Sir John Furley, CH, CB (19 March 1836, in

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the ...

– 27 September 1919, in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

) was an English humanitarian who worked to improve medical care both in wartime and at home. He was an active member of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

from its foundation, and one of the founders of

St John Ambulance Association St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

, set up to promote first aid training. He travelled to Paris and South Africa to bring humanitarian supplies, and also produced various inventions to help the wounded, including some types of stretcher. He received a knighthood and

Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

for his charitable works.

Background and early life

His father was Robert Furley, a Justice of the Peace, solicitor and historian. He was born 19 March 1836 in what is now the Masonic Lodge in North Street,

. He was educated at Harrow. He qualified as a solicitor.

Charitable work

Furley was interested in healthcare and was one of the founders and Honorary Secretary and manager of a cottage hospital in Ashford, Kent. In the 1860s following the Crimean War he was involved in the formation of the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

. In 1871, following the Franco-Prussian war he travelled to Paris as commissioner of the British National Committee of the Red Cross to bring relief to the victims of the war. Inspired by the many injuries sustained by workers in British industry, he helped found St John Ambulance Association in 1877, with the intention of training people to administer first aid in the workplace and elsewhere. The organisation arose out of the

Order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

, a charitable body of vague aims claiming descent from the medieval

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

. Furley worked along with Sir

William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester KP (Kimbolton Castle, 15 October 1823 – 22Sometimes appears 21. March 1890), known as Lord Kimbolton from 1823 to 1843 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1843 to 1855, was a British peer and Conserva ...

, Sir Edmund Lechmere, Bt, and Colonel

Francis Duncan Francis Duncan CB (1836 – 16 November 1888) was a Royal Artillery officer, lawyer, historian and Conservative politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888. Life Duncan was born in Scotland, the son of John Duncan and his wife ...

to transform this chivalric institution into a modern first-aid organisation. Furley became its first Director of Stores, and worked to improve the design of ambulance trains, horse-drawn ambulance carriages and hospital ships. He invented the Furley stretcher for carrying wounded people, and the Ashford Litter, which was basically a stretcher with wheels and a canvas cover. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in 1899, he was involved with St John Ambulance and the Central British Red Cross Committee in supervising the supply of ambulance equipment to Africa, serving as commissioner in South Africa for a time. Despite his advanced age, he designed and then commanded a hospital train which was sent to South Africa.

Honours

Furley was knighted in 1899. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in the October 1902 South African Honours list, for his service during the recently ended Second Boer War. He became a member of the

in 1918. He was an Honorary Bailiff of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and in 1902 received the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

, Second class, from the King of Sweden. On 29 March 1901, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Family

Furley married, in 1874, Maria Turner Baker, daughter of George Baker, of

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

. Maria, Lady Furley was a Lady of Justice of the

Order of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

, and involved in nursing alongside her husband. She was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

(29 November 1900) by Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief, for civilian service during the early part of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furley, John Deputy Lieutenants of Kent People educated at Harrow School Knights Bachelor Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour People from Ashford, Kent 1836 births 1919 deaths