Attracta Rewcastle facts for kids
Attracta Genevieve Rewcastle (born Candon, 1897 – 1951) was an amazing woman who achieved many things in her life. She was a doctor, a politician, and made history as the very first female officer to be officially given a rank (a "Commissioned Officer") in the Royal Navy.
Attracta was born in County Roscommon, Ireland. She went to University College Dublin to study medicine, which means she trained to become a doctor. After finishing her studies, she worked as a doctor for schools in Sheffield. Later, she worked at the famous Great Ormond Street Hospital and also had her own private medical practice.
In 1940, during World War II, Attracta joined the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS). This was a special group for women who helped the Royal Navy. She became the Medical Superintendent for the WRNS at the British Admiralty, which was the main office for the Royal Navy.
At first, as a doctor in the WRNS, she was paid less than the male doctors in the Royal Navy. A group called the Medical Women's Federation thought this was unfair because male and female doctors were paid equally in other jobs. Because of this, Attracta Rewcastle was given a special rank in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in the summer of 1940. This meant she was now officially a "Surgeon-Lieutenant."
On December 5, 1941, she became a Temporary Acting Surgeon Lieutenant. She continued to be promoted, becoming a Temporary Acting Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander in 1943 and a Temporary Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander in 1945. She left the Royal Navy in 1946 after the war ended.
Life After the War
After World War II, Attracta Rewcastle continued to serve her community in a different way. She became a local politician. She was a Councillor for the Conservative Party on the Westminster Borough Council. A councillor is someone elected to make decisions for a local area.
She also tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in bigger elections, but she wasn't successful. She ran for election in St Pancras North in 1949 and Willesden West in 1950.
Family Life
In 1926, Attracta married Cuthbert Snowball Rewcastle. He was a barrister, which is a type of lawyer who argues cases in court. He later became a Queen's Counsel (QC), a very senior lawyer, and then a judge.
Attracta and Cuthbert had three children. Sadly, their son, Anthony Giles Candon Rewcastle, was lost at sea in 1951 when his submarine, HMS Affray, sank. This was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost. Their daughter, Rosalind Maskell, became a well-known microbiologist, a scientist who studies tiny living things like bacteria and viruses.
