Endell Street Military Hospital

[Jennyford]

Sorry, should have added: the Women's Library has recently acquired the papers of Nina Last, who worked as an orderly at Endell Street, which include not only a wonderful large photo of ES staff in which you can actually identify individuals, but also a couple of long accounts she wrote in the 1950s about life at the hospital. With the papers Nina's granddaughter also donated her WHC uniform - I think it's the only example surviving.

[pauldesmondwhite]

Happy New Year, by the way!

I've just been checking the six Endell Street casualties on York/Femina.

Firstly, utterly depressingly, not a single one is on the CWGC Debt of Honour Roll - why not?

Secondly, has anyone been able to identify the death registrations? From the Sue/Jennian listings i'm proposing the following four England & Wales records (and ignoring for the moment any possibility of name changes from marriage or whatever):

Medical - Louisa Woodcock

(Jennian has b. 1865, but where?)....

Death Q1 1917 Marylebone 1a 879 "Woodcock, Louisa, age 51"

Census 1901 at 13 South Square, Grays Inn, Doctor of Medicine, age 36, born Haresfield, Glos

Birth Q2 1865 Gloucester 6a 251

Orderly - Eva Graham Prior

Birth Q3 1896 Hendon 3a 169 "Prior, Eva Graham"

Death Q1 1918 St Giles 1b 698 "Prior, Eva G, age 21"

Orderly - Joan Mary Palmes (NB not Palmer)

Birth Q2 1890 York 9d 59 "Palmes, Joan Mary G"

Death Q1 1919 St Giles 1b 877 "Palmes, Joan, age 27"

NB the above entry is a handwritten addition to the GRO index, the original Palmer entry stands.

NB York Minster has "Palmes, Joan M G" and Femina has "Palmes, Joan Mary Georgina".

Cheltenham Ladies' College (what job function?) - Gladys E Morrison

Birth Q1 1884 Wakefield 9c 51 "Morrison, Gladys Evelyn"

Death Q3 1918 St Giles 1b 494 "Morrison, Gladys E, age 34)

NB York has "Morrison, Gladys G", possibly a transcription error, need to check with curator.

NB Femina has "Morrison Gladys Evelyn".

btw, for those that may not know, St Giles is the registration district encompassing Endell Street.

Finally, two defeat me completely:

??? Pathology Assistant - Helen Wilkes (NB York/Femina agree on the spelling, not "Wilks"???)

The only death anywhere close is Q1 1919 Kensington 1a 235 "Wilks, Helen, age 18" (to be cussed).

But there is no corresponding E&W birth registration, so was she "foreign"?

And was 18 old enough to be a Path. Asst.?

??? Orderly - Mary Graham

York/Femina quote simply "Graham, Mary, RRC".

I hardly dare ask if she might be QAIMNS Sister Mary H Graham, RRC, WO 399/3253....

London Gazette 5 July 1917 Supplement p.6684 has the QAIMNS Staff Nurse as above, promoted to Sister wef 18 May.

But there is no obviously corresponding death record 1917-1920.

Any answers, Guys & Gals?

Paul

[Jennyford]

I can answer some of your questions:

Eva Prior died of Vincent’s angina, a nasty bacterial disease starting in the gums and mouth.

Gladys Morrison served three years at ES but in 1918 she developed pneumonia on top of flu and died. Joan Palmes also died of secondary pneumonia following flu.

Helen Wilks (it is in fact Wilks, not Wilkes), daughter of Dr Elizabeth Wilks, a well known doctor and suffragist, died of appendicitis. She had wanted to serve at ESMH, so was taken on as an assistant – many of the young women working in the hospital were her age. Her mother was a friend of Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson, and before the war she had refused to pay taxes as a protest over the fact that women didn’t have the vote. Being a married woman she had no status in law, and her husband was sent to prison because he was legally responsible for her.

Not sure about Mary Graham – she died in 1919 ‘away from the hospital’.

