organising and secretarial work for the National Union of Trained
Nurses. She was then asked to accept the post of Matron at the Hôpital
de l’Océan at La Panne in Belgium, where she is still on duty. This
hospital has over 1000 beds occupied by patients of Belgian, French,
English, German, and even Russian nationality. It is established five
miles from the front, so the work is far more acute than is usual in a
base hospital, the severest cases being dealt with straight from the
trenches.
Miss Thurstan presides over a staff of Belgian and English sisters and
V.A.Ds. under Belgian doctors.
Such, then, has been Miss Thurstan’s war service--as fine a record of
achievement in the cause of suffering humanity as any woman can show.
Not the least wonderful fact about her is that Miss Thurstan is very
frail, and has always been delicate. Only her spirit and pluck have
carried her through and enabled her to do the hardest work under the
roughest of conditions.
Writing of her, a friend says: “There is no doubt that Violetta
Thurstan is a woman with a touch of genius and with, as well, a great
devotion to work--not an every-day combination. She has determination
and courage in an unusual degree, and is gifted with imagination and a
deep sense of beauty--nevertheless, she can drudge.” Miss Thurstan was
recently decorated by the King, in recognition of her devoted services.
XVII
H.R.H. PRINCESS BEATRICE, THE HON. LADY LAWLEY. G.B.E., AND THE
COUNTESS OF GOSFORD
Women’s share has indeed been magnificent in the work of equipping
the hospitals with bandages, garments, stores, and comforts of all
descriptions. In the first week of war it is no exaggeration to say
that there was hardly a woman in the kingdom who was not making
something for the sick and wounded. But organisation stepped in at once
to direct and systematise their efforts, and the main work has been
carried on under the auspices of Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild, and the
Joint Societies of the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John.
Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild was inaugurated the day after war was
declared, and, in response to an appeal by Her Majesty the Queen to
the women of England, consignments of garments and comforts soon began
to flow in. The headquarters of the Guild were established at Friary
Court, St. James’s Palace, under the direction of the Hon. Lady Lawley,
who has acted as honorary organising secretary throughout. In the rooms
of the old Palace, which formerly glittered with all the splendour of
the King’s State levées, mountains of garments and hospital necessaries
were soon piled up. The organisation has developed until now it
stretches round the world, and the stream of supplies has continued
with an ever-increasing volume. In the United Kingdom 470 branches have
been formed since the work of the Guild was initiated. From overseas
the response to Her Majesty’s appeal has been even more remarkable.
Seventy branches and many sub-branches have been established even
in the remotest corners of the earth, and the work which they have
done, and the number of garments which they have sent in to Friary
Court, have been no less even than the vast quantities which have been
supplied by the workers in the United Kingdom. The number of garments
received at headquarters is now approaching five and a half millions,
of which over five and a quarter millions have been despatched. A
record was established when, in one specially busy week, a quarter of
a million garments were sent off. These figures do not include the
enormous consignments received at and despatched from many of the
branches working on independent lines.
Hospitals at home and abroad, convalescent homes, British military
and medical units in Europe, Africa, and Mesopotamia, the Navy, the
Allied forces, the Belgian refugees, the Prisoners of War, are some of
the recipients of gifts from this great distributing centre at Friary
Court, for the sympathies of the Guild are as catholic as its friends
and supporters are widespread.
Daily reports of the work are submitted to Her Majesty the Queen, who
has thus kept in close touch with all the details of the organisation.
Lady Lawley and a large staff of voluntary workers have laboured
unsparingly throughout, and are responsible in a great measure for
the ready help which has been granted on so many sides. The following
extract from a letter from a high authority in France is a typical
tribute: “In this past fortnight the demand has been unprecedented, and
I have been able to meet every requirement. I can never be grateful
enough to the Guild.... I don’t think any of us can ever thank the work
parties half enough for their very useful help.”
The largest surgical branch of Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild is at the
Central War Hospital Supply Depôt, where truly inspiring work is being
done in the making of hospital requirements. The depôt was founded in
April, 1915, by Miss Ethel M’Caul, R.R.C., who originated and developed
the system of work. When at the end of that year Miss M’Caul resigned,
H.R.H. Princess Beatrice graciously undertook to carry on the work of
the depôt, and appointed Mrs. E. H. Gibson as her general manager.
