Theodora Turner

Theodora Turner, OBE (b. 5 August 1907, Congleton, Cheshire - d. 24 August 1999, Wantage, Oxfordshire) was a British nurse and Hospital matron.

She had no particular connections with nursing or medicine, although an ancestor had presented the Turner Home of Rest at the Dingle, a poor area in Liverpool. Her family included clerics and one of Nelson's captains - Sir William Hoste Bt. She went to the Godolphin School, Salisbury, and then her parents sent her to "Atholl Crescent", the well-known School of Domestic Science in Edinburgh. But her mind was made up. She would be a nurse. Her parents did not object.

"T", as she was to be known among nurses throughout her career, entered St Thomas' Hospital and the Nightingale School of Nursing in the summer of 1929, became an outstanding senior probationer within a year, completed her training as a nurse with the silver medal, but rejected, however, Alicia Lloyd-Still (the matron)'s suggestion that she should join the League of St Barnabas, an Anglican society for nurses. She took her midwifery training at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, then returned to St Thomas' as "Sister Charity", taking her title from her ward.

When war broke out in 1939 Turner joined the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, was mobilised at Congleton, was involved in the evacuation from Dunkirk, served in Iran and at the military hospital at Bari, Italy, was a member of a neurological unit. Posted to Edinburgh she asked to be sent to Oxford, where her parents lived.

At the end of the war Turner was herself a patient in hospital in Naples. On her return to civilian life she was administrative sister at St Thomas', a preparation for her appointment as matron of the Royal Infirmary, Liverpool.

Turner left Liverpool in 1953 to look after her parents. She took a non-residential post as organiser of the newly opened Royal College of Nursing education centre in Birmingham. When she was free from family commitments she was appointed matron and lady superintendent of nurses of St Thomas'. It was a critical period. The rebuilding of the hospital after its 13 bomb hits during the war had to be planned for. The impact of pressure of social and professional change on nurse education had to be absorbed. She was happy to relax the strict discipline and wanted nurses to be individuals.

Turner deputised as a RCN representative on the Whitley council which negotiated nurses' salaries. She considered they were too low and indeed had problems with St Thomas' over her pension, but she was not a nurse politician, although she became president of the RCN after retirement. When Turner retired she went to Scotland to share a home with a friend. She served on the Argyll and Clyde Health Board. Ultimately she returned to her "home patch" in Oxfordshire.

Curriculum Vitae

 * ARRC 1944
 * Education Officer, Education Centre, Royal College of Nursing, Birmingham 1953- 55
 * Matron, St Thomas' Hospital and Superintendent, Nightingale Training School 1955-65
 * President, Royal College of Nursing and National Council of Nurses of the UK 1966-68
 * President, International Council of Nurses 1971-74

External Link

 * Obituary