Thora Silverthorne

Thora Silverthorne (25 November 1910 - 17 January 1999) was a nurse. She was born in Abertillery, daughter of George Richard Silverthorne of Bargoed. He was a founder member of the British Communist Party.

She joined the Young Communist League in 1926 and remained a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. She was a friend of Arthur Horner.

She trained as a nurse at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford. She worked as a volunteer nurse for hunger marchers who passed through Oxford. She was a Sister at Hammersmith hospital in 1935 and worked closely with Dr Charles Wortham Brook. She travelled to Spain with the Spanish Medical Aid Committee in August 1936 where she worked with Archie Cochrane. She was "elected" matron at Granen Hospital She returned in September 1937. She became a sub-editor for Nursing Illustrated.

She worked for Somerville Hastings as a nanny and went on to help to found the National Nurses Association in 1937. She was attacked by the Royal College of Nursing for “not being a registered nurse” or “paid by Moscow”. The Association later joined the National Union of Public Employees.

She became Organising secretary of the Socialist Medical Association in July 1942, their first employee. She led a delegation that met Clement Attlee to discuss the establishment of the National Health Service.

She was a full time official of the Civil Service Clerical Association until she retired in 1970 when she moved to Llanfyllin, Powys. Clive Jenkins and Frank Cousins were regular visitors there.

...
Wikipedia