‘Changes to the NMC’s English language requirements are a victory for common sense’

Source:  Unknown photographer, St Barts Archive

Efforts have been made to commemorate the life and work of a trailblazing nurse who moved to the UK from the Caribbean in the 1800s. Annie Brewster became a leader in the field of eye care and was known by colleagues as ‘Nurse Ophthalmic’.

Ms Brewster worked at the London Hospital, now the Royal London Hospital, from 1881 to 1902 and is one of the first African-Caribbean nurses indentified as working in Britain. Born in St Vincent in 1858, she moved with her family to England in 1871 and became a probationer – or trainee – nurse in 1881, aged 23.

Following her appointment to the hospital’s nursing staff in 1884, she was promoted to nurse in charge of the ophthalmic wards in 1888. She died aged 43 after an operation in 1902.

Efforts by historian Stephen Bourne saw information about Ms Brewster’s life and career published in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) in 2021 and latterly secured the restoration of her grave, more than 100 years since her death.

Mr Bourne, who has been publishing books on Black British history for the past three decades, discovered Ms Brewster when he investigated the lives of Black nurses before the Windrush generation of 1948.

He told Nursing Times he believed Ms Brewster “shines out” from the Victorian period as “a real pioneer”. He, therefore, decided to carry out a more in-depth look into her life, with help from archivists at the Royal London Hospital.

Stephen Bourne by Annie Brewster's newly restored grave

Ms Brewster became a trainee nurse just seven months after the death of Mary Seacole, the British-Jamaican nursing pioneer. Some, including Mr Bourne, wonder whether Ms Brewster may have been inspired by Ms Seacole’s work during the Crimean War, though there is no evidence to support the idea.

In an interview with Nursing Times, he said Ms Brewster adopted the ‘Nurse Ophthalmic’ sobriquet through her role overseeing the ophthalmic wards. “She specialised in the treatment of elderly people who were losing their sight, and she was quite a trailblazer in her own right,” he said.

Looking through the London Hospital archives, Mr Bourne came across descriptions of Ms Brewster and her career. “It was really interesting [to see] how greatly loved she was, how she was respected and accepted in that hospital,” he told Nursing Times.

Handwritten notes from Eva Lückes – considered a “progressive” matron at the hospital – described Ms Brewster as “a favourite with all the sisters under whom she worked”. “She was gentle and kind to her patients and shewed a good ‘head’ for managing her ward,” added Ms Lückes.

A further testimonial from the matron following Ms Brewster’s death described how she “became very skilful in the treatment of eyes”, and that colleagues would “mourn her loss” and “keep her in affectionate remembrance”.

According to the ODNB, in a section written by Mr Bourne, in 1890, Ms Brewster defended the London Hospital when it faced criticism for poor treatment of nurses. A letter by Ms Brewster “refuted allegations of nurses having to undertake menial tasks” and “regretted that critics of the hospital had not made themselves ‘accurately acquainted with facts’”.

“She specialised in the treatment of elderly people who were losing their sight, and she was quite a trailblazer in her own right”

In 2019, Mr Bourne’s work to unravel Ms Brewster’s life led him on a search for her grave at the City of London Cemetery. Setting off one summer afternoon, he was warned by cemetery staff that he was unlikely to find a headstone, given the time that had passed since her death 117 years before.

Heading down different paths and different directions, Mr Bourne had looked to his map for guidance. “I found the section she was in… and to my shock, there was a headstone,” he said. The “huge stone cross” had long since fallen over, he said. “It was covered in weeds and grass and bugs. But her name was on the base, and it was Annie Brewster, Nurse Ophthalmic. It was so moving.”

Annie Brewster's grave in 2019 pictured by Stephen Bourne

After Mr Bourne’s discovery, Laura Miller, deputy clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court at the Corporation of the City of London, alerted the Company of Nurses – the livery company dedicated to the nursing profession – to the state of the grave and the restoration process began.

Ms Miller had been researching 19th century nurses when she was drawn to Ms Brewster’s story through her connections to the city and because of her background.

It is understood Ms Brewster was middle class and grew up in a wealthy part of Camberwell. Other nurses from similar backgrounds had faced “real resistance from their families” for wanting to join the profession, Ms Miller told Nursing Times. “So, Annie either had an unusually tolerant father… or she was very determined, or a combination of both,” she said.

She was also interested in Ms Brewster’s ethnicity. “One of the things I was already aware of is that the story of nursing in its early years is more diverse than we give it credit for,” she said. “So, I was drawn to the idea not only of a woman who was from a middle-class, moneyed background, but a woman who was international, who had come from abroad.”

It was also important for nurses from a minority ethnic background working in the UK today to “see that they have that long and distinguished lineage”, suggested Ms Miller.

The other aspect that struck her about Ms Brewster was the “contrast between the part of London that she came from and the part of London she ended up in”.

She noted how Ms Brewster would have been working at the London Hospital when the Elephant Man was being looked after there and during the time of Jack the Ripper. Potentially, she may have been travelling from a very beautiful and wealthy area to work in one of the “worst parts of London”, noted Ms Miller.

“I was drawn to the idea not only of a woman who was from a middle-class background, but a woman who was international, who had come from abroad”

She also reflected on “how terribly damaged Londoners’ eyes were in that period”, because of the large volumes of smoke and poor hygiene. “A lot of people she would have been caring for would have been very poor, and very elderly,” said Ms Miller.

Wanting to help recognise Ms Brewster, Ms Miller took Mr Bourne’s research to the Company of Nurses and, in a special event on 29 March at the City of London Cemetery, Ms Brewster’s newly restored grave was unveiled.

The restoration was funded by the Royal British Nurses’ Association and the ceremony was attended by Mr Bourne and Ms Miller, as well as nurses, representatives from Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the Royal London Hospital and others wanting to pay tribute.

Master of the Company of Nurses, Fran Davies, told Nursing Times she was “thrilled” to celebrate and recognise Ms Brewster. “It was very courageous to come from the African-Caribbean nations and to work in the London Hospital,” she said. “It’s lovely to shine a light on that, and hopefully add to the history of nursing.”

The high commissioner for St Vincent and the Grenadines, Cenio E Lewis, also attended the ceremony and explained that, following his move to the UK in 1967, he trained as a mental health nurse. Ms Brewster’s entry to nursing in 1881 showed the “long association that St Vincent and Grenadines has had within the nursing profession in the UK”, he said in a speech. He highlighted the “contribution” Ms Brewster had made to the “nation’s health” and was pleased it was being recognised through her grave restoration.

Reflecting on the efforts to celebrate Ms Brewster, Trevor Sterling, chair of the Mary Seacole Trust, said: “It is important that these nurses from history are not forgotten. “They were pioneers who still have the power to inspire young people going into the nursing profession, and they underline the great contribution that nurses from the Caribbean have made to the UK, even before the Windrush generation,” he told Nursing Times.

Sign in or Register a new account to join the discussion.

Catheters shouldn’t be sticky, uncomfortable or messy. Discover FeelClean Technology for a more comfortable user experience.