Violet Bell

Violet Caroline Bell Denniston MBE (25 July 1890 – 1983) was a New Zealand woman who served in Britain and France in World War I.[1][2][3]

Biography

Bell was the youngest daughter of politician Sir Francis Bell and his wife Lady Caroline Bell.[4] She was born and grew up in Thorndon, Wellington.[1] She attended Fitzherbert Terrace School, now Samuel Marsden Collegiate School.[5]

When World War I broke out, Bell, her sister Beatrice Enid Bell and their mother Caroline travelled to Britain, aiming to help out in the war effort. They volunteered with the New Zealand War Contingent Association, and were assigned to the Association's hospital for New Zealand soldiers at Walton-on-Thames. Bell and her sister worked in the hospital's kitchen.[1][5]

In July 1917, Bell was asked by senior New Zealand military officers to go to Rouen in France and lead a section of Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) women in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) Records section. She was assigned the rank of Forewoman in Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.[5]

Personal life

In 1921, Bell married John Geoffrey Denniston. They had two sons.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jeffrey (10 September 2018). "Suffrage 125: Beatrice Enid Bell and Violet Caroline Bell". Heritage at Hutt City Libraries. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Violet Caroline Bell". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Denniston, Violet Caroline, 1890–1983". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Women's Corner". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Meet the heroic New Zealand women whose WWI roles went unrecognised". www.stuff.co.nz. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
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