The workers attached to this depôt number 3500, and their service is
entirely voluntary. There is no obligation to work for any stated
time, but each worker is free to come for as long and as often as
possible. Though the majority are part-time workers, there is a
nucleus of “steady plodders” who come all day and every day. With
woman’s infallible instinct of dressing for her part, an optional
but universally adopted uniform is worn in the depôt--a white linen
overall and a flowing white coif, which give the workrooms a charming
and picturesque aspect. Each worker pays a subscription of 1s. a week,
which, besides covering the house expenses of the depôt, makes a
considerable contribution towards the cost of materials and packing.
Apart from this maintenance fund, money for the work has been entirely
provided by voluntary gifts.
[Illustration:
THE STERILIZING ROOM AT THE CENTRAL WAR HOSPITAL SUPPLY DEPÔT
_To face page 94_ ]
This Central Depôt has been the parent of a great organisation,
which has spread throughout the country till now 220 branches have
been established in the United Kingdom. Thus the work has grown and
extended till there is hardly a town of importance where the host
of women who have too many home ties to give themselves entirely to
war work may yet devote whatever time they can to making hospital
requisites under skilled instruction. The Central Depôt issues patterns
to its branches, and only work up to a high standard is passed for
the hospitals. Marvels of ingenuity have been evolved in the way of
bandages; the modern bandage is constructed with a view to making
dressings as easy and painless as possible, and it can be put on with
the minimum of movement for the patient. Sterilisation of dressings
is a great feature, and all sterilised goods are carefully packed in
paper, afterwards hermetically sealed in waterproof cases actually in
the sterilising room, thus rendering them ready for immediate use on
being unpacked. Visitors cannot help being struck by the professional
aspect of the work, whether they are looking at the complicated and
beautifully sewn bandages, the well-made garments, or the perfectly
packed parcels. Though the workers are volunteers, there is none of
that amateur aspect which is apt to be associated with voluntary work.
Altogether many hundred hospitals have been supplied, most of which are
in receipt of regular consignments. The branch depôts are encouraged
to send their products to local hospitals, but they also forward a
certain amount to the Central Depôt. The output from this depôt last
year reached over three million articles, such as bandages, surgical
dressings, splints, clothing, and slippers.
Such a successful and invaluable organisation is one of which all the
women concerned may be justly proud. The practical assistance of H.R.H.
Princess Beatrice, which entails her almost daily presence at the
depôt, and actual work in the bandage department, has added greatly to
the satisfactory results. The general manager has given silent proof
of her own capacity in the achievements of the entire organisation;
such work can only be carried on if it is managed with infinite tact,
foresight, and energy.
At Mulberry Walk, Chelsea, another depôt is doing particularly helpful
work. The special feature of this branch is the department for light
splints and supports, made in papier-mâché, to fit exactly the casts
of individual patients’ limbs, taken by the workers. Some of these
women are sculptresses, whose experience in their own profession has
accustomed them to the handling of plaster for the casts and the
subsequent modelling of the splints. The lightness and perfect fit of
these splints make them of the greatest comfort to the wearers, and
their beneficial effect has been remarkable.
Under the Joint Societies of the British Red Cross and the Order of
St. John another great organisation has been established which has its
headquarters at the Central Workrooms at Burlington House, where work
is carried on under the presidency of the Countess of Gosford. The
organisation is divided into four main branches, which include the work
carried on actually at the Central Workrooms, the work of the branch
depôts and working parties, the home workers, and the department for
supplying patterns.
At the Central Workrooms nearly a thousand voluntary workers have been
enrolled, who have produced a total of over 350,000 articles, which
include a large proportion of bandages, besides hospital garments. In
addition to this, a large number of garments and bandages have been
made and supplied as patterns to the working parties; the pattern
department has also issued thousands of paper patterns, books, and
directions.
Asked to register at the Central Workrooms, and so to form a part of
this great national organisation, these working parties, which number
over 2000, have established a truly wonderful record. It is impossible
to give even an approximate idea of the total of the vast supplies of
hospital necessaries which they have produced, but recent returns from
only 975 of the working parties over a period of about eighteen months
show the astonishing output of nearly five and a half millions of
articles for hospital use. Such figures show that women of the country,
to whom more conspicuous service has been denied, have indeed achieved
miracles of devoted industry. In recognition of their work, the Central
Workrooms issues special certificates, and also distributes Government
badges, on application by the responsible heads, to members of these
working parties who have produced a specified output, and there are
to-day close on 40,000 workers who may be justified in showing with
pride these tributes of recognition. The scope of these registered
working parties is world-wide, and stretches from Portugal to the West
Indies, from Sierra Leone to California, from New Zealand to Panama.