Some time after the war a plaque was erected at the Royal Free Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road to those members of the WHC who died. A photograph exists, but no one who worked at Gray’s Inn Road can actually remember the plaque, so it may have been destroyed in WWII. Unfortunately the wording is difficult to make out, especially once it is reduced.

Jennian

This is the plaque - hope you can read some of it

[Jennyford]

er having looked at it, you can't read any of the lettering. I've tried to transcribe it, but the quality of the scan I have is poor. There appear to have been two memorials placed at the small hospital for children that Murray and Anderson ran, one of which records the Endell Street deaths. When the children's hospital closed in 1922 both plaques were incorporated into a single bigger memorial and erected at the Royal Free. The text that is legible goes

The central panel reads:

“This ward is dedicated by the Women’s Hospital for Children Harrow Road

Founded by Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson formerly students of the Royal Free Hospital

With the help of friends and other medical women work continued from 1912-1922 and over half a million children received treatment

When the hospital closed through conditions due to the war part of the endowment and these memorials were transferred to the Royal Free Hospital”

In the left hand panel:

Names of seven people associated with the Women’s Hospital for Children. Difficult to read, but the first is James Skelton Anderson, husband of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.

At the bottom: “This Tablet is placed by Friends of the Women’s Hospital who endowed beds to commemorate those whom they loved”.

In the right hand panel:

“Members of the Staff of the Military Hospital Endell Street 1915-1919 who died on service” – Louisa Woodcock, Eva Prior, Gladys Morrison, Helen Wilks, Joan Palmes and Mary Graham.

At the bottom:

“The Military Hospital Endell Street … was staffed by women and commanded by Flora Murray CBE, MD, DPH … graded Lieut. Colonel RAMC”

Underneath:

“Eternal rest grant unto them and let light perpetual shine upon them.”

[Jim Strawbridge]

Paul, I am certain that the Mary Graham is not the Mary H. Graham who was with the QAIMNS. If so, then her name would have been on the York Minster panels under QAIMNS. I am not sure if you have been using the BMD website for births and deaths. If so please remember that Scotland is excluded. Helen Wilks and Mary Graham are likely to have been born in Scotland. Or in the case of Mary Graham, possibly in Ireland. I say that because the name of Nursing Sister M. Graham is shown on the Eniskillen War Memorial. However it is not known with certainty whether this is Mary Graham as it could be Marion Graham (died 17/5/18) who was in the Colonial Nursing Service or, a long shot, Muriel Mary Graham (died 6/12/18) who was a nurse at The Warren Auxiliary Hospital, Leamington Spa.

[Sue Light]

Firstly, utterly depressingly, not a single one is on the CWGC Debt of Honour Roll - why not?

They were civilians, and not working for one of the civilian organisations recognised by the CWGC, so not commemorated.

Sue

[pauldesmondwhite]

They were civilians, and not working for one of the civilian organisations recognised by the CWGC, so not commemorated.

Sue

Hmm, Sue, they were working in the Endell St Military Hospital, for goodness' sake, isn't there any justice?

[pauldesmondwhite]

Paul, I am certain that the Mary Graham is not the Mary H. Graham who was with the QAIMNS. If so, then her name would have been on the York Minster panels under QAIMNS. I am not sure if you have been using the BMD website for births and deaths. If so please remember that Scotland is excluded. Helen Wilks and Mary Graham are likely to have been born in Scotland. Or in the case of Mary Graham, possibly in Ireland. I say that because the name of Nursing Sister M. Graham is shown on the Eniskillen War Memorial. However it is not known with certainty whether this is Mary Graham as it could be Marion Graham (died 17/5/18) who was in the Colonial Nursing Service or, a long shot, Muriel Mary Graham (died 6/12/18) who was a nurse at The Warren Auxiliary Hospital, Leamington Spa.

Thanks, Jim, i'll dig into Mary Graham a bit more deeply. I wonder if Sue's RRC (ARRC) register might be of any help here?

