Beryl Oliver
Encyclopedia
Dame Beryl Carnegy Oliver GBE
RRC
(20 August 1882 – 13 July 1972), née Beryl Carnegy Joseph, was a British
charity
administrator as well as the British Red Cross Society's Director of Education.
to British parents, she was educated privately in England
and France
. On 10 June 1914 she married Rear-Admiral (later Admiral of the Fleet) Sir Henry Oliver
of the Royal Navy
.
After the war she became the Society's Director of Education, retiring in 1956. She then became the BRCS's archivist
and published its definitive history, The British Red Cross in Action, in 1966.
(RRC) in 1916, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE) in 1919, and raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours. In recognition of her work in the Second World War she was promoted to Dame Grand Cross (GBE) in 1948.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
RRC
Royal Red Cross
The Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member...
(20 August 1882 – 13 July 1972), née Beryl Carnegy Joseph, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
administrator as well as the British Red Cross Society's Director of Education.
Personal life
Born in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to British parents, she was educated privately in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On 10 June 1914 she married Rear-Admiral (later Admiral of the Fleet) Sir Henry Oliver
Henry Oliver
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Francis Oliver, GCB, KCMG, MVO was a British naval officer.-Naval career:...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Career
In 1910 she joined the St John Ambulance Brigade and rapidly rose through the ranks. On the outbreak of the First World War she was put in charge of the Naval and Military Volunteer Aid Detachment (VAD) Department, which administered the combined nursing staff of St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross Society. She held the post throughout the war, but resigned in 1922 in opposition to plans to disband the VADs. She later joined the British Red Cross Society as head of its VAD department. During the Second World War she was a member of the Society's War Organisation Executive Committee and several other committees.After the war she became the Society's Director of Education, retiring in 1956. She then became the BRCS's archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
and published its definitive history, The British Red Cross in Action, in 1966.
Honours
In recognition of her work in the First World War, Oliver was awarded the Royal Red CrossRoyal Red Cross
The Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member...
(RRC) in 1916, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in 1919, and raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours. In recognition of her work in the Second World War she was promoted to Dame Grand Cross (GBE) in 1948.