Emily Blair
| Emily Mathieson Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1892 Scotland |
| Died |
25 December 1963 (aged 71) London, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Military nurse |
| Known for | Matron-in-Chief |
Dame Emily Mathieson Blair DBE RRC (1892 – 25 December 1963) was a Scottish nurse and Matron-in-Chief of both the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service and the British Red Cross Society.[1]
Blair trained at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow and during the first world war served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.[1] When the Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 she moved to the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service becoming Matron-in-Chief in 1938.[1] During the second world war she was mentioned-in-dispatches.[1]
In 1943 she became Matron-in-Chief of the British Red Cross Society and was responsible supplying trained nurses for service in hospitals and convalscent homes.[1] She was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Blair retired in 1953 but remained a member of the Council of the British Red Cross until she died on 25 December 1963 in a London nursing home.[1]