Other contributors to the supplies of the Central Workrooms are
the registered home workers, who have produced a great output of
needlework, besides innumerable contributions for hospital use of
games, books, stationery, musical instruments, etc. Lady Gosford is
controlling a department of which she and her helpers may well feel
proud, and it is largely owing to the fine stimulus from headquarters
that the total records have been so satisfactory.
In a great department in the British Red Cross Society’s buildings,
weekly deliveries of all the work made and collected by the Central
Workrooms are received, together with countless other gifts of hospital
comforts from all over the world. Here the miscellaneous collection
is sorted and despatched according to the requests from the hospitals
by a voluntary staff who have been working under Lady Sophie Scott
for nearly three years. The goods are packed and sent not only to the
hospitals in Britain and in France, but to all the remoter theatres of
war--Malta, Egypt, Salonika, Mesopotamia, Palestine. Besides sending to
British hospitals, large gifts have been made to the sick and wounded
of the Allies.
At a similar depôt for the receiving and despatch of hospital equipment
and comforts, another devoted group of workers under Lady Jekyll has
worked at this labour of love since the earliest days of the war, near
the ancient buildings of St. John’s Gate. Here the St. John workers
of the country send their contributions, and goods of all sorts are
despatched to hospitals at home and abroad. The neat shelves and
cupboards contain everything that the sick soldiers may want, from
warm bed-jackets and sleeping-suits to tooth-brushes and soap, while
extras such as writing materials and games are frequently among the
gifts. The Red Cross and St. John Depôts each supply a separate group
of hospitals, and it is indeed a proud achievement that they have been
able throughout the war to keep pace with requirements on such an
enormous scale.
If the complete history ever comes to be written of the work of women
with their needles during the war, it will reveal an astounding record
of patient, loyal, skilful achievement, and an output of which the
figures can only be described as phenomenal.
XVIII
MISS EDITH HOLDEN, R.R.C.
“I wonder if patients entering the receiving-hall of this hospital
realise how much they owe to the Lady of the Lamp, whose statue
has been lent us for the war?” Colonel Bruce Porter, in command of
the Third London General Hospital, Territorial Forces, wrote the
above recently in an appreciation of Florence Nightingale and the
great sisterhood of nurses which she founded. From the original 125
nurses--the total under her control by the end of the Crimean War--has
sprung the wonderful organisation which is nobly carrying on the
noblest of all woman’s work.
[Illustration:
MISS EDITH HOLDEN, R.R.C.
_Vandyk_
_To face page 98_ ]
To see one of our great military hospitals to-day is indeed an
inspiring sight. To walk through the bright, airy wards, to glance
into the spotless theatres, to watch the preparation of appetising
meals in the big kitchens, and to examine some of the modern scientific
developments, induce a sense of deep interest, in which emotions of
pity and sympathy are overwhelmed in the predominant atmosphere of
thankfulness and hope. But it is not till a visitor has been privileged
to enter Matron’s office and to be shown, in the beautifully kept
ledgers, the system of organisation, that a true understanding can be
reached of how it is that the work of this great hospital seems to run
so smoothly, and with none of the restlessness and bustle which are
associated with undertakings on a large scale.
Miss Edith Holden has been Matron of the Third London General Hospital
since August, 1914. One of the biggest military hospitals in the
country, it contains over 2000 beds, of which 550 are for officers. It
is certainly the largest collection of beds controlled by one matron,
for in other of the larger military hospitals the patients are in
different buildings, each containing several hundred beds, and having
its own matron, though all under one commanding officer. The original
building was the Royal Victoria Patriotic School for Soldiers’ Orphans,
but as the hospital has increased a town of wooden huts has sprung up
around the central stone edifice. Miss Holden had had considerable
hospital experience in peace time, having been matron at the Richmond
Hospital, Dublin, and assistant matron at Chelsea Infirmary. To her
skill and power of organisation much of the success of the hospital is
due. She presides over a staff of women numbering 520, which includes
fully trained nurses, V.A.D. probationers, women orderlies, clerks,
cooks, and scrubbers; and if she had no other duties, the control of
this department alone would be a fair day’s work. The standard of
nursing expected at the base hospitals in England is considerably
higher than abroad, where the patient often feels he is merely resting
on his way home. “Bed-sores are not always avoidable abroad,” writes
a well-known Army doctor, “but they must never occur in a hospital in
England.” The shortage of trained nurses makes the maintenance of this
high standard no easy matter. “We have only two-fifths of the number
of trained nurses laid down in the establishment as authorised by the
War Office Schedule before the war,” Miss Holden stated recently, and
even this nucleus is liable to be drawn upon for foreign service. This
involves considerable strain on the Matron and her assistants.
