204:. The sisters' parents regularly engaged their children in intellectual and political conversation, their Anglo-Irish father Charles being a journalist, and their Scottish mother Isabella being an accomplished pianist. However, the girls' upbringing became turbulent as Charles's financial irresponsibility grew. He had numerous open affairs, and some hidden ones, even keeping a secret family in America until the time of his death. By 1901, his womanising and squandering had led to the breakdown of his marriage, and he left the family home. Isabella, left without any financial support, moved with her three daughters to Edinburgh, where they lived with relatives.
52:
360:, for whom Fairfield spoke publicly and wrote regularly on female health issues. She was appointed as their Executive, put this down to her 'scarcity value' as a woman doctor. However, she was forced to leave the group shortly after World War I, as her political interests were no longer deemed compatible with advancement in her career with the LCC.
363:
In 1922, Fairfield converted to Roman
Catholicism. This came as a great surprise to her friends and family, many of whom came from Ireland and were staunch Protestants. However, she did not agree with all of the tenets of the Catholic Church, opposing, for example, opposition to birth control.
302:
shortly after graduating, in 1911, and continued her post there until 1948 (excluding wartime interruptions). Prior to World War I, her chief responsibilities concerned the supervision of children's health and welfare, and the inspection of specialist schools for the mentally handicapped.
222:
In 1907, Fairfield graduated MB ChB, and was awarded her MD degree in 1911. Despite describing some inequality between the education males and females received at medical school, Fairfield claimed to feel no resentment, and happily chose to devote her life to the profession.
219:. Several family members disapproved of Fairfield's career choice as they felt that it was not a ladylike profession for her to enter, and believed that it would prevent her from finding a husband. Indeed, she remained unmarried and without any known love interests.
373:
In her final months, despite her deteriorating health, she gave numerous interviews about her extraordinary career. She revealed in one of these: "I always chose, right from the beginning of my career, things that I thought were important but not popular."
236:
When
Fairfield first applied to work for the War Office, she was rejected as it was not believed that the help of female doctors was necessary. However, several years later in 1917, following the unforeseen deaths of numerous male soldiers and doctors, the
184:, where she campaigned for the initiation of new Public Health departments relating in particular to women's and children's health, and defending who she believed were the most vulnerable members of society. She was a feminist and a
341:, with whom she campaigned for female equality in medicine and at war. In 1930–1932, she was appointed President of their London Branch, and from thence she continued to fight for female doctors' concerns on behalf of the
279:
and was appointed Senior Woman
Medical Officer of the Armed Forces. In 1942, having reached retirement age for the army, she withdrew from her post and resumed her public health work with the
776:
801:
771:
180:
for her outstanding achievements in medicine following her contributions in World War I, despite initially having been rejected by the War Office. Fairfield went on to work for the
334:, but left the group when it was felt that her professional position as a doctor may be threatened, and when she developed a critical stance against Pankhurst's authoritarianism.
326:
Fairfield took an interest in many social controversies throughout her career. As a medical student and a junior doctor, she campaigned with her two sisters alongside Dame
306:
In 1920, she returned to the LCC, and obtained a law degree in 1923 in order to help her tackle difficult legal issues relating to public health concerns. Following the
806:
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During the spring of 1945, Fairfield is recorded as visiting Soviet prisoners of war awaiting their forcible repatriation at
Newlands Corner Camp in Surrey.
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board hospitals, and became concerned with the improvement of maternity and obstetric care. She also dictated new public health policy regarding
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Fairfield was born in
Melbourne in 1885, and was the oldest of three daughters; the youngest, Cicily, was the novelist later known as Dame
380:
recorded 2 oral history interviews with
Fairfield, in December 1976 and February 1977, as part of the Suffrage Interviews project, titled
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Despite many differences, Fairfield and her sister Cissy remained on the same political page throughout their lives. They both joined the
261:
791:
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was established, and
Fairfield was appointed as their Medical Officer. A year later, she was appointed Chief Medical Officer to the
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she addressed a "Great Rally". She specified that she sought recruits who were "strong, intelligent, active with their hands.
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253:. She became responsible for the medical care of eight thousand military women, and a further twenty-two thousand at home.
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172:(10 March 1885 – 1 February 1978) was a medical doctor, a lawyer, a war-worker, and the first ever female
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Fairfield also spoke at recruiting meetings; for example in Perth in
September 1918 when, along with
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103:
382:
Oral evidence on the suffragette and suffragist movements: the Brian
Harrison interviews.
546:
Fairfield, Letitia (1939). "Grains and
Scruples:from a woman Public Health Officer I".
417:
357:
346:
185:
559:
740:
691:"Josephine Letitia Denny Fairfield (1885–1978): Pushing the Boundaries of Medicine"
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During her time working with the War Office, Fairfield was an active member of the
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51:
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In 1940, Fairfield was personally sought by the War Office; she rejoined the
642:
614:"Russian and Cossacks detained at Newlands Corner by Albury History Society"
575:
Women in British Public Life, 1914-50 : Gender, Power and Social Policy
72:
670:. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin, Ireland: Royal Irish Academy. p. 97.
