Christina Keith (12 January 1889 - 1963) was a pioneering Scottish academic and author who travelled to France towards the end of 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 ...

as a lecturer to the troops. With a friend, she was one of the first women to explore the devastated battlefields after the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

. She left a memoir of her experiences.

Early life and academic career

Christina Keith was born in

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Gre ...

on 12 January 1889, the eldest child of Peter Keith and Katie Bruce. One of her brothers was the artist David Barrogill Keith (1891-1979). She showed early academic promise and was dux of Miller Institute in Thurso at the age of 14. She attended

St Leonards School St Leonards School is an independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 4–19 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Founded in 1877 as St Andrews School for Girls Company, it adopted the St Leonards name upon moving to its current premises, the ...

in St Andrews and then Miss Williamson’s School in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. Her parents supported her desire for higher education although this was still unusual for women. Even more unusual was her decision to study the traditionally male subject of Classics at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...

despite not even knowing the

Greek alphabet The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as w ...

. She graduated in 1910 with First Class Honours in Latin, Greek and classical archaeology. Of the ten others in her class, nine were men. Christina then spent three years studying at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, and was placed in the First Class in both parts of the

Classical Tripos The Classical Tripos is the taught course in classics at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. It is equivalent to Literae Humaniores at Oxford. It is traditionally a three-year degree, but for those who have not previously studied ...

. As a woman, she was allowed to sit the exams and was awarded a grade but was not permitted to graduate with a degree. She was then appointed lecturer in Classics at Armstrong College, Newcastle, taking up her post in October 1914.

First World War

Sir Henry Hadow, Principal of Armstrong College, was appointed Director of Education for the army’s new education scheme, run by the YMCA, in July 1918. Soon afterwards Christina took up a post as staff lecturer, based in Dieppe, France. She taught English, languages and other subjects to soldiers who were ‘behind the lines’, and was living among the troops when the Armistice was declared. Her memoir ‘A Fool in France’, published in full in 'War Classics: the remarkable memoir of Scottish scholar Christina Keith on the Western Front', paints a vivid picture her life and work among soldiers of all social backgrounds. Given a few days’ leave, she and a female companion were among the first women to travel across devastated battlefields still littered with the debris of war once the guns had fallen silent.

Later career and publications

The education scheme was disbanded in spring 1919, and Christina returned to England and took up a new position as Senior Classics Tutor in St Hilda’s College, Oxford. She remained there for the rest of her academic life, and also taught inmates in Oxford prison. In 1942 Christina left Oxford and returned to Thurso, where she focussed on the study of Scottish literature and history. She wrote many newspaper articles and published 'The Russet Coat', a study of the works of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

, and 'The Romance of Barrogill Castle', a history of the castle now known as the Castle of Mey. Her final book, a biography of Walter Scott titled 'The Author of Waverley' was published posthumously. She died in 1963. The Christina Keith prize was established in the same year.

Selected works

* 'The Romance of Barrogill Castle, the Queen Mother’s new home', Christina Keith, 1954 * 'The Russet Coat: a critical study of Burns’ poetry and of its background', Christina Keith, 1956 * 'The Author of Waverley: a study in the personality of Walter Scott', Christina Keith, 1964

References

Bibliography

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External links

National Portrait Gallery entry for Christina Keith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Christina 1889 births 1963 deaths 20th-century Scottish educators 20th-century Scottish women educators 20th-century Scottish memoirists 20th-century Scottish historians 20th-century Scottish women writers Scottish scholars and academics Scottish women writers People educated at St Leonards School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Scottish women academics British women memoirists British women in World War I