ROSE Lilian (Lil) Clifton, one of the stalwarts of the St John Ambulance movement in the Fens, died at her home, 12 Chapel Gardens, Benwick. She was 85. Born Rose Lilian Pettitt at Ramsey Mereside in 1920, the family moved to White House Farm, Benwick in

ROSE Lilian (Lil) Clifton, one of the stalwarts of the St John Ambulance movement in the Fens, died at her home, 12 Chapel Gardens, Benwick. She was 85.Born Rose Lilian Pettitt at Ramsey Mereside in 1920, the family moved to White House Farm, Benwick in 1923. In 1945 Lil married Bernard (Bunny) Clifton and they lived at 1 Doddington Road, and moved to Chapel Gardens in 1985.Lil was prominent in Benwick's community events. She was involved with the Women's Institute, Mothers Union, Friends of Doddington Hospital and eventually the Over Sixties. She was WI president for many years.She taught first aid for St John Ambulance to children in the village and trained more than 120 girls in first aid and home nursing. In some families up to three generations were trained. And 14 St HJohn cadets from the village entered the nursing profession to become qualified as state registered or state enrolled nurses.During her 44 years teaching with St John, she was invited, as Divisional Superintendent, to St Johns Chapel, London, on two occasions - in May 1969 to receive her Serving Sister award, and in November 1982 to receive acknowledgement as an Officer Sister, the highest award from the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem.With no resident doctor in the village Lil would be called upon for illness, injury, births and deaths. In 1958 she resuscitated Robert Stevenson after had fallen into the river, for which she received the Humane Resuscitation Certificate.Her husband died in 1989 and, 10 years later, after falling and fracturing her leg, she was left her with very little mobility and practically housebound.The funeral service took place at St Mary's Church, Doddington, followed by private committal at Benwick cemetery.