Condolence letters from nurses

[Sepoyjack]

A couple of years back Hollytree, Jenniblubell, DaveC and others contributed to a thread about Sister Lucie Toller. They mentioned letters that Lucie had written to the next of kin of two of her patients who had died in her care in France - one 1915 and the other in 1917. Apart from the fact that the letters are very caring and touching, I had no idea that nurses managed to fit such things into their very busy and pressured lives.

Have other members of the forum come across such letters? Were they a common occurrence, or were these the hallmarks of just one of a few  particularly caring women?

 

[hazelclark]

No idea whether this was a common occurrence but I know it happened sometimes.  I found a letter from a sister Catherine Flower to my great grandmother.  She had enclosed a lock of my great uncle’s hair and described his death in her care.

Hazel Clark

[Sepoyjack]

Thanks Hazel. It's interesting that Lucie Toller also enclosed a lock of hair in the letter that she wrote in 1918.

Richard 

[ilkley remembers]

Whilst researching the men from Ilkley who died during WW1 came across a few instances where letters from nurses were sent to the families of the casualty. They were printed in the local newspapers, Ilkley Gazette, Ilkley Free Press, and attached to the report of the man's death. Of course they all say the same sort of thing ie "your son died in his sleep"., "he suffered no pain", He was buried in a little cemetery near to the hospital". etc. Clearly, the intention was to alleviate the grief which families would suffer. 

 

I have also read similar letters written by army chaplains.

[Sepoyjack]

Thanks very much for this. Somehow I anticipated that COs and chaplains would write such letters, but that nurses might do the same thing had escaped me. I expect in some cases that some of those who died would have been treated for some time, during the course of which their nurses would have got to know them well and, in some cases, feel that they had somehow failed. Tough job.

Richard 

[Fattyowls]

Richard

 

Have a look at this thread; it's one of the most moving I've read while a member of this forum, and illustrates several of the points you make above.

 

Pete.

[healdav]

I seem to remember reading someone saying something like, "wrote a letter with the usual nonsense about eh chaplain being there, no pain and a Christian burial".

Of course, it could backfire. Remember the quote from A Town Like Alice where the solicitor tells the woman that he brother died pecefully of cholera. "Oh, it can't have been cholera than". She had, of course, been a prisoner in Burma.

[Sepoyjack]

2 hours ago, Fattyowls said:

Richard

 

Have a look at this thread; it's one of the most moving I've read while a member of this forum, and illustrates several of the points you make above.

 

Pete.

Thanks Pete

That's quite extraordinary; very poignant and very helpful. And to have brought all that together in one thread... It must have been hard to write that second letter.

I've cone across Lucy Deakin somewhere along the way while researching Lucie Toller; two quite wonderful ladies.

Richard

[Sepoyjack]

2 hours ago, healdav said:

I seem to remember reading someone saying something like, "wrote a letter with the usual nonsense about eh chaplain being there, no pain and a Christian burial".

Of course, it could backfire. Remember the quote from A Town Like Alice where the solicitor tells the woman that he brother died pecefully of cholera. "Oh, it can't have been cholera than". She had, of course, been a prisoner in Burma.

Point taken. I hadn't seen this as part of a nurse's job description. Maybe a CO's responsibility for notifying next-of-kin faded whence of his men got 'lost' as he moved further down the chain of evacuation before dying of wounds? 

[Fattyowls]

13 minutes ago, Sepoyjack said:

Thanks Pete

That's quite extraordinary; very poignant and very helpful. And to have brought all that together in one thread... It must have been hard to write that second letter.

I've cone across Lucy Deakin somewhere along the way while researching Lucie Toller; two quite wonderful ladies.

Richard

 

Glad to be of assistance Richard, I was moved by the thread back then and similarly affected when I read it back this morning. I've still not managed to visit Lucy's grave but I can just see the bit of north Wales when I walk down to the beach near Owls Towers. This is a good reminder of her.

 

Pete.

 

Just as a postscript the peaceful little cemetery among the dunes and pine trees has expanded a little since Lucy described it. An outstanding photo by John Knight (Frajohn) of this parish.

 

 

[Sepoyjack]

Thanks very much for this. Somehow I anticipated that COs and chaplains would write such letters, but that nurses might do the same thing had escaped me. I expect in some cases that some of the dead would have been treated for some time, during the course of which their nurses would have got to know them well and, in some cases, feel that they had somehow failed. tough job.

Richard 

On 19/02/2018 at 18:47, Fattyowls said:

 

Glad to be of assistance Richard, I was moved by the thread back then and similarly affected when I read it back this morning. I've still not managed to visit Lucy's grave but I can just see the bit of north Wales when I walk down to the beach near Owls Towers. This is a good reminder of her.

 

Pete.

 

Just as a postscript the peaceful little cemetery among the dunes and pine trees has expanded a little since Lucy described it. An outstanding photo by John Knight (Frajohn) of this parish.

Thanks once again Pete. I've only just been able to access the photo. Frajohn has captured something remarkable. One of these days I'll get to Etaples.

Richard

 

 

[Fattyowls]

Me too Richard, I've just found that a footballer is buried there who I will need to visit. John's photographs which he periodically posts on the forum are worth seeking out.

 

Pete,

[BillyH]

Frajohn has the ability to turn a single headstone into a work of art!

 

BillyH.

[Fattyowls]

His scrambled eggs are the cornerstone of Mrs K's nutritious breakfasts at the Silent Picket in Martinpuich* too.

 

Pete.

 

*Other Somme B&B's are available but I can't imagine that either the scrambled eggs or the photography will be better.....

[Sepoyjack]

Getting better all the time!

Richard