Nursing Sister, St John Ambulance Brigade. Voluntary Aid Detachment.
Early life:
Susan was born Susan Wells Morfett in Cambridgeshire in 1856. Little is known of her early life, but we know she married Tom Hare Creek of Oakworth in 1875. The banns were read out here at Oakworth’s Christ Church on February 7, 14 and 21 but their marriage actually took place in Ely, Cambridgeshire where it was registered. Both Tom and Sarah originally hailed from Cambridgeshire.
Susan was 25 in the 1881 census. She was a worsted weaver and living at Lane Ends with Tom, who was a mason’s labourer and their two daughters were Sarah aged five and Ruth aged three.
By 1891 she was 34 and they had all moved to Dockroyd in Oakworth. Their children were now Sarah 15, Ruth 13, Albert aged eight, and Miriam at just one year old.
In the 1901 census Susan was 45 and the family had moved to 4, Brook Row in Oakworth and they had three more additions to the family who were Matilda aged eight, John Albert aged four and Gladys Irene, who was three at this time.
By 1911 Susan was 55. They were still living at 4, Brook Row, Oakworth with husband Tom and their children Albert 28, Miriam 21, Matilda 18, John Albert 14, Gladys Irene 14. They had produced nine children, two of whom had died.
War service:
During the Great War, Susan registered in 1915 for the Voluntary Aid Detachment as a member of the St John Ambulance Brigade, giving her home address as 4, Brook Row in Oakworth. She was a nursing sister and carried out nursing duties at the Morton Banks war hospital for 234 hours. She also collected donations of eggs from local chicken farmers for the National Egg Collection and she worked for a total of 247 hours calculated as 26 days and 9.5 hours and managed to collect 1050 eggs for the patients at Spencer Street auxiliary war hospital.
We managed to find a couple of local newspaper items which were about Susan:
Keighley News Saturday June 26, 1915:
EGGS FOR WOUNDED SOLDIERS.
Susan Creek (Oakworth), a nursing sister of the St. John Ambulance Brigade (Keighley centre) has collected from the hen farmers of Oakworth and district over 1,000 eggs which she has forwarded to the Auxiliary War Hospital at Spencer Street, for the wounded soldiers. Sister Creek was well received and generously supported in making her rounds.
Keighley News Saturday September 4, 1915:
ACCIDENT TO A GARDENER.
Whilst gathering leaf mould in Long Holme Wood, Oakworth, on Monday, Mr. George Hollings, gardener to Colonel Sugden, of Dockroyd, slipped and fractured his leg. The mishap occurred in a lonely part of the wood, and Hollings had to drag himself a considerable distance before he could summon help. Sister Creek, a local St. John Ambulance worker, rendered first aid, and Hollings was removed home on a stretcher and his injury attended to by Dr. Wilson (Haworth).
Post war:
Thomas and Susan were living at 4, Brook Row in Oakworth during the 1921 census. Thomas was aged 75 and had a job as a part-time general labourer for Rouse Brothers at Vale Mill. Susan was aged 65 and on home duties. Their son Albert was aged 39 and an iron turner for Matthew and Co. in Keighley. Also here were their son in law Fred Holmes and daughter Gladys Holmes. Fred was aged 26 and a joiner, working for Ineson Taylor of Lees. Gladys was aged 24 and at home with their son Dennis aged just seven months.
Susan’s husband Thomas died in June 1928 aged 82 and was buried at Oakworth Christchurch on June 6. Susan died in April 1931 aged 75 and was buried at Oakworth Christ Church on April 8. Their son John Albert Creek served with the Royal Navy from November 1915 during the Great War and continued his service with the Navy after the war. He was serving as a sick berth attendant during the Second World war and was killed in action during the sinking of HMS Neptune off Malta in the Mediterranean sea on December 19, 1941 when the ship hit several sea mines and sank. Only one man survived out of almost 750 crew.
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1950.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census.
1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census.
1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census.
1911 Census For England & Wales.
British Army, British Red Cross Society Volunteers 1914-1918.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
The Herbert A. France Archive at Keighley Library – BK 424.
1921 England Census.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985.
