Eleanor Schill

Following the war Schill took up a post as the school doctor to Manchester High School for Girls, and in 1950 she is listed as the Medical Officer for Women Students in the Department of Education at the University of Manchester. In 1957 she was appointed a part time assistant psychiatrist at Withington Hospital.

Schill was a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, attending its inaugural meeting in 1939 and later becoming its vice-chairman, a post she held until 1970. She also served on the parole board of Styal Women's Prison.

Schill was educated at Bedales, her time there having a profound effect on her Christian faith. From there she attended the Victoria University of Manchester where she studied medicine, one of the earliest female doctors to be trained there. Schill graduated MBChB in 1927, gaining her Diploma in Psychological Medicine in 1937.

Dr Eleanor Beatrice Schill MBE (19 March 1904 – 26 December 2005), also known as Mrs Sykes, was one of the first female medical doctors in England. She worked extensively in deprived communities in Manchester and was appointed MBE for her services.

Eleanor Schill was born to Paul Schill and Beatrice Schill (nee Melland) in Withington Hall, one of the most prestigious houses in Manchester on 19 March 1904. Her parents were active philanthropists, donating money to a number of projects in Manchester, including new premises of the Ardwick Lad's Club in 1898. Her mother came from a famous medical family and her father from a family of merchants, partners in Schill, Seebohm & Co based in Whitworth Street in the city centre. Her father's fortune was badly hit in the economic depression of the 1930s.