Hannah Billig

Captain Hannah Billig, MBE, GM (4 October 1901 – 11 July 1987) was a British-Jewish doctor who worked in the East End of London. Billig was popular amongst her patients and she most notably did exceptional medical work during World War II that earned her honors and awards, as well as the nickname "The Angel of Cable Street". After returning from aiding the war efforts, she continued her medical practice on Cable Street before retiring to Israel, even continuing her medical work there until her death.

Childhood

Billig was born at 41 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, in the East End of London, and grew up around Brick Lane where Jewish friends had taken them in. Her parents, Barnet and Millie Billig, were refugees from Russia, escaping from anti-Jewish pogroms. The Billig family had six children, four of which became doctors. Her brother Levi was a famous Arab scholar and another sister was a nurse. Growing up, parents Barnet and Millie encouraged their children to spend their time reading instead of playing in the streets. Her mother Millie stayed home with the children, managing the household, while husband Barnet worked as a newsagent rolling cigarettes and eventually as a cigar roller. ^[1] At the age of 11, Billig received a scholarship to attend Myrdle Street Central School in Stepney. During those years, she remained at the top of her class which eventually earned her a scholarship to London University.

Early medical career

Her success at Myrdle Street School won her a scholarship to the University of London to read medicine. She trained at the Royal Free Hospital and the Royal London Hospital, and qualified as a doctor in 1925. At this time, female doctors were not as widespread as they are today, it was common belief that women shouldn't study medicine. She worked for two years at the Jewish Maternity Hospital in Underwood Street. In 1927, she set up a small clinic near Cable Street, moving her surgery in 1935 round the corner to a Georgian townhouse at 198 Cable Street, where a blue plaque commemorates her work. Billig was also on call as a police doctor which meant she often had to leave in the middle of whatever she was doing, even surgery. She used to cycle to her patients, with her black bag; later she drove a Morris Cowley car. Billig was fond of children, encouraging them to bring books for her to read to them and letting some carry her doctor bag- which was considered a great honor by the children. ^[2]

Her daily schedule was based around surgeries in the morning and evening, home visits in the afternoon and the occasional night visit for patients giving birth or falling ill in the middle of the night. Billig ran into problems when she realized the area she was based in was poor and people had trouble affording the consultation and medicine fees. There wasn't a national health service so it was common for people to avoid calling on a doctor until their symptoms were extremely serious. ^[3]

World War II

During the Blitz, Billig was the doctor in charge of the air raid shelters in Wapping. During bombing raids, she tended the sick and injured in the underground shelters. On 13 March 1941, Billig was attending to residents of Orient Wharf in Wapping following a bomb blast. An explosion threw her out of the shelter and broke her ankle. After bandaging it herself, she helped to get the others out of the rubble, and cared for them through the night.^[4]

Awards

For her courage and bravery, Billig was awarded the George Medal. ^[5]. In 1942 she joined the Indian Army Medical Corps as a Captain and was posted to Calcutta. For her work with injured soldiers and refugees in Assam, Billig was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1945.^[6]

Later years and death

Billig returned to Cable Street and worked within the new National Health Service until her retirement in 1964. In 1962, she was elected as president of the London Jewish Hospital Medical Society. She then moved to Caesarea on the Israeli coast and, after learning the language well enough, she worked in Arab villages and Jewish settlements. Billig continued to work into her 80s until her health began to interfere. She died there on 11 July 1987, aged 85.^[7]

References