A personal crusade

Why did Maria want to spread the word about PDSA?

Although PDSA had its roots in London, Maria Dickin was a visionary and she strove to establish dispensaries wherever she could:

'I must have dispensaries throughout the whole of East of London ... no, throughout the whole of London, then I became very bold - why not - throughout England - then the British Isles, the British Empire?'

In 1921 she converted a gypsy caravan into a horse-drawn clinic and, accompanied by a veterinary surgeon, travelled the length and breadth of Britain treating animals and setting up clinics along the way. By 1923 there were 16 PDSA dispensaries and Maria had designed a motor caravan dispensary. She had also opened her first dispensary overseas in Tangiers.

But Maria was not happy to stop there. The PDSA Sanatorium in Ilford opened in 1928 and not only was it Maria's brainchild it was the first of its kind in Europe. It was built specifically for the large-scale treatment of sick and injured animals and as a training school for PDSA technical staff.

Where did Maria take PDSA abroad?

By 1935 Maria had established five PDSA hospitals, 71 dispensaries and 11 motor caravan dispensaries. She had also opened dispensaries in Egypt and Greece. In the next couple of years, dispensaries were also opened in South Africa and Palestine.