Mary Hannah Raine (1898-1981)
One of four sisters who served as VAD nurses at the 7th VAD hospital in Brancepeth
Mary Hannah Raine was born on 29 May 1898 in Stockley, County Durham. She was the youngest daughter of John and Ellen Ryle Raine nee Dunn who were both originally from Hamsterley. John and Ellen married in 1888 and went on to have four sons and four daughters. At the time of Mary’s birth the family were living at Pack House farm in Stockley where John worked as a farmer. By 1911 the family had moved to Nafferton Farm in Brancepeth.
Mary was living at 8 Commercial Street, Willington when she began serving as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse on 10 August 1916. She joined her two older sisters, Hilda and Annie Jane, at their local VAD hospital, the 7th Durham VAD hospital at Brancepeth Castle. She remained nursing at this hospital for just under a year until 22 June 1917.
It is not known what Mary did after the war but the 1939 register shows her living with her parents and three of her siblings, again at Nafferton Farm in Brancepeth. Mary remained unmarried and records suggest she may have lived with her sister, Hilda, in Brancepeth at some point in her later years. She died on 30 October 1981 when she was living at 7 Foxes Row, Brancepeth.
Civil Parish: Brancepeth
Birth date: 29-May-1898
Death date: 30-Oct-1981
Armed force/civilian: Civilian
Residence: Pack House Farm, Stockley (1901 census)
Nafferton Farm, Brancepeth (1911 census)
8 Commercial Street, Willington (Red Cross nursing records)
Nafferton Farm, Browney, Brancepeth (1939 register)
3 Foxes Row, Brancepeth Village (Time of death – 1981)
Family: Parents: John Raine, Ellen Ryle Raine nee Dunn
Siblings: Hilda Raine, John Richard Raine, Annie Jane Raine, Sarah Greenwell Raine, George William Raine, Joseph Raine, Thomas Ryle Raine
Military service:
VAD nurse – 7th VAD hospital Durham
Gender: Female
Contributed by Fiona Johnson - Durham
