Born in Waimangaroa, West Coast, New Zealand
Ancestors 
Daughter of John Morley Berry
and Bertha Louisa (Harford) Berry
Sister of
Doris Eva Jane (Berry) Mills and Bertha Helen (Berry) Hammond
Wife of
Harold Jowett
— married
2 Aug 1917 in Apia, Samoa
[children unknown]
Died
at age 89
in Patea, Taranaki, New Zealand
Profile last modified
| Created 14 Jan 2018
This page has been accessed 1,130 times.
Biography
Vida (Berry) Jowett OBE is Notable.
Vida was born in 1893 at Waimangaroa, near Denniston. She was the daughter of John Berry, a miner, and Bertha Harford.[1]
Vida attended Nelson College for Girls. In 1917, she married Harold Jowett at Apia, Samoa.[2] Vida and Harold had one child in Samoa and returned to New Zealand in 1919 and settled in Wellington. Following the birth of a second child, Vida became heavily involved in Plunket (Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children).
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Vida helped establish the Women’s War Service Auxiliary which recruited women to work in military camps throughout New Zealand as clerks, cooks and waitresses. In July 1942, she was asked to set up the New Zealand Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, whose members served as drivers, radio operators and signallers, as well as in welfare and clerical sections. Vida was appointed chief commander and in 1944 was awarded the OBE.[3] For the rest of her life she continued to support women who had served in the army both during and after the war. Women in the New Zealand Army now serve in the same capacity as men.
She passed away in 1982[4] and is buried in Plot 57 of the RSA Section of the Patea Cemetery, South Taranaki.[5]
Sources
- Elizabeth Cox. 'Jowett, Vida Eliza', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5j8/jowett-vida-eliza (accessed 10 November 2020)
- ↑ "Births, Deaths & Marriages Online", (digital index), New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Birth record 1893/4313 Berry Vida Eliza Parents - Bertha Louisa and John Mosely
- ↑ WEDDING AT SAMOA., Sun, Volume IV, Issue 1120, 13 September 1917
- ↑ WOMEN HONOURED, Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 134, 8 June 1944
- ↑ "Births, Deaths & Marriages Online", (digital index), New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Death record 1982/39607 Jowett Vida Eliza DOB: 8 February 1893
- ↑ South Taranaki District Council - Cemetery Register
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Vida:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Vida:
-
~1.56%
Kevin (Killick) Chapman
:
MyHeritage DNA, GEDmatch ZQ1674710 [compare]
-
~0.78%
Andrew Chapman :
23andMe
+
AncestryDNA, GEDmatch A798012 [compare], Ancestry member stretchedandy23
+
Family Tree DNA Family Finder
+
MyHeritage DNA
-
~0.78%
~3.12%
Maree Fowler :
AncestryDNA, yourDNAportal MAR40491dff, Ancestry member mkf2
-
~0.78%
~1.56%
Barb Smith :
AncestryDNA
Images: 1
Rejected matches › Eliza J Berry (abt.1894-)
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B > Berry | J > Jowett > Vida Eliza (Berry) Jowett OBE
Categories: Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, New Zealand Army, World War II | Featured Connections Archive 2020 | New Zealand, Notables | Notables
Common ancestors would be my 3rd great parents James and Ann Harford.
We plan on featuring Vida in the Connection Finder alongside Julia Stimson, the Example Profile, on November 11th. Between now and then is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can. A Team member will check on the profile Tuesday and make changes as necessary.
Thanks! Abby