O Pig, Pig, how many crimes are committed in thy name! (part 2)

Violet Lovett

Guinevere Violet Mary Lovett was born in 1893 to Arthur and Mary Lovett. Her family lived at Greenfields, Weston Rhyn in Oswestry although Violet seemed to spend a lot of time with her maternal aunt Maud Long and family, appearing on both the 1901 and 1911 censuses with them. The Longs and the Lovetts appear to have been very close - there are several newspaper articles dating to the first decade of the 20th century which mention theatrical performances that both Mrs Lovett and Mrs Long are taking part in.

Arthur, Violet's father, died in November 1914. Two male nurses feature on the 1911 census living at Greenfields, so perhaps he had been ill for some time.

During WW1, Violet served as a Red Cross VAD. Her first posting was at Ardmillan Auxiliary Military Hospital in Oswestry, opened by the British Red Cross in December 1915. Violet's VAD card records that she started her work there in January 1916 so she would have been one of the first VAD nurses to have worked there. Having completed 2000 hours work there, Violet transferred to Park Hall Hospital. Park Hall was handed over to the military in 1915 with the Hall being used as a military HQ and a training camp and hospital also being built in the grounds. The training camp quickly had over 21000 troops stationed there, whilst the hospital was built with 866 beds. Violet worked there until July 1917 when she and Mary spent 6 months doing canteen work in France, probably as part of the newly formed Navy and Army Canteen Board. Upon her return, Violet started work at her third Oswestry hospital - Pentre Pant Hospital, in Oakhurst Road, Oswestry.

In 1929, Violet married Caspar Rudolph Leopold Brunnstrom, a captain in the Swedish cavalry. They had two children - a son and a daughter. Violet died in 1956 at The Cottage Hospital, Chirk.