Nina Catherine Stokes was born in Tenby in 1873, the second daughter of Charles William Rees Stokes (Mayor of Tenby in 1906 and long serving Town Clerk) and Harriet Stokes.  

When she was nineteen, she qualified in dairy work and from 1892 she was a lecturer and teacher in dairy farming under the Wiltshire Education Authority.  In 1896 she switched to nursing training at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London and subsequently held nursing appointments in Bristol and Edinburgh.  After obtaining her Central Midwives Board Certificate and Sanitary Inspector and Health Visitor Certificates she held posts in London at Willesden, Croydon and Kensington and when she retired she had been on the staff of Marylebone Borough Council for 28 years, where before volunteering for military service, had been chief lady health inspector.

Her nursing experience during World War One was extensive, serving in the Army Nursing Reserve.  She was one of a group of nurses who went off to France with the British Expeditionary Force on 11 August 1914 and served right through the retreat and actions of that first year.  She was awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal (first class, military division) for her services. 

An article in the Tenby Observer (21 August 1918) detailed her service:

‘Miss Nina Stokes…has been mentioned in despatches published last week, for valuable services in connection with the war.  Miss Stokes has had a varied experience during the war.  She went out to France as a nursing sister with the first Expeditionary Force in August 1914, and has been awarded the Mons Medal.  After a year and ten months in France she volunteered for service in Salonica, and from there went to Alexandria, afterwards being appointed staff nurse at Port Said.  She next served as a matron of a hospital ship, and for some time past has been holding the important appointment of matron of the Tipperary Military Hospital’.

Nina also played her part during World War Two, being a member of the Labour Exchange Hardship Committee, engaged in the Police Canteen Service, a shelter warden and working with the Women’s Voluntary Service.  

Nina Stokes died on 28 January 1963.  

Ganed Nina Catherine Stokes yn Ninbych-y-pysgod yn 1873, ail ferch Charles William Rees Stokes (Maer Dinbych-y-pysgod yn 1906 a Chlerc y Dref am flynyddoedd lawer) a Harriet Stokes.  

Pan oedd hi’n bedair ar bymtheg oed, roedd wedi cymhwyso mewn llaethyddiaeth ac o 1892 roedd yn ddarlithydd ac yn athrawes mewn ffermio llaeth o dan Awdurdod Addysg Wiltshire.  Yn 1896, newidiodd gyfeiriad ei gyrfa drwy hyfforddi i fod yn nyrs yn Ysbyty St Bartholomew, Llundain, a llwyddo wedyn i gael swyddi nyrsio ym Mryste ac yng Nghaeredin. Ar ôl cael ei Thystysgrif Bwrdd Canolog Bydwragedd a Thystysgrifau Arolygydd Iechydol ac Ymwelydd Iechyd, penodwyd hi i swyddi yn Llundain yn Willesden, Croydon a Kensington, ac adeg ei hymddeoliad roedd wedi bod ar staff Cyngor Bwrdeistref Marylebone am 28 mlynedd, lle bu’n brif arolygydd iechyd menywod cyn gwirfoddoli am wasanaeth milwrol.

Roedd ei phrofiad nyrsio yn ystod y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf yn helaeth, gan wasanaethu yn y Fyddin Nyrsio Wrth Gefn.  Roedd hi’n un o grŵp o nyrsys aeth i Ffrainc gyda’r Fyddin Ymgyrchol Brydeinig ar 11 Awst 1914 gan wasanaethu drwy’r cilio a’r brwydro y flwyddyn gyntaf honno.  Derbyniodd Fedal y Groes Goch Frenhinol (adran filwrol dosbarth cyntaf) am ei gwasanaeth.  

Roedd erthygl yn y Tenby Observer (21 Awst 1918) yn nodi manylion ei gwasanaeth:

‘Mae Miss Nina Stokes… wedi cael ei chrybwyll mewn adroddiadau a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos ddiwethaf am wasanaeth gwerthfawr yn y rhyfel.  Mae Miss Stokes wedi cael amrywiol brofiadau yn ystod y rhyfel.  Aeth allan i Ffrainc fel chwaer nyrsio gyda’r Fyddin Ymgyrchol gyntaf fis Awst 1914, a chael Medal Mons am ei gwasanaeth.  Ar ôl blwyddyn a deng mis yn Ffrainc, gwirfoddolodd i wasanaethu yn Salonica, ac oddi yno aeth i Alexandria, a chael ei phenodi wedyn yn nyrs staff ym Mhort Said.  Wedi hynny gwasanaethodd fel metron ar long ysbyty, ac ers peth amser bellach mae hi wedi dal y swydd bwysig o fetron yn Ysbyty Milwrol Tipperary.’

Hefyd bu Nina yn chwarae ei rhan yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd fel aelod o Bwyllgor Caledi y Gyfnewidfa Llafur, yn gweithio yng Ngwasanaeth Ffreutur yr Heddlu, yn warden lloches ac yn gweithio gyda Gwasanaeth Gwirfoddol y Merched.  

Bu farw Nina Stokes ar 28 Ionawr 1963.