Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Edwina Mountbatten was instrumental in the promotion of
St John Ambulance as a modern international first aid
organisation. She joined St John Ambulance in 1939, at the
outbreak of WWII.
Edwina became a great advocate for the vital medical
service that St John Ambulance provides. Following the end
of the WWII, Edwina was heavily involved in the role that St John
Ambulance played alongside the International Red Cross, in the
repatriation of prisoners of war. She travelled
throughout the Far East and supported the successful return
of more than 90,000 prisoners captured by the
Japanese.
In 1947, Edwina travelled to India with her husband, who had
been appointed Viceroy. At a time of great change for the country,
this was a politically sensitive post. Yet Edwina continued her
charitable mission to improve standards of nursing care and
first aid for those in need.
Source: Museum of the Order of St John