Nurse M Sandford
appears twice in Nurse Oliver’s album. She is mentioned in a newspaper
cutting from 1914 as simply, Nurse Sandford, while on another page she has signed her name “M Sandford” and the
date, 1st June 1914.
She is probably
Marguerite Harriet Sandford who was born around 1882 in East Peckham, Kent. She
appears on the 1891 census living at the estate office of Maresfield Park in Maresfield, Sussex. The household comprised Mark Sandford (head, married, aged 51, an estate agent), his
wife Harriet Sandford (aged 38) and Marguerite (aged eight). Living with them
were a governess and domestic servant.
Ten years later,
the 1901 census shows the family living at the Dairy House, Maresfield estate. Mark
Sandford is still noted as an estate agent (and employer) although his age here is recorded as 55. Harriet is noted as being 50 years old and there are two daughters: Florence Mary Sandford (aged 25) and
Marguerite H Sandford (aged 18). Two servants and a visitor are also noted.
Nothing is currently
known of Marguerite’s service with Sussex 54 VAD. Mark Sandford appears
in Kelly’s Directory of Sussex for 1911 and 1915 under the section on Chailey where he is recorded as a land, house,
insurance and general agent but apart from this, little is known of him or his family.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- 1891 Census of England and Wales
- 1901 Census of England and Wales
- Kelly’s Directory of Sussex 1911
- Kelly’s Directory of Sussex 1915
