Nurse. Born East London, died Chelmsford.
From : "At the time of her EGM award she was a Nursing Sister at the Middlesex Hospital {Foley Street}, London. On the 26 January 1934, Sister Thomas was working as a Theatre Sister in one of the Operating Theatres, when an explosion occurred in a large oxygen cylinder. Sparks and flames shot from the cylinder through the door of the anaesthetic room across the theatre for a distance of about 15 feet. Sister Thomas remained behind until everyone was removed from the theatre and, despite the risk of the cylinder exploding, she went back into the anaesthetic room and managed to turn off the oxygen cylinder."
In 1940 the EGM was discontinued and recipients were obliged to exchange it for the George Cross.
The picture comes from a Pathé film (issued 2 April 1934) of her receiving her medal in 1934 but annoyingly she never faces the camera. The king, who is holding a stick and wearing gloves, struggles to open the case containing the medal and takes a long time pinning it to Thomas's clothing, all without us getting more than a passing glimpse of it.
2024: Mike Coleman pointed out that there is some confusion over which medal she was awarded. The announcement in the London Gazette, 2 March 1934, awards her the OBE and the Pathé film similarly awards her the "gold medal of the OBE". However , while referring to that edition of the Gazette, says she was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal (which is silver). The EGM is the medal which was later replaced with the GC, which is what the plaque names. Normally we'd take the Gazette as the source of truth but official plaque erectors are duty-bound to do their research, so we are left uncertain. Which is why Thomas is in our Puzzle Corner.
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