Chamberlain was born in 1870 in
Edgbaston. Her parents were Florence (born Kenrick) and
Joseph Chamberlain. Her father was a leading statesman who had been married before. Her mother and namesake Florence died in childbirth in 1875 and her elder half-sister
Beatrice became her de facto parent. In 1911 she was involved in establishing a social service at
Birmingham General Hospital in the form of an
almoner, helping her elder brother
Neville, who was chair of the hospital's house committee.), which dated from the 1600s and had good transport links to London. At the new house at Christmas 1914 they began to plan new projects. Ida's initial work was to help her elder half sister Beatrice with assistance for the wounded. ==Further reading==