Ethel L. M. Thorpe

Thorpe was born and raised in Norwich, England.^[1] During World War II, she served as a nursing sister for the British army.^[2]

After the war, Thorpe was appointed Matron of the County Hospital at Shanghai, China.^[3] She later traveled to Jamaica where she established a training program for psychiatric nurses.^[4] By 1950, she was appointed Matron of Bellevue Hospital, Jamaica.^[3] Thorpe also sat on the General Nursing Council of Jamaica.^[5] In honour of her contributions, she was the recipient of the 1956 Order of the British Empire.^[6]

In 1962, Thorpe was sent further into Jamaica by the Colonel Office to help them gain independence.^[7] In 1963, Thorpe immigrated to Canada to take a position as Nursing Consultant for the Sanatorium Board of Manitoba.^[1] She also served as co-ordinator for five hospitals.^[7]

In 1974, she was honoured by the Canadian Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association as a lifetime member.^[8] A few years later, she was the recipient of the 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal^[3] and was awarded the 1981 Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross Society.^[1]

Thorpe died on December 4, 2001.^[1]