Re. Helen Wilks, Jenny has put me on the right track and a couple of other sources (with irritating errors) have convinced me of Helen's identity. I may have the right registration in Kensington now. Let's see if a PDF uploads OK...

[pauldesmondwhite]

Thanks, Jim, i'll dig into Mary Graham a bit more deeply. I wonder if Sue's RRC (ARRC) register might be of any help here?

Re. Helen Wilks, Jenny has put me on the right track and a couple of other sources (with irritating errors) have convinced me of Helen's identity. I may have the right registration in Kensington now. Let's see if a PDF uploads OK...

Seems like PDFs don't display??? I tried a conversion to JPG but the files are too big. If anyone wants Helen Wilks' ancestry (inc Dr Liz/Elizabeth Bennett/Wilks), i can send GED or PDFs. Email me on paul AT dbnut DOT com.

[pauldesmondwhite]

Seems like PDFs don't display???

Nice ancestry diagram here for Helen Wilks (sorry about the filename mis-spelling).

http://www.herservic...kesAncestry.pdf

Concerning her mother, notice she was born and married "Lizzie". She's missing (as far as i can tell) in both 1891 and 1911 censuses.

Apparently Helen was adopted. Would be very interesting to know more (fat chance, though).

Crawford makes the mistake of saying Helen was a trained doctor herself - wonder where she got that idea?

[MaxWalker]

I have read the rules of the Great War Forum and agree to be bound by them

[MaxWalker]

I have not read of any Canadian doctors at Endell Street which may may not be too surprising given Dr. Murray's position excluding mention of overseas participants in her book.

I am looking for references to my great aunt Dr. Margaret Ellen Douglass.

m

I have not read of any Canadian doctors at Endell Street which may may not be too surprising given Dr. Murray's position excluding mention of overseas participants in her book.

I am looking for references to my great aunt Dr. Margaret Ellen Douglass.

m

[Jennyford]

The only Canadian doctor I know of at ES was Frances Evelyn Windsor, who married while at the hospital - to the great disapproval of Anderson and Murray - and became Mrs Leacock. She qualified from the University of Toronto in 1908

Jennian

[MaxWalker]

The only Canadian doctor I know of at ES was Frances Evelyn Windsor, who married while at the hospital - to the great disapproval of Anderson and Murray - and became Mrs Leacock. She qualified from the University of Toronto in 1908

Jennian

Thanks, subsequent to my previous post I found a reference in the London Gazette of Dr Douglass relinquishing her medical officer appointment from Queen Mary's AAC in Nov 1919, so I'm on my way to further digging.

m

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thanks, subsequent to my previous post I found a reference in the London Gazette of Dr Douglass relinquishing her medical officer appointment from Queen Mary's AAC in Nov 1919, so I'm on my way to further digging.

m

Now I am confused. The QMAAC had nothing to do with medicine or nursing so far as I am aware.

[pauldesmondwhite]

QMAAC had nothing to do with medicine or nursing

That Gazette reference to QMAAC..

Sub-heading: Auxiliary Section RAMC Attd.

Med. Officer M. E. Douglass, M.D., relinquishes her appt. 2nd Nov. 1919.

Was Dr Margaret Ellen Douglass the wife of Obadiah Angus??? http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30852/pages/9711 (20 Aug 1918).

[Tonym]

Now I am confused. The QMAAC had nothing to do with medicine or nursing so far as I am aware.

Jim

Remember my Dorothy Inman who I had added to the CWGC DOH Register. She is commemorated as QMAAC but never served in that Corps she died before WAAC was officially established and is commemorated on the York Minster Memorial as British Committee of the French Red Cross. It was her record, not herself, that passed through the system from W.L. to WAAC to QMAAC.

Being aware of her Father's and Husband's eminent medical backgrounds I am of the opinion that she went to France as a member of the Women's Legion in some medical capacity. I have been unable to establish what her own medical experience was but she was employed at St.Thomas' Hospital for two years until August 1915, capacity unidentified, joined British Red Cross, qualified as a BRC Trained Nurse and left in July 1916, I assume to join the Woman's Legion, as did many women of her social standing. I would suggest that Dr. Margaret Douglass followed a similar path.

