William Patrick, his brother David and the entertainer Tommy Lorne. It will include several prominent women, including the first female Provost of the burgh and a keen angler who founded an all-women fly fishing club. Don Martin, MBE will introduce the history of the Old Aisle as a church and then a cemetery, and profiles of selected personalities will be given by Barrie Stewart, Jenny Burgon, Ivan Ruddock and Murray Reid. 

This afternoon meeting has been arranged to enable members who are reluctant to go out on cold, dark winter nights to hear what the Society has been doing over the past year. We hope for a good turnout. If you know any former members who may be interested in this event, please tell them about it; they will be most welcome. 

Who are these people? Come along and find out!