Sidney Elisabeth Croskery facts for kids

Sidney Elisabeth Croskery (born January 26, 1901 – died 1990) was an amazing Irish doctor, traveler, and writer. She spent almost 27 years in Arabia, helping people with illnesses, especially blindness. She also started important health services for pregnant women. She was even given a special award called the OBE for her work.

Her Early Life and Education

Sidney Elisabeth Croskery was born in a place called Gortgranagh, in County Tyrone, Ireland. Her father, James Croskery, was a minister in the Presbyterian Church. Her mother, Mildred Jane Croskery, was also a doctor, but she didn't practice medicine.

When Sidney was three years old, her father sadly passed away. Her family then moved to Belfast. Sidney and her older sister, Lilian, went to school there at Victoria College Kindergarten and Princess Gardens School.

Following their mother's example, both sisters decided to study medicine. They went to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1924, Sidney won a special award called the Wellcome Prize. She won it for an essay she wrote about how our understanding of the body's internal systems developed over time. Three years later, she earned her medical degree from Edinburgh.

Becoming a Doctor

After finishing her studies, Dr. Croskery worked at the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

From 1927 to 1939, she joined her sister Lilian, working as a family doctor in Tunbridge Wells, England. During this time, she became a member of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. She joined them because she believed in peace and was a pacifist, meaning she was against war and violence. Sidney later said that she had decided to become a medical missionary – someone who travels to help people with medicine – when she was only seven years old.

Helping People in Arabia

In 1939, another doctor named Eleanor Petrie, who was working in Sana'a, Yemen, asked Dr. Croskery to take her place for about nine months. Dr. Croskery accepted the invitation. She worked as a doctor in places like Bayhan and Aden. She focused a lot on eye diseases and on helping mothers and babies. She was even responsible for the health of the Sultan's family and their children. A common problem she saw was rickets, a bone disease.

Because World War II started, Dr. Croskery couldn't go home until April 1945. After the war, she went back to Aden to continue her medical work. However, after a serious attack on a colleague, she felt she had to leave that position.

For the next few years, until she left Aden in 1967, Dr. Croskery worked in different parts of Arabia. She spent her time studying, treating, and trying to prevent blindness. She did this work for free as a representative of the British Empire Society for the Blind (which is now called Sightsavers). She also worked as a doctor for the Aden Port Trust Family Clinic and helped with the Church of Scotland Medical Mission in Yemen.

Even after she officially retired, Dr. Croskery spent four more winters in remote areas of Yemen. She continued to treat people, especially those with trachoma, a serious eye infection that can cause blindness.

Later Life and Legacy

After finally retiring, Dr. Croskery moved back to Belfast, where her married sister and family lived. Her sister Lilian later joined her there.

Dr. Croskery was honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her important public service in Aden.

She also donated a collection of old items from Yemen to the British Museum and some coins to the Ulster Museum.