After a couple of weekend's work, I've now added quite a few new pages to the Scarletfinders website - a whole range of accounts of the Nursing Services written in July 1919 by the Matron-in-Chief with the British Expeditionary Force, Maud McCarthy. They are all unpublished documents held at The National Archives, and as Crown Copyright items can be freely reproduced as long as their source is acknowledged. I'm still contemplating the best way to deal with the Matron-in-Chief's official war diary, as its size makes it a massive beast to get under control. I shall probably put a small extract up soon as a trial, and to see if it helps clear my brain about how to proceed.
To see the new content, go to the Scarletfinders site, and follow the links for 'Great War Accounts'.
Scarletfinders
Friday, 7 September 2007
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Me again! Just had a weekend at RAF Innsworth. I managed to get Andy Robertshaw to come and give us a lecture on the Casevac chain on the Western Front. What he doesn't know about WW1 medical units is just not worth mentioning! And he brought along a large portion of his "collection". Wonderful presentation. I've just read the blog on CCSs again and now I understand as Andy was talking about them, saying that at first, they were called field hospitals until the men admitted to them kept thinking that's where they were going to stay! THe archives from the Great War are fascinating. I'm just off to read them! Elaine (243 (Wx) Fld Hosp)
ReplyDeleteHallo Elaine - sounds hopeful if Andy Robertshaw tends to agree with me :>)
ReplyDeleteI've just got back from a trip to France - we were in the Etaples/Camiers area walking the sites of the WW1 hospitals there, so will put more details on when I get through the unpacking and washing!
Oh! I'm so happy to have found this blog! I"m trying to start a British Nurse's group to do WWI impressions here in the states. I was directed to the The international European WW1 living history forum by someone on the Trenchline Forum within the GWA, and then to this blog. I've spent a lot of time searching online for information on what they wore, what the various nursing groups were, what their personal items would have been, etc. There is a group of German Red Cross nurses, and a group of Salvation Army Volunteers, who make donuts at the events, using an original recipe, but neither of them really catches my fancy -- not that there is anything wrong with either -- I simply have a great affinity for things British/UK, which is my ancestry AND I know a group of men from my 18th century reenacting who have started a Black Watch unit in the GWA. Anyway, here I am, and I will be visiting as often as I can. Asking questions, being a pain.... But THANKS FOR BEING HERE!
ReplyDeleteDear Sue - I'm looking for more information about my Great Aunt HELEN COTTAM. When the war broke out in 1914 she served as matron of a military hospital. In 1916 she was awarded a medal by King George at Buckingham Palace. She retired to Stafford and passed away in Surrey. She had given her medal to Leeds Infirmary in the hope of encouraging future nurses.
ReplyDeleteYour input will be appreciated.
Maralyn Killorn, San Jose, CA