It seems fitting to remember and celebrate honorary Commander Toupie Lowther who with Norah Hackett established the all-woman Ambulance Unit that was brought together via private funding (mainly rich ladies in the UK) and served under the French Army during World War 1. When Lowther and Hackett approached the British Army with their unit of ambulances and skilled drivers, complete with their own uniform - their assistance was declined by the British. It wasn't women's work... The French saw it differently and were delighted to accept the Unit's help. Toupie Lowther was first in command of the ambulances, and Norah Hackett took charge of the portable canteen that norished wounded soldiers while they waited for further transport. Toupie Lowther and many of her unit were awarded top war honours from the French at the end of the war. There were many dangers as they were close to the front line on numerous occasions but amazingly, thankfully, no serious casualties, though emotionally the whole experience took its toll, of course. Here is a photo of the unit c1918.
Spoiler Alert! Those who have read
A Secretive Life will know that Toupie Lowther features in my novel, along with Donnie (Francis) Donisthorpe, who was second in command in the Hackett Lowther Ambulance Unit. We as readers create our own version of what a character looks like and you may not want to read further to be told where Donnie is in the group pic ... but if you do, as seen above, Toupie Lowther is in the middle row, fourth from the left; and Donnie Donisthorpe is in the same row, second in from the right, looking straight at camera.
I didn't discover much more about Donnie in my research but there is quite a lot of info available now on Toupie Lowther. She first appeared (to me, anyway) in a couple of the early biographies of Radclyffe Hall, though there was much missinformation there. We need to thank Val Brown for her extensive research into Lowther - now available in a biography (see below). Lowther was a fine athlete, an international fencing and tennis champion, a musician - and a motorbike and motorcyle enthusiast. She also threw great parties for the London lesbian set. Given that she was born in 1874 - this is quite something! She died in 1944, and is not much remembered... But on this day, 11th November, we celebrate her as the Commander of a brave troupe of women ambulance drivers, putting their lives on the line during WW1.
The origianl of the group photo of the Hackett Lowther Ambulance Unit is held by the Imperial War Museum; other pics are variously searchable online where other accounts have been documented concerning the Hackett Lowther WW1 experience.
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