Mobilization date of VAD/Nursing Staff

[monkstown]

A 2nd Western General Hospital, Manchester booklet gives date of mobilization of VAD as 25th August 1915. What does this mean in practice - that the VAD travelled from Dublin to Manchester that day with others or that she commenced work on that date?

Thank you

[alf mcm]

Monkstown,

 You can search the Red Cross record cards for your VAD. The card may give a date for commencement of service.    Search | WW1 Volunteers (redcross.org.uk)

Regards,

Alf McM

[monkstown]

Thanks Alf - yes the Red Cross card gives 25th Aug too but I wondered if the term 'mobilization' actually suggested travelling with a group?

[KizmeRD]

As I understand it VAD detachments were mobilised for specific purposes - but not individuals (i.e. VAD members were civilians and weren’t under any compulsion to serve).

Nevertheless, at the outbreak of the First World War, large numbers of existing VAD members did offer their services willingly and enthusiastically in support of medical relief work (largely confined to the home front in 1914). Many gave their time as circumstances permitted. Some were mothers with young children who could only offer a few hours VAD work a week locally (packing bandages or bed linen and such like), others were single women of independent means who could go anywhere and work in whatever capacity was required of them on a full-time basis, yet others were men juggling VAD ambulance work alongside their day jobs.

MB

 

 

[monkstown]

Thank you - so 'mobilized' in this case probably just means 'commenced work'. 

[Saratan]

The Red cross VAD cards with their transcribed summaries are very helpful in determining when a nurse attended a hospital. I’ve recently been looking at Francombe hospital in Broadway and have some questions.Entries in:  ‘at Engagement’, ‘Department’ & ‘Commision’ all have "T.N" or “T.N.Dept.”. What do the initials stand for? (eg. Charlotte E.W McNair)Some cards give both dates served and hours worked, but I am not sure if I have interpreted them correctly.

For example:Dorothy Staniforth gives six sets of inclusive dates (whole time). My count is 245 days. However, the card also has: ‘Whether whole or part time, and if latter No. of hours served’ given as 1576 hours. This works out at about 6.5 hrs per day.

Honora Sanford gives seven sets of inclusive dates (whole time). My count is 128 days. However, the card also has: ‘Whether whole or part time, and if latter No. of hours served’ given as 720 hours. This works out at about 5.5 hrs per day.

Using the period (end 1917 to start 1919) in which two local ladies worked there (Anne & Edith Cotterell) I have plotted the times the nurses were at the hospital. I am sure that the records are incomplete as while the Commandant, Julia Walsh was there all the time, there were periods when it appears there was only one other nurse on duty and other times when there could be as many as six.

Organising the nursing rota with the volunteer ladies must have been a very difficult administrative job for the commandant. Are there any written accounts of this by ex-commandants? 

[alf mcm]

'T.N.' stands for Trained Nurse i.e. a fully trained Hospital Nurse. Every Voluntary Aid Detachment was supposed to have a trained nurse, to supervise the VAD's training. You can follow Charlotte McNair's career after the great war using this record set on Ancestry;-  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60423/?name=CHARLOTTE_MCNAIR&count=50&location=3257.3250&name_x=1_1&pcat=dir_society&priority=united-kingdom&qh=cf7689cf01e819a98477f60b636caa6e

VAD's were not Nurses, although some women refer to themselves as such in their record cards. They were officially Nursing Members if the had completed some first aid and nursing training. They were generally referred to as VAD's. If 'T.N.' does not appear on a 'nurse' record card, then that person is most likely a Nursing Member  or Nursing VAD.

The Trained Nurse Department of the British Red Cross Headquarters administered the trained nurses.

'Commission' generally refers to the County where a Trained Nurse joined the British Red Cross.

Regards,

Alf McM

Edited 8 March by alf mcm