Helen Mary Boswell Rushall MBE (née Helen Mary Cruickshank, 22 April 1914 – 15 October 1984) was a British schoolteacher who helped to form the National Council of Women in Burma, an affiliate of the International Council of Women. In 1958 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her work on the council and her rehabilitation work after World War II.
Helen M. B. Rushall | |
|---|---|
 Rushall in November 1938 | |
| Born | Helen Mary Cruickshank 22 April 1914 Logie Newton Farm, Ythanwells, Aberdeenshire |
| Died | 15 October 1984 (aged 70) Friars Cliff, Christchurch, Dorset |
| Education | |
| Spouse |
Richard Rushall (m. 1945) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Richard Rushall (father-in-law) |
Life and career edit
Helen Mary Cruickshank was born on 22 April 1914 at Logie Newton Farm near Ythanwells, Aberdeenshire to John Walker Cruickshank (1882–1969) and Janet Isabella Caldow (1883–1932).[1] She was baptised on 13 June 1914, and was the eldest of four children; her younger siblings were Jean Caldow (1916–2001), James Robert (1918–1942) and Ian Armstrong (1919–2014). Her brother James was a pilot officer with No. 239 Squadron of the Royal Air Force,[2] and died during the Dieppe Raid when his Mustang Mk IA crashed in Brachy, Normandy, on 19 August 1942.[3] Cruickshank attended the Inverurie Academy and Aberdeen High School for Girls.[4] After completing her education, she worked as a domestic science teacher in Chesterfield.[5]
On 13 September 1945 at St. James' Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Cruickshank married Richard Boswell Rushall, the director of Rushall & Co. Ltd., a shipping company founded by his father in Rangoon, Burma.[4] That year, she moved out to Rangoon with her husband, where they stayed for the next ten years.[5] While in Burma, she took an active role in furthering Burma-British relations by helping to form the National Council of Women in Burma, an affiliate of the International Council of Women.[1] She also worked in rehabilitation, helping to build clinics for the Burmese people.[5] During this time, Helen Rushall and her husband had two children together, a son and a daughter.[4]
The Rushall family returned to the UK in 1955. They lived in Aberdeen for two years, before moving to Christchurch, Dorset.[4] In 1958 Rushall was made an MBE as part of the New Year Honours in recognition of her work on the executive committee of the council,[6][7] as well as her rehabilitation work after World War II. She attended the investiture in Buckingham Palace on 12 March that year.[1] Rushall died on 15 October 1984 in Christchurch, at the age of 70.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c "She Attended Investiture". Aberdeen Evening Express. 12 March 1958. p. 13, col. 5. (subscription required)
- ^ "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood". The London Gazette. No. 35531. 21 April 1942. p. 1756, col. 1.
- ^ "Pilot Officer James Robert Cruickshank (119540) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve". RAF Commands. 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "N.E. woman helped to rehabilitate Burma". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 18 October 1984. p. 22, col. 1. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c "M.B.E. Award for Aberdeen Woman". Aberdeen Evening Express. 7 January 1958. p. 6, col. 3. (subscription required)
- ^ "The New Year Honours". The Times. No. 54037. London. 1 January 1958. p. 4, col. 3. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood". The London Gazette. No. 41268. 31 December 1957. p. 22, col. 1.
