South Yorkshire Times January 11, 1947

OBE in  New Years Honours

Awarded the OBE in the New Years Honours was Dr Patrick William Robinson Petrie, elder brother of Dr GB Petrie, “Tara Dean,” Adwick Road, Mexborough.

Now studying for higher medical degrees at Edinburgh University, Dr Petrie was for many years the only British doctor in the Yemen, in Arabia.

Son of a Scottish Presbyterian minister, Rev James Petra, Dr Petrie went out to Arabia some 20 years ago under the foreign missions service of the Church of Scotland. He was the conduct of the Colonial Service during the war.

Interesting link with his early work in Arabia is Dr Assara, his first convert to Christianity, who in turn came to Edinburgh, stayed with Dr Petrie’s parents, studied medicine, graduated at Edinburgh University, and became Arabia’s first Arab Doctor.

For three months before the war he assisted Dr GB Petra in Mexborough. Dr GB Petra was himself in the forces for five years during the war.

He returned to practice with Dr McNamara a year ago. The partnership has now been dissolved, Dr McNamara having been moved to Salford. The practice had been carried on by Dr Petrie.