Annie Catherine Brewster
First AfroCaribbean nurse known to be working in the UK in late 19th century
1858
1902
Saint Vincent Island, Caribbean
AfroCaribbean
1887 – Promoted as Head Nurse of Ophthalmic Ward
2018 – Projected on the facade of the Royal London Hospital to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS
Annie Catherine Brewster was born on the island of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean in 1858. Her father, Pharour Chaderton Brewster, was a wealthy merchant from Barbados who settled in South London in the 1860s with his family, including Annie and her younger sister Laura.
Annie Brewster, known as ‘Nurse Ophthalmic’, worked at the London Hospital from 1881 to 1902. She entered The London Hospital as a probationer nurse in 1881 and was appointed to the nursing staff in 1884. She worked on female medical wards before being promoted to Head Nurse for the Ophthalmic Ward in 1888. Matron Eva Luckes remarked that Annie became very skilled in treating patients with eye conditions. According to the Matron’s report in the register of sisters and nurses, she was known for her ‘quick intelligence and kindness to old people’ whom she treated. She was one of the first Afro Caribbean nurses to have been identified as working in Britain during this period. Her father, Phardour Chaderon Brewster, was born in Barbados in 1836 and is described as a merchant in a contemporary census.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Brewster
https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/annie-brewster-the-london-hospitals-nurse-ophthalmic
