Unsung Heroine

A few weeks ago, I was asked to try to locate the grave of Eileen Harewood. She was Matron at the Princess Tsahai Hospital in #Addis and had been in Ethiopia for 14 years when she was found murdered in her quarters on 12 September 1961, aged 51. According to the #Glasgow Herald of 17 October 1961, two men were condemned to death for her murder. A third man was condemned to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Not much is known of Eileen, though she clearly served Ethiopia selflessly – it is understood that she first worked with lepers in the bush before moving to the hospital. She and her sister became orphans when they lost their Father, John Halewood, a career soldier, in World War One. A nephew recalls her as “a radiant Christian…she had an aura about her. She never spoke much of herself, only of the blessings in life. She loved her life, she loved The Lord. She had the tranquility about her that I associated with strength. I will always think of her as a Saint, just a wonderful, kind, strong individual with a focus on goodness… she never wavered in her faith.”

With the help of several people, we at last tracked Eileen’s grave down to the Gulele Christian Cemetery, where the epitaph reads “For Ever With Her Lord”. She is one of a few civilians buried in the beautifully maintained Commonwealth War Graves #CWG section of the cemetery, where services of remembrance are held twice annually. Her family are happy to know that she is not forgotten.