Betsi Cadwaladr
1789–1860 (age 71)
Biography
Betsi Cadwaladr was born in 1789 in north Wales and answered a call to nursing that carried her far from home, most notably to the suffering fields of the Crimean War. She laboured alongside other caregivers to ease the burden of illness and injury, bringing kindness to the wounded even when conditions were harsh and resources scarce.
Her compassion endured long after the guns fell silent; the name she bore has been given to hospitals and health services in Wales as a reminder of her dedication, and she herself rests at Abney Park Cemetery among many whom she would have comforted.