Obituary: Jemima Robertson, former ERI director of nursing services, 90

Jemima Robertson, a dedicated nursing professional and a former director of nursing services at the ERI, has died, aged 90.

Miss Robertson, known to her friends and colleagues as Jem, Mima or JLP, was born in Edinburgh on 19 January, 1920 and moved to the United States briefly until she was 12.

She had always wanted to go into nursing and upon returning to Scotland attended the then-James Gillespie's High School for girls.

She then spent a short period working in an insurance firm before training as a nurse at the Royal Infirmary in 1947.

After gaining the world-renowned "Pelican" hospital badge, she completed midwifery training in Oxford and set off with two friends from her student nurse days to travel and work in America for the next two years.

Returning to the ERI, she trained as a night sister and took up her first appointment, gaining a reputation as an excellent and caring professional.

After a few years, she took another break to travel and work abroad again, this time in America and New Zealand with three fellow nurses.

Miss Robertson carried on her training in Edinburgh, completing a clinical teachers' course in 1966 and was appointed as the sister in charge of Ward 13, where she worked until her secondment to the first middle management course and then first unit nursing officer.

In 1976, she took up the post of principal nursing officer at the ERI and soon took charge of the general division of the South Lothian District. Miss Robertson continued in this post, which changed during her tenure to director of nursing services, until her retirement in January 1985, aged 65.

Following her retirement she undertook an Open University BA degree in the history of art and enjoyed sewing tapestries.

Her close friend, Margaret Alexander, said she was, "a very special lady, who just loved nursing, and was a nurse to the end".

Miss Robertson was a much-loved member of two families – in Edinburgh that of a friend from her nursing days, Margaret, and in Canada of her friends also from nursing. In her memory, her Canadian family have raised money to build a new classroom, "Jem's Room", at a school in Uganda.

Retirement enabled her to spend more time with her loved ones, including her godson David and brothers and sisters in Edinburgh.

Retirement also gave her the time for walking with her dog, both locally and in Iona and Cawdor. Miss Robertson spent much time in Cawdor with Margaret and they had many good friends at the Cawdor Church where she was a loyal member of the parish community.

Known and well-liked by all who met her, Miss Robertson died on 9 March, and Margaret described her as, "a lovely, caring person who was well liked and respected by all who knew her".