Dame Florence Edith Victoria Simpson, (née Way, formerly Leach; 9 October 1874 – 5 September 1956) was the senior female British Army officer during

World War I 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 ...

and Controller in Chief, later President, Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (formerly the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps).

Personal life and death

Florence Edith Victoria Way was born on 9 October 1874, the daughter of Colonel Wilfred FitzAlan Way and his wife, Henrietta Mary (née Ross). She married firstly on 3 December 1895, Captain (later Brigadier-General) Henry Edmund Burleigh Leach. They divorced in 1920. She married secondly, Ernest Percy Simpson, a widower with two daughters in 1922. There were no children from either marriage. Her second husband died in 1925. In retirement, Dame Florence Simpson lived with her stepdaughters for many years in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. She died at a clinic in

Arlesheim Arlesheim is a town and a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Its cathedral chapter seat, bishop's residence and cathedral (1681 / 1761) are listed as a heritage site of national significance ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 5 September 1956, aged 81.

Career

Her career began in 1915 when she volunteered as a cook in the Women's Legion, an organisation founded by Lady Londonderry to provide "a capable and efficient body of women whose services could be offered to the state to take the place of men needed in the firing line or in other capacities". She became Commandant of the Military Cookery section of the Legion, taking on more and more catering for the Army. In February 1917 she was appointed Controller of Cooks and seven months later brought all 7000 Women's Legion cooks and waitresses into the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, which had been formed earlier that year. Later she was appointed Controller of Recruiting for the WAAC and appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in 1918. In February 1918, she became Chief Controller of the WAAC at the War Office and five months later was promoted to Controller-in-Chief (Major-General), becoming the senior officer of 57,000 women serving at home and overseas. The Corps name was changed to

Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) from 9 April 1918, was the women's corps of the British Army during and immediately after the First World War. It was established in February 1917 and d ...

, of which she was elected president. She retired from the QMAAC in 1920.

Death of her sister

Florence's sister, Violet Long, wife of Major W. E Long, was one of the Chief Controllers of the WAAC; she drowned while evacuating nurses from the Hospital Transport ship Warilda after it was torpedoed by a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

on 3 August 1918. Violet Long was returning from France to give her sister a report on how the WAAC's detailed for service with the American Army overseas were progressing. She was the last woman to leave the ship.''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' 7 August 1918; Issue 41862.

Honours

In 1919, Leach was appointed

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE), the first Dame Commander of the Military Division.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Florence 1874 births 1956 deaths British Army personnel of World War I British women in World War I Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Place of birth missing British expatriates in Switzerland Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps officers