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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Nursing Sisters in the War.


chris.wight

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Here are two interesting on-line expositions I've come across:

The first one is about Nursing Sister Helen Lauder Fowlds, attestation papers, put up by Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Fowlds enlisted in 1914 and sailed to England in February 1915. She served in Wimereux, France at #1 Canadian Stationary Hospital; Lemnos & Salonica, Greece; then back to England where she was awarded the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) at Buckingham Palace. Finally she returned to Canada in 1919 remaining in service in Toronto until October 1920. Upon her death in 1965, her papers were left to Trent University.

There is an interesting selection of photos, a huge selection of her letters, some poetry, and her diary. This is a very well done exhibit.

It can be seen here.

The second site is by Collections Canada about Nursing Sister Laura Adelaide Gamble, link.

Gamble also was awarded the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) and was mentioned in despatches. There are an interesting collection of papers with the exhibit, and even a video clip of St. Cloud Canadian Hospital in Paris (may have been my imagination but it looked like one of the patients got a bit forward with his crutches - no doubt Matron would sort him out! :D)

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Chris, Thank You for putting this up here, I am getting so much out of these sites. As a nurse, I find it fascinating! cheers Shelley :D

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Chris,

As Shelly said i too am grateful for your posting,

It's always nice to see what the nurses did.

somethings have changed (and not for the better) but basic nursing is still the same.

Thanks again,

Mandy.

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Many thanks to Borden Battery who forwarded this website to me. My aunt, Helen Fairchild was a US Army Reserve Nurse in 1917, with the Pennsylvania Hospital Unit 10, one of the first five hospital units overseas, arriving in May, 1917. They took over British Base Hospital 16 at LeTreport, on the coast of France, in Normandy.

By June 22, in time for the start of the Third Battle of Ypres-Passchendaele, Surgical nurse Helen was at Dozinghem in Flanders, just north of Poperinghe. With a lot of help from my English and European email friends like Borden Battery, and all, I have been able to trace her entire year of 1917. She died January 18, 1918 and is buried in Somme American Military Cemetery, her second burial site. Her first burial was at Mont Huon, LeTreport.

You can read execerpts from her letters and brief story (and autopsy) that was published and picked up on a WWI archive site. The story is My Aunt, My Hero, and can be found through most search engines, google, for one.

I will be eternally grateful for the internet and the friendly, encouraging people I find, like on this website I just discovered tonight. elle

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Elle, Welcome! I did a quick google search, and sure enough, Helen is easy to find.

How dreadful that she died in such a way while helping others.

I look forward to learning more about her brief life.

cheers Shelley :)

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Thanks, Elle, I had a look at several of the sites mentioning your Aunt. Her sacrifice has not been forgotten.

There is an interesting collection of photos (one is of the certificate awarded for service as a nurse during the war) taken by a Canadian Nurse, Laura Margaret Morton, whilst on active service in Europe. The site can be found, here. For those who are not aware of this site, there are a number of collections of letters, photos, or diaries to do with the war (also of WW2) as well, link.

This site has a list of links relating to nurses in WW1 which should be of interest, link.

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Chris,

You are a Star!!

I joined this forum to find out more about my Great Grandfather, and now I find

there are so many other topics than interest me. Nurses being one of them.

Thank You!

cheers Shelley :D

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  • 4 months later...

What a brilliant discussion i have found here and cant wait to check out all the links you have all posted, a wealth of information awaits me!!!

I too come from a family of nurses. My Great Aunt Grace Lilly and her sister Frances both worked in hospitals in England during WW1. I have a collection of postcards written to them during that time, detailing the hospitals they were working at, and they did seem to move around a lot from one to another . Their brother Percy Lilly, my great uncle was killed at 21 and is buried in Gwalia Cemetery, Elverdinge, nr Poperinge. Their other brother William Lilly ( my grandfather), died from TB in 1930 in a sanitorium in the north west after the war, having contracted TB as a POW in Austria. My mother (his daughter), trained as a nurse and married my father also a nurse!!! And then I went on to do the same......It must be in the blood!!! I left the proffession a few years ago to do something else but still miss it such a lot and remain a true 'Nurse' at heart, hence my continuing intrest

Lindsey

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Hello Nelle and welcome to site. Trust you will ride again ... as some of the readers were treated to your quote while you were recovering ... Gotcha

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "... holy s**t ... what a ride!" N.R. :P

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I thought i would post these photos of my family member nurses which may be of intrest. i think they are all circa 1918-20 but am not sure. If anyone has any identifying info please do let me know. These are photos of Percy Lillys sisters, (my great uncle buried at Gwalia ) Grace Lilly (standing) and Frances Lilly (sitting) and one of Grace Lillys wards.

Lindsey

post-38-1102889819.jpg

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Heres the second one. I mistakenly thought I could post all three photos on the same reply, sorry about that. This is Grace lilly

Lindsey

post-38-1102889994.jpg

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And finally, the third one, Frances Lilly. and thanks for your patience

Lindsey

PS Aurel, if you look at this one, its one I resized myself!!! Hooray, i did it!!

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Of course, attatching the photo might help!!

post-38-1102890316.jpg

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Hi Lindsey, thanks for posting the photos. Was that common to keep the scissors in the belt (?) at the waist.

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I am not sure, but think that it may be a 'photo call' so to speak as i have seen this storage of scissors before on photos, a bit like the hankerchief dangling from the sleeve of many of the photos of the men during that time. Obviously a pretty scarry place to put hem if you were 'working'. As a former nurse, I would NEVER have put my scissors there, too much bending and lifting etc, which is why I think it is for the photo.

Lindsey

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Was that common to keep the scissors in the belt (?) at the waist.

OK if one didn't bend over... :lol:

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  • Admin

Wonderful pictures Lindsey, thanks for posting them. I'm sure all nurses, past and present on the forum will agree how difficult it must have been to work in that uniform, with corset as well.

I'm glad that my uniform isn't like that!

Regards, Michelle :blink:

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What interests me about this photo is the photo she has on the table, it looks like a soldier???

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