Norah Neilson Gray (16 June 1882 – 27 May 1931) - Scottish artist

Nora Neilson Gray
Self Portrait, 1918

Born in Helensburgh in 1882, Nora's p arents were George Gray, a Glasgow ship owner, and his wife, Norah Gray, nee Neilson. 

During the First World War, Norah volunteered to serve with the Scottish Women's Hospitals and was sent to France..  As you can see, Nora managed to find time to paint and sketch. She offered a painting entitled “Hôpital Auxilaire 1918” showing the SWH Hospital in Royaumont Abbey to the Imperial War Museum but the Women's Work Sub-committee of the Museum refused to accept it and requested a painting showing a woman doctor instead.  

Shown below is Norah’s second painting of Royaumont Abbaye, entitled “The Scottish Women's Hospital In The Cloister of the Abbaye at Royaumont - Dr Frances Ivens inspecting a French patient” was accepted by the IWM in 1920.

Royaumont Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, located in northern France near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris. From January 1915 to March 1919 the Abbeywas used as a voluntary hospital – L’Hôpital Auxiliaire 301 – which was operated by The Scottish Women's Hospitals(SWH), under the direction of the French Red Cross. It was especially noted for its performance treating soldiers involved in the Battle of the Somme. After the war, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Frances Ivens CBE MS(Lond) ChM(Liverp) FRGOG (1870–1944), was awarded membership of the French Légion d'honneur.