Barbara-Mortimer-Thomas-Death-London-Blitz-1940
The Article above appeared in the Sydney
Morning Herald (NSW, AUS) on the 11th September 1940. Barbara Mortimer
Thomas was the daughter of Nehemiah James Thomas and Jane Emily Nora
Clapcott
(known as Em) She was born in 1908 in Chatswood, New South
Wales, and represented her country at international level at
Hockey. She trained as a masseuse specialising in physiotherapy and
childbirth tecniques. After touring with the Hockey team she settled in
London to further her study in medicine at St Thomas's Hospital in
Lambeth, London. The hospital was hit twice by German bombers, on the
first occassion she and five of her nursing colleagues were buried in
the rubble all of them perished at the scene, but Barbara held on for a
further 12 hours receiving treatment through a small hole whilst a
rescue was underway but just before they got her free another air raid
began and the hospital was then hit again. When the medics
returned to the site after the all clear she had sadly passed away. Her
grandmother was Elizabeth Tivey born in Nottinghamshire England, her
grandfather James Thomas was originally from Pembrokeshire, Wales.
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