Mary Lloyd

Mary Kathleen Lloyd
Born	1902 Eastbourne, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Died	1972 (aged 69–70)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS)
Years of service	1939 - 1945
Commands held	World War II
Awards	DBE (1952)
Relations	Geoffrey Cheshire (Husband)

Dame Mary Kathleen Lloyd, Mrs. Cheshire (b. 1902, Eastbourne, East Sussex — d. 1972) was a director of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS).

She was the first woman to join the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) when it was re-formed in 1939. She began her service as a WRNS steward. The following year she was commissioned as an officer. By 1946 she was acting superintendent, for which service she was appointed OBE in the 1946 King's Birthday Honours. The WRNS was not disbanded after the war, and in 1950 Lloyd succeeded Jocelyn Woollcombe as its director.^[1] She was named DBE in 1952 and retired two years later.

Personal life

She married Geoffrey Cheshire, father of the war hero and humanitarian Leonard Cheshire, V.C., in 1963. She spent a number of years working with her stepson's eponymous Cheshire Foundation.

Death

Her requiem mass was held at Westminster Cathedral on 28 July 1982, and attended by Queen Elizabeth II.

References

1. ^ "Admirals of the world: a biographical dictionary, 1500 to the present" by William Stewart

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online [1].
• Lesley Thomas, Cheshire, Dame Mary Kathleen (1902–1972), first published 2004; online edn, May 2008, 555 words [2].

External links

• Who Was Who profile.

Persondata
Name	Lloyd, Mary Kathleen
Alternative names
Short description	Women's Royal Naval Service director
Date of birth	1902
Place of birth	Eastbourne, East Sussex, England
Date of death	1972
Place of death