Tony

[MaxWalker]

In 1914 Dr Douglass organized the Winnipeg Women's Volunteer Reserve. and led that group overseas

She is said to have served in England and France and was awarded the Allies Medal and the British War Medal.

No she was not married to Obadiah, She was born in 1878, died in 1950 and never married.

M

[Jim Strawbridge]

That Gazette reference to QMAAC..

Sub-heading: Auxiliary Section RAMC Attd.

Med. Officer M. E. Douglass, M.D., relinquishes her appt. 2nd Nov. 1919.

Was Dr Margaret Ellen Douglass the wife of Obadiah Angus??? http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30852/pages/9711 (20 Aug 1918).

She was attached to the Royal Army Medical Corps but was likely to be assisting in clerical work (possibly driving) only. There are other instances where QMAAC members were attached to the Army Service Corps under similar circumstances. It helped relieve men for the front and women were well able to do the work.

[MaxWalker]

I am excited now, I just located online a book recently published by the University of Manitoba.

Winnipegs Great War: A City Comes of Age

by Jim Blanchard

There is a group photo at Kinalmeaky Farms, Headingley, Manitoba, Oct 16, 1915 with Dr Ellen Douglass at the fore.

http://uofmpress.ca/...ipegs-great-war

M

[Jennyford]

Lovely picture - thanks for the link. Glad you found her.

[24463988]

_{Would any of you folks happen to know when Queen Alexandra, the Princess Royal and Princess Alice paid a visit to the hospital? I've looked on line - but cannot find a refernce. I am just checking before I start wading through court circulars. I know it was in 1915 - more likely towards the end of the year. Just wondering if anyone knows exactly. I know Queen Alexandra visited more than once if I am certain.}

_Cheers,

_Mark

[Jennyford]

Here are a few to start you off, but not 1915, and I'm sure there were others.

British Journal of Nursing, vol 56 1 Jan 1916, p11: ‘On Tuesday Her Majesty was present at the Pageant of Saints, arranged by the Women’s Hospital Corps, which passed through the wards, bearing the names of Saints, at the large military hospital, in charge of medical women, in Endell Street, WC, where the Royal party was received by Dr Flora Murray and Dr Louisa Garrett Anderson.’

British Journal of Nursing, 5 Aug 1916, p113: ‘Queen Alexandra, attended by the Hon Charlotte Knollys, visited the sick and wounded soldiers at the Military Hospital, Endell Street, last Saturday afternoon.’

Nursing Mirror, 26 Aug 1916, p369: ‘Queen Alexandra Pays Another Visit to Endell Street Hospital. Queen Alexandra’s visit to the Military Hospital, Endell Street, on August 15 was wholly unexpected…’ (followed by a description of the visit)

Times, 20 Jan 1917, p9: ‘Miracle Play for the Wounded. Queen Alexandra and the Princess Royal yesterday visited the Military Hospital Endell-street, WC …’

I'd be interested in any more you find

Jennian

[24463988]

Thanks Jenny. The British Journal of Nursing has proved useful. I did find a previous reference for January 1915 but it doesn't mention the princesses. The reason is I am scanning a negative archive from the Daily Sketch and Daily Graphic newspapers and have one negative, Sadly the day books up to 1917 are lost and the index cards that survive never included dates (!). This is all for captioning purposes. I can guess approximate dates based on negative numbers and I am assuming the latter months of 1915, but I have worked out that many numbers from this period were added retrospectively when the negs were split up when the papers changed hands at the end of the Great War. It's a sideline on the main part of my day job.

[royalredcross]

Sister Pearson was Eleanor. Trained Lambeth Infirmary 1906-9. Served with the WHC in Paris and Wimereux and for a couple of months at Endell Street. Applied to QAIMNS Reserve and posted Barrington Hospital at Shrewsbury. Top France again and No. 6 gen. Hospital Rouen in Sept. 1918.