Tributes paid to retired doctor from Rutland who worked on Clapham Rail Disaster, Marchioness sinking and Hillsborough Disaster

Tributes have been paid to a ‘groundbreaking’ former doctor who helped save lives at several major disasters.

A memorial service will be held next month for Dr Judith George who died suddenly at her Glaston home, aged 84.

A leading authority in pre-hospital care and disaster response, Dr George was invited to the United States to teach after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and her work is credited with saving thousands of lives around the world.

Away from the paid duties with the NHS, Judith built up a startling catalogue of voluntary roles, including consultant to the World Health Organisation, senior medical adviser for the Football Association, and chief adviser to the Red Cross.

“It was remarkable how she juggled it all,” said her husband Anthony.

“She achieved so much, particularly as she qualified at a time when it wasn’t easy for female doctors to get on.”

Having grown up with her adopted family in Hillingdon, just outside London, Dr George’s career in medicine began overseas where her first husband was serving as an army medic.

Upon returning to England she worked for the NHS until retirement at 65 – starting as a GP in Hampshire while acting as clinical assistant at a hospital in Southampton.

From there she earned a consultant’s role in the Royal London Hospital’s accident and emergency department and then at the Princess Alexandria Hospital in Harlow.

At the same time, Dr George became internationally respected in her field for work in disaster medicine.

She was a leading part of the emergency response teams sent to several IRA bombings in London as well as the Clapham Rail Disaster in 1988 and the sinking of the Marchioness on the Thames the following year.

A leading advocate of community defibrillators and training the public in lifesaving techniques, she was a founding member of the British Association for Immediate Care Schemes (Basics) in the late 1970s.

As chairman of Basics, she was invited to speak at the Hillsborough Inquiry following the 1989 football stadium disaster, from which she helped introduce crowd doctors at sporting events.

“I felt so strongly about getting something done in the community,” she told an interview with the British Association for Immediate Care in 2020.

“It was crazy that people were dying when something very simple needed doing. So many people thought it would be dangerous to teach the public CPR.”

As an offshoot, Dr George helped form the Resuscitation Council UK, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, and then the European Resuscitation Council.

"Judith was a ground breaker in many ways,” said Professor Andrew Lockey, president of the Resuscitation Council UK.

“She was the first chair of Resuscitation Council UK during an era that was often male-dominated.

“She was an amazing and inspirational lady who lit up the room with her radiant personality. We have lost an exceptional leader and dear friend."

Her drive to improve pre-hospital and emergency care came after she and Anthony came upon the scene of a motorcyclist crash.

He recalled: “She realised she didn’t really know what to do and I think that sparked in her an interest in improving the training of ambulance crews and making sure they were much better equipped.”

Having first met more than 75 years ago as children, Judith and Anthony were finally married six years ago, settling in Edgbaston before moving to Glaston around three years ago to be closer to their families.

While forging a pioneering career in medicine, family life remained important to Judith who brought up two sons, Nigel and Robert, and a daughter, Miranda.

She was devoted to her 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

“Judith had a large family and it was terribly important to her,” said Anthony.

“She was a lovely, caring person. She was very open and hospitable and enjoyed talking to people and helping people.

“We enjoyed our married life together – she said it was the best time of her life.”

Dr George died on October 18. A memorial service will be held at St George’s, in Edgbaston, on Tuesday, December 19 at 11.30am.