Visitors to Calderdale Royal Hospital's chapel may well stand and gaze in quiet contemplation at a beautiful stained glass window.

But they may also wonder who was the dedicated and much-loved nursing sister who inspired it.

It is almost half a century since the window was commissioned and dedicated to the memory of Sarah Wallace – or Sally, as she was known.

Her name may live on through the engraving on the intricate and detailed memorial but the details about Sister Wallace and her devotion to her patients have been gradually forgotten – until now.

Thanks to a bit of detective work by Calderdale historian David Glover, more is now known of the administering angel who brought care and comfort to those on the wards of the former Halifax General Hospital.

"I had often looked at the window which used to stand in the original chapel at the old general hospital and wondered who this sister was," he says.

Research showed Sally came to Halifax from Cumberland.

David then placed an advert appealing for information in a Cumberland newspaper and was contacted by Sally's niece, Jean Messenger.

Jean, who lives in Whitehaven, reveals that Sally was a farmer's daughter, born in Cumbria in 1919.

"Sally's father, my grandfather, James Wallace, was killed in a farm accident in 1931 so Sally had to leave school at 14 and go into service," she says.

Sally was one of six children, five girls and one boy. The first child to be born to James and his wife, Sarah, was Eleanor, followed by Agnes, Sally, twins Martin and Mary and finally, Annie.

"It was while Sally was in service in Southport that her younger sister, Mary, wrote to her. Mary was already training to be a nurse at the Halifax General – she hadn't wanted to go into service," says Jean.

"And she encouraged Sally to join her there."

Sally joined the hospital in 1942. Mary was eventually to move to Manchester and then to South Africa through her nursing career, eventually becoming a matron. She is now 85 and lives in a nursing home in Cumbria but still keeps in touch with a former colleague at Halifax General, Matron Simpson.

Sally, however, remained in Halifax, apart from a 12 months' course in fever nurse training in Manchester. She did all her training and nursing at the general, including studying for her midwifery certificates.

She trained under Matron Miss J. Tyrer and was a medical ward sister, spending much of her time working on Ward 11.

Sadly, during her 30s she began to suffer from problems and eventually was diagnosed with stomach cancer. In 1959 her illness forced her to return home to Cumbria, where she died.

"She died at my grandmother's house at Beckermet and is buried in the family plot at Haile Church. She was just 40," says Jean.

"I was just a teenager and I remember all these nurses coming from Halifax for the funeral. It was very sad."

Jean recalls Sally as a quiet and dedicated person who lived for her nursing.

"I remember the times when she came home an she would spend time making clothes and underwear.

All the scraps of fabric she didn't use she would give to me to make dolls' clothes.
"I think she must have made such an impression on both patients and staff for them to create the window in her honour. She was obviously someone they thought of as being very special."

David is thrilled that Sally's story has been told once again, almost half a century after her death.

"There must have been people who have seen the window and wondered who this lady was and there must have been a lot of very special nurses and staff at the hospital over the years but I think Sister Wallace must have been a very special lady indeed," he says.


And now we will never forget
SALLY'S window was unveiled and dedicated in January 1960 by the Archdeacon and Vicar of Halifax, the Ven Eric Treacy.
It was designed by E. Pickett and Co, Leeds, and its centrepiece is a cross, above which is the staff and serpent symbol of the medical profession. In the lower corners are the Red Cross and the Cross of St John. Also depicted are healing herbs and the lamp of Florence Nightingale.
Mr Treacy spoke of self sacrifice and said the window would remind people "of a woman who expressed this principle in her own life."
The window was placed in the original St Luke's Chapel at the Halifax General Hospital. In 1971 the chapel, made from wood and asbestos, was moved to make way for the new maternity block. It was lifted by crane to a new site.
The window now stands in the chapel of Calderdale Royal Hospital, which replaced both the General and the Royal Halifax Infirmary, in 2001.
Chaplain Martin Parrott rededicated the window at a special service.
"I am so pleased we now know more about Sally because she has become something of a friend of mine over the years," he says.
The window was kept safe by a former hospital worker and it was decided it would make the perfect centrepiece for the new chapel.
Shortly after the rededication service, Sally's sisters Mary and Annie visited the window to see it.
"I was sad because I missed them but they left a message in the prayer request book and I was very touched. I am glad they were able to see it," he says.