Louisa Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louisa Jordan
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 24 July 1878 Glasgow, Scotland
|
| Died | 6 March 1915 (aged 36) Kragujevac, Serbia
|
| Cause of death | Typhus |
| Resting place | Niš Commonwealth Military Cemetery |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Nurse |
| Known for | Nurse during WWI and 1915 Serbian Typhus epidemic |
Louisa Jordan (born July 24, 1878 – died March 6, 1915) was a brave Scottish nurse. She sadly passed away while helping others during the First World War.
Early Life and Nursing Career
Louisa Jordan was born in July 1878 in Maryhill, a part of Glasgow, Scotland. Her parents, Henry and Helen Jordan, were from Ireland. Henry worked with paint. Louisa was one of their ten children.
In 1901, Louisa worked as a mantle maker, sewing cloaks. She then started her nursing journey at Quarrier's Homes, a special hospital in Bridge of Weir. After that, she worked at Shotts Fever Hospital.
Louisa spent five years at Crumpsall Hospital in Manchester. There, she became the head nurse of a ward. This gave her lots of experience in general nursing. She then moved back to Scotland, working first in Edinburgh and then in Strathaven. In Strathaven, she was a Queen Victoria Jubilee nurse. Later, she became a district nurse in Buckhaven, Fife.
Helping During World War I
When the First World War began, Louisa was working as a nurse in Buckhaven. In December 1914, she joined the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service. This group sent nurses to help soldiers in other countries.
Louisa joined the first unit going to Serbia. They left Southampton in mid-December. After arriving in Salonica, Greece, the unit went to Kragujevac. Louisa first cared for soldiers who were hurt in the war at the Scottish Women's Hospital.
In early 1915, a serious typhus sickness spread in Serbia. Louisa bravely volunteered to take charge of the new typhus ward. She even helped care for another nurse, Elizabeth Ross, who was dying from typhus. Sadly, Louisa herself caught the disease and passed away in March 1915. Another nurse, Margaret Neill Fraser, also died from typhus while helping the sick in Serbia.
Louisa Jordan was buried at the Niš Commonwealth Military Cemetery in Serbia. Every year, people remember her there, along with other nurses who helped during the 1915 typhus outbreak. Her grave has a special message: "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN." In Scotland, she is remembered at the Buckhaven War Memorial and at Kelvinbridge Parish Church in Glasgow. Her name is also on a memorial at York Minster.
NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital
In 2020, NHS Scotland announced that a new emergency hospital in Glasgow would be named after Louisa Jordan. This hospital was built quickly to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeane Freeman, the Scottish Health Secretary, said that Louisa Jordan was perhaps better remembered in Serbia than in Scotland. She added that naming the hospital after Louisa was a great way to honor her courage and service.
