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Clonlara woman’s remarkable life over a century


THE death occurred in England recently of Clonlara-born Gertrude Beckett née Madden, aged 100 years. She was born at Erina Lock, Clonlara where her father, David Madden, was the lock keeper and her mother, Ellen, was the district midwife.

 

Born on July 20, 1912 Gertrude was one of 10 children. She left home at 16 years-of-age and went to England with her sister, Rosie, to train as nurses. They were initially so frightened they did not go out for a month.

Gertrude met a young policeman, James Beckett from County Cavan, who helped her to cross the road and they eventually married and had three children.

The Second World War started and they both worked in London during the bombing. Each day they passed flattened houses and every night they would return home not knowing if their rented house would be still standing. Fortunately it was. Margaret, their only child at the time, was evacuated from London along with other children and came to Ireland.

Gertrude worked for many years at the Whittington Hospital in London, sometimes nursing patients in an iron lung, unable to breathe unaided due to the polio virus. A non-smoker, the advice at the time was for nurses to smoke to prevent catching polio.

As a child, she had often accompanied her mother Ellen, who as a midwife, was called to the large mansions that existed at the time. Young Gertrude would have tea and scones with the cook, while the babies were delivered upstairs.

One day a carriage and horses arrived at the lock-house and Ellen was blindfolded and taken on a long journey to a large house. The blindfold was removed in a bedroom where a teenage girl was about to give birth. After delivering the baby, Ellen was blindfolded again and taken home.

Gertrude used to tell many stories of how her mother would speak up for local people when problems arose, often going to court to plead for men who had stolen food to feed their starving families.

Gertrude came from a long line of nurses. A notable ancestor was Mother Mary Francis Bridgeman, who was born in Clare and founded the convent in Kinsale. She was asked to bring a team of nuns to act as nurses alongside Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War.

There was a shortage of nurses because at that time nursing was not considered to be a suitable occupation for respectable ladies.

Another Clare ancestor was Joanna Reddan, aunt of Mother Bridgeman and a one-time secretary to Daniel O’Connell. She built an asylum in Clare Street, Limerick and when cholera broke out in 1832, took in and nursed victims of the disease.

Gertrude was a nurse all her life and in “retirement” nursed old people, many of whom were much younger than her.

Gertrude inherited her mother’s energy and drive. At 80 years-of-age and by now a widow, she went back-packing in South America, where she climbed Mount Machu Picchu in the Andes. Her nursing skills were called on to help others, who were suffering from altitude sickness.

The accompanying photograph was taken at 89 years-of-age on a cruise to St Petersburg in Russia. Longevity is in the family. A photograph of her grandmother, Catherine Madden (née Fitzgibbon) was published in the Limerick Chronicle digging spuds on the canal bank when she was a sprightly 99-years-old. Gertrude lived on her own until her 100th birthday. She died on September 30 and is survived by her daughter, Helena and son, David.

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