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Papers of Louie Cowie (1901-1995)

 Fonds
Identifier: CSWC 27

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of: circular letters from Cowie describing her work and the mission in Yemen and some holidays taken in retirement (1933-1969); a medal given to Cowie for her services in Yemen; a Church of Scotland pamphlet on the mission (1964); Cowie's New Testament in Arabic; and a set of slides of scenes and mission work in Yemen.

Dates

  • Creation: 1933-1969

Language of Materials

English Arabic

Conditions Governing Access

File CSWC 27/1/1 - Correspondence is only available to users on signing a data protection form.

Conditions Governing Use

Contact the repository for details.

Biographical / Historical

Louie J. F. Cowie, Church of Scotland missionary in Yemen and South Arabia, came from Aberdeen. She went to Aden as a missionary nurse in 1933 after first spending time in Jerusalem studying Arabic. In Aden she was based in Sheikh Othman working in the mission's hospital until 1937 when she went to San'a the capital of Yemen. There she joined a small group working in the medical department of the Iman and stayed there for six years, with breaks for furlough and enforced leave after contracting typhus in 1942. In late 1943 the mission withdrew from San'a and Cowie returned to Aden and the work in the hospital and rural dispensaries. She was also involved in a training programme to teach young men how to set up and run dispensaries in their own areas. In early 1951 Cowie spent some time in Beihan then in 1952 moved there to set up a permanent clinic. She remained there for three years before returning to Sheikh Othman in 1955 to take charge of the hospital. She was in Aden for the birth of the Arab Church of South Arabia in 1961 and was also awarded an MBE. She finally retired and returned to Scotland in 1965.

Extent

3 boxes

Arrangement

The items are arranged as above. The letters are in chronological order and the slides in number order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The material was presented to the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World in the late 1990s by Gladys Farquhar.

Accruals

None expected.

Related Materials

The archives of the foreign missions of the Church of Scotland are held by the National Library of Scotland.

General

The biographical history was compiled using the collection itself.

Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

Contact:
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379