Obituary: Margaret Grieve MBE, midwife and tutor

Senior midwife who worked through dramatic changes in the health services

Margaret "Peggy" Mary Grieve MBE, midwife and tutor.

Born: 26 April, 1920, in Longrow, Canonbie.

Died: 14 May, 2011, in Dumfries, aged 91.

Peggy Grieve always wanted to be a nurse and ignored her farmer father's warning that "she would have a lot of cleaning up to do". Undeterred, she replied that was used to cleaning up the byre. This optimism continued through her long life as a happy, wise, resourceful person, who endeared herself to all whom she met.

Born at Newcastleton in the Borders, Peggy left school at 15. After completing her nursing training in 1940, she qualified to care for sufferers of tuberculosis in Lochmaben Sanatorium. The Second World War started and she learned to counter infections such as scarlet fever and diphtheria, spread largely by the necessary influx of refugee children from Glasgow.

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In 1941, Peggy was accepted to train as a general nurse at the Cumberland Infirmary, where she was handed a length of material and ordered to have her uniform made up. She was paid one pound ten shillings per month, worked split shifts and attended lectures during the day when on night duty. Probationers not only cared for patients but were responsible for a large share of cleaning, particularly toilets and bathrooms. Food was scarce and parcels from home were a godsend.

Following registration Peggy was promoted to junior theatre sister, but she was more drawn to midwifery. The Royal Maternity Hospital, Rottenrow, Glasgow became the next seat of Peggy's learning until 1947. She became an experienced midwife, practising both in hospital and the home environment. To visit outwith the hospital, transport by bus or tram was the norm, but during the night only Shank's pony was available, so a lift in a police car, or "scaffie cairt", was very welcome.

As a state certified midwife Peggy wanted to expand her knowledge and decided to move to Cresswell Maternity Hospital in Dumfries, nearer her home, where she stayed till 1970. Initially she was employed as a staff midwife and in 1948 witnessed the implementation of the NHS. The same year the Royal College of Midwives opened a branch in Dumfries and Galloway, and Peggy held the post of secretary for eight years.

In light of Peggy's ability and performance she was promoted to the post of senior ward sister, but her instinct to teach prompted her to undertake the midwives teachers diploma training course at the Simpson Memorial Hospital in Edinburgh; a day release system lasting 22 months. She became sister tutor at Cresswell and an examiner of student midwives.

In 1959 Peggy was granted the Muirhead Scholarship, which permitted her to review midwifery practice over a ten-week period in Europe. It was a great opportunity to learn and she visited Holland, Germany, Switzerland and France, the NHS frequently the focus of discussion with her European contemporaries.Peggy also became a member of the board of the Royal College of Midwives and on its behalf attended the International Congress of Midwives in Berlin in 1963 and Chile in 1968.

Peggy's work at Cresswell was often marred by sadness; there were no incubators or humidifiers for babies in those days, but there were good times too.

In 1971 East Fife Hospitals board of management appointed Peggy as principal nursing officer in midwifery. With the winds of change blowing, three years later regional hospital boards were abolished and health boards set up. A new post, divisional midwifery officer, was created and Peggy became that person. Her mammoth task was to amalgamate maternity units in Forth Park, Kircaldy, Craigtoun, St Andrews and Netherlea in Newport on Tay, Forth Park being favoured for service and retention. Peggy's ability to organise, placate and appease, as well as ensure that all the antenatal and postnatal needs of mothers and babies were met, was phenomenal. For her endeavour and dedication to the midwifery profession she was justly awarded the MBE in 1971, proudly watched by her mother and sister.

She was privileged to be the Royal College of Midwives representative from Scotland to attend the International Congress of Midwives in Berlin 1963 and again to Chile in 1968. During her spell in Fife, Peggy was elected chairman of the Royal College of Midwives and in 1979 chairman of the executive council, remaining an honorary member after retirement in 1981.

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Peggy always marvelled at the great progress in healthcare over her 41 years of service and was sincerely grateful for the loyalty, friendship and support from those with whom she worked.

Peggy joined the NHS Retirement Fellowship in Fife and, when settled in Lockerbie, founded the Dumfries branch, which, due to her leadership, is flourishing. The Benevolent Fund for Nurses in Scotland was dear to her heart and she served as secretary for 10 years after her retirement in 1982.

A very active church member of the Church of Scotland, she was appointed an elder in 1978, and became very involved in the work of the church and had the privilege of being a member of the Presbytery. She was a very caring member of both the Leven and Lockerbie Communities and the wider areas of these towns. Peggy was much loved and respected; a legend indeed who is sadly missed by her family and friends.

A long time ago, whilecrossing a side street in Glasgow, en route to a home visit, Peggy came across two wee boys playing football. Says one: "Dinna kick the ba' until that woman has passed." Said his pal: "That's no a woman, she's a nurse!" Little did he know she would become one of the greats.

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