Grace Ellison

Grace Mary Ellison (13 May 1880 – 3 October 1935) was a British journalist. She wrote several books about Turkey. Though not herself a trained nurse, she was founder of the French Flag Nursing Corps during World War I.

Early life Grace Mary Ellison was born in Gravesend, Kent, on 13 May 1880, the daughter of Jane Young (born Watson) She credited her father's stories of sailing to India as inspiring her travelling career. She was educated in England at Rochester Girls' Grammar School, and in France, and at the University of Halle.

Career Ellison was a journalist especially interested in Turkey. Whilst travelling in Turkey in 1908-1909 and 1912–1913, Ellison wrote articles for The Daily Telegraph. She advocated for women students to gain access to college classes in Constantinople. She was awarded the Order of Charity (Şefkat Nişanı) for her efforts on behalf of women in Turkey. She reported on the Second Hague Conference (1907) and was continental reporter for the Bystander. coordinating the work of experienced nurses from the British Empire (including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) with the French Medical Corps during World War I. She gave talks and raised money. She gave talks in Liverpool in 1916 that raised £220. The corps eventually became a program of the French Red Cross. Ellison fell seriously ill in 1917, and spent months recovering at a hospital in Bordeaux. "I am convinced that the most important factor in social reconstruction today is the trained nurse," she explained. "No child welfare work can be done without trained nurses, and the whole future of France depends on what is done for her children." In 1922, she returned to Turkey to cover the Turkish War of Independence; in 1927, she was back in Ankara, reporting on the rapidly changing city.

Death

Grace Mary Ellison died in Berlin on 3 October 1935, at the age of 55. An Englishwoman in the French Firing Line (1915) An Englishwoman in Occupied Germany (1920) An Englishwoman in Angora (1923), The Disadvantages of Being a Woman (1924) Turkey To-day (1928) Yugoslavia: A New Country and its People (1933) She also worked on three biographical projects: Prince Nicholas of Greece's memoirs (1923), a biography of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1930), and The Authorised Life Story of Princess Marina (1934).