Annie Elizabeth Brewer (21 November 1874 – 30 January 1921) also known as Nancy, was a British nurse. She served in France throughout the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, often close to the front line, being injured in a shellfire attack. She was awarded the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

. She also received the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

and Victory Medal from the British Government but, since her death in 1921, has not been recognised by a

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

gravestone.

Background

Annie Brewer was born in Newport, South Wales, on 21 November 1874. At the age of 24 she qualified as a nurse of 'insane persons' and worked in hospitals around Britain including in London and

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, before travelling around Europe as a personal nurse and companion.

War record

While in Paris in 1914, war broke out and she joined the French nursing and ambulance services, the Fondation Baye, serving at the

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

, the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

and

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

. She helped with 229 operations in 7 days at the battle of Verdun. On one occasion the ambulance in which she was travelling was shelled and she was wounded in the head and leg. She also came under shellfire while working in a French hospital. The strain led to a period of serious illness, but she insisted on returning to duty once she recovered.

Marriage

She married French ambulance driver Daniel Mistrick, on the Verdun battlefield according to French genealogy sources. After the war she remained in Europe, working at a feeding station in Germany with the French army of occupation.

Death

In 1921, she returned to Newport to nurse her ailing mother at 23 West Street, but was herself seriously ill and died of kidney disease,

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

, on 30 January 1921 aged 46. Although she is buried at St. Woolos cemetery, she currently does not have a war grave. Gwent Western Front Association are campaigning for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to put her on their register.

Commemoration

Ian Brewer, Annie's great nephew, has researched the life of Annie Brewer, published on

BBC Cymru BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...

. She was also featured in BBC Wales television documentary ''Annie's War: A Welsh Nurse on the Western Front''. The Western Front Association unveiled a blue plaque on West Street with guests including members of Mrs. Mistrick's family, Health Minister

Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething (born 15 March 1974) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving as Minister for the Economy since 2021. He previously served as the Minister for Health and Social Services from 2016 to 2021. He has been the Member o ...

and pupils from St. Woolos primary school, on 30 January 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Annie Welsh nurses Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Female recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Female nurses in World War I 1874 births 1921 deaths Burials in Wales