The Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and its Member Biographies updated 11 January

She held her position as foundation President of the Australian Branch of the British Red
Cross Society until 1920. Lady Helen was regarded as a brilliant leader and an excellent
public speaker. On return to the UK in 1920 Sir Ronald was created Viscount Novar and Lady
Novar became Viscountess Novar. Intermittently from 1920 to 1932, she served on the
Board of Governors of the League of Red Cross Societies, first representing the Australian
Branch and from 1927, the Australian Red Cross Society. 3 She was also President of the
Kirkcaldy branch of the Queen Victoria Nursing Association, a position she held for over 50
years, as well as being President of the Young Women’s Christian Association for over 25
years. As a strong-willed and independent-thinking woman who wished not only to be
known in conjunction with her husband, she preferred in a working capacity to be known as
Lady Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood. Viscountess Novar continued her Red Cross service
representing the Australian Red Cross on the League of Red Cross Societies’ Board of
Governors and at International Conferences of the Red Cross in 1921, 1928 and in 1930
when she was elected to the Standing Commission for one term.
She was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Law (LL.D.) and in 1918 was invested as a
Dame Grand Cross, Order of the British Empire (G.B.E.) due to her work for the British Red
Cross Society. 45 She was the daughter of Fredrik Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1 st Marquess
of Dufferin and Ava, and was married to Lord Novar from 1889 until his death in 1934, a
union that was childless. Lady Novar was born on March 14 th 1863 in Bangor, Northern
Ireland and died on April 9 th , 1941 in Scotland as Viscountess Novar. 6
3 British Red Cross
4 http://thepeerage.com/p5787.htm#i57864
5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Munro-Ferguson,_Viscountess_Novar
6 Standing Commission
5