448:
Elston, M.A. (2004). "Fairfield, (Josephine) Letitia Denny (1885–1978)".
311:
245:, and was subsequently elevated to Inspector of Medical Services for the
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Notwithstanding, her devotion led to her being awarded the papal medal,
511:
399:
Fairfield died on 1 February 1978 from a succession of strokes.
577:. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 188.
598:"Women's recruiting in Perth: Great rally in the City Hall".
16:
British Australian medical doctor, and lawyer (1885–1978)
693:, Journal of Medical Biography; accessed 25 July 2020.
384:
Fairfield talks about her involvement with the WSPU,
133:
121:
99:
80:
61:
23:
715:London School of Economics and Political Science.
416:
777:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Protestantism
721:London School of Economics and Political Science
506:Fairfield, J.L.D. (1911). "Control of measles".
188:, and during her later life became a convert to
211:, after which Fairfield was accepted into the
802:20th-century Australian women medical doctors
772:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
8:
454:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
207:Fairfield and her two sisters entered the
50:
20:
668:Roger Casement in Irish and World History
807:20th-century Australian medical doctors
705:Wellcome Library Archives: GC/193/A.19.
451:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
407:
310:, she took responsibility for London's
528:
517:
392:and the Fabian Society, including the
330:. She joined the militant suffragette
112:Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
757:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
7:
419:Women, A Modern Political Dictionary
213:Edinburgh Medical College for Women
390:Church League for Women's Suffrage
332:Women's Social and Political Union
14:
641:. Vol. 7. London, New York:
485:. London: Macmillan. p. 12.
262:Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps
156:Josephine Letitia Denny Fairfield
66:Josephine Letitia Denny Fairfield
298:Fairfield began working for the
817:Australian women of World War I
602:. 28 September 1918. p. 3.
215:, an extramural school for the
108:George Watson's Ladies' College
812:Australian socialist feminists
351:Society for Psychical Research
345:. Fairfield was interested in
209:George Watson's Ladies College
192:and a believer in witchcraft.
104:Richmond High School for Girls
1:
782:Members of the Fabian Society
767:British women medical doctors
639:Abortion in England 1900-1967
560:10.1016/s0140-6736(00)71744-2
787:Members of the Middle Temple
637:Brookes, Barbara L. (2012).
468:UK public library membership
283:until the conception of the
239:Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
56:Letitia Fairfield circa 1917
797:British socialist feminists
343:British Medical Association
176:for London. She received a
833:
349:, and was a member of the
339:Medical Women's Federation
792:British parapsychologists
717:"The Suffrage Interviews"
600:The Perthshire Advertiser
367:Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
308:1929 Local Government Act
149:
129:
49:
386:Independent Labour Party
196:Early life and education
762:British Roman Catholics
695:(subscription required)
423:. I.B.Tauris. pp.
285:National Health Service
251:Woman's Royal Air Force
217:University of Edinburgh
116:University of Edinburgh
92:St Mary Abbots Hospital
666:Daly, Mary E. (2005).
527:Cite journal requires
460:10.1093/ref:odnb/54196
573:Jones, Helen (2014).
300:London County Council
182:London County Council
174:Chief Medical Officer
481:Gibb, Lorna (2013).
415:Law, Cheryl (2000).
394:Fabian Women's Group
328:Christabel Pankhurst
268:, Principal of the
294:Public health work
584:978-1-317-88931-1
466:(Subscription or
434:978-1-86064-502-0
190:Roman Catholicism
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28:Letitia Fairfield
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84:1 February 1978
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529:|journal=
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358:Fabian Society
347:parapsychology
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724:. Retrieved
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620:. Retrieved
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483:West's World
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202:Rebecca West
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143:Anthony West
138:Rebecca West
86:(1978-02-01)
18:
752:1978 deaths
747:1885 births
726:12 December
75:, Australia
741:Categories
548:The Lancet
512:1842/20500
470:required.)
403:References
122:Occupation
643:Routledge
370:in 1965.
287:in 1948.
266:Mrs McRae
258:Alice Low
100:Education
73:Melbourne
622:30 March
312:Poor Law
232:War work
145:(nephew)
140:(sister)
94:, London
674:
649:
581:
489:
464:
431:
388:, the
249:; the
227:Career
186:Fabian
134:Family
617:(PDF)
728:2023
672:ISBN
647:ISBN
624:2023
579:ISBN
533:help
487:ISBN
429:ISBN
277:RAMC
270:WRNS
264:and
81:Died
62:Born
556:doi
552:234
508:hdl
456:doi
427:–.
281:LCC
260:of
178:CBE
160:CBE
33:CBE
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