There remains as supplementary staff the great band of untrained V.A.D.
workers, from amongst whom the more experienced probationers are
constantly transferred abroad. Miss Holden was one of the first matrons
to welcome V.A.D. helpers at the beginning of the war, and the care
which she has bestowed on rendering them efficient and skilful nurses
has been one of the most helpful factors in the smooth working of the
hospital.
Another of Miss Holden’s multifarious duties is the responsibility of
catering for the officer patients and the women’s staff. The management
of this branch of the work demands brains as well as imagination. While
the soldiers must receive the dainty diet which sick men need, food
supplies must be closely watched, wastage avoided, and expenditure
controlled. The happy and human atmosphere of the hospital speaks
volumes for the personality of those in authority. Every aspect gives
evidence of deep thought, sympathy, and understanding for the welfare
of the sick soldiers. The spirit of progress is felt on all sides.
To give only one instance: several of the masseurs in attendance are
soldiers blinded in the war, who have been trained for this work,
“and,” says the commanding officer, “after the war no one must employ
any other masseurs but blind soldiers.” A wonderful new branch of work
is the facial department. Lieut. Derwent-Wood by the use of metal
plates has achieved miracles of restoration for those most unhappy of
all maimed soldiers who suffer from apparently hopeless disfiguring
facial wounds. He uses his skill as a sculptor to model these masks for
cases in which surgery cannot restore the missing part.
Yet a further and very human branch of the Matron’s special, though
unofficial, activities is the care of the relatives who are sent
for by the medical officers to see the dangerously ill cases. These
unfortunate people arrive, many from remote parts of the country, never
having been in London before; and the Matron has made it her duty to
find accommodation near the hospital to which they can be sent.
The story of the Matron’s day is an endless chronicle: ceaseless care
for the critical cases under her charge, a hundred daily problems to be
solved in organisation of personnel, stores, equipment, not forgetting
entertainments, which form a great feature. Besides coping with the
daily round, she must always maintain an open mind for fresh ideas and
arrangements and new experiments in nursing. Above all, she must keep
the serenity, rapidity of decision, firmness, and sense of humour which
are essential in her responsible office. Miss Holden manages to combine
these qualities--she is a woman who must be obeyed without question,
but who may yet be approached by the humblest worker in the hospital
with the certainty of finding sympathy and justice.
Work in a base hospital is perhaps the most unselfish of all hospital
work to-day. There is none of the excitement and constant change of
the work nearer to the front; day by day the routine of the wards
goes on, unceasing in its calls on body and mind, unending in its
responsibility, demanding and receiving in its fulfilment the best
that women know how to give.
Colonel Bruce Porter paid his women workers a well-earned compliment
when he reported recently: “Since the early days of the war the
standard of nursing and care of the wards has been maintained by means
of the loyalty of the reduced staff to their chiefs, and the whole
of the women here have been and are magnificent. To keep this big
crowd of women workers at their best could only be done by a woman of
exceptional ability, and I am fortunate in having that type of woman as
my matron.”
[Illustration:
MRS. GASKELL, C.B.E.
_To face page 103_ ]
XIX
MRS. GASKELL, C.B.E., AND THE HON. MRS. ANSTRUTHER
The supply of literature to our soldiers has been an undertaking of
gigantic proportions. It was a woman who in the first few days of war
had the insight and imagination to realise the part that books would
play in the soldiers’ lives, and the organisations for their supply
which have grown up to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand have
been carried on almost entirely by women workers. The collection and
distribution of books to the troops is now undertaken mainly by four
organisations. The Camps Library works under the War Office to supply
the troops quartered both at home and in every theatre of war abroad.
The War Library of the Joint Societies of the British Red Cross and the
Order of St. John supplies the sick and wounded soldiers in hospitals,
hