Thatcher, Margaret “Meg” (1892-1987)
Margaret Thatcher was especially known for her work with tuberculosis patients. She was born in Victorian England, her father an Anglican clergyman, and arrived in Canada with her parents in 1907. After her graduation from the University of Alberta, she attended the School of Nursing at Kootenay Lake General Hospital in Nelson, then took the public health nursing course at UBC. Following graduation, she worked in various locations as a public health and was asked by a child welfare worker to care for twin boys whose mother was ill with TB. Later on she adopted them.
Her first involvement with tuberculosis nursing was with the Rotary Clinic in Vancouver. She worked for many years on the staff of the Chest Clinic on Willow St., being the charge nurse here from 1944 to 1952. Throughout her life she was known for her gentle, positive personality, her quick wit, and dry sense of humour.
Contents of Biographical File
- Esther Paulson, “Meg Thatcher 1892-1987”, Nursing Division Newsletter (Spring 1989), p. 5.
- Maryann West, “Courageous Lady Passed: In Tribute to Margaret Thatcher”, Coast News, October 26, 1987, p. 18. Includes handwritten notes.
- Letter from Esther Paulson to Scott McDonald, November 5, 1987.
- Reply from Scott McDonald to Esther Paulson, November 10, 1987.
- “Margaret (“Meg”) Allen Thatcher” from Glennis Zilm and Ethel Warbinek, “TB Nurses in BC 1895-1960: A Biographical Dictionary”: White Rock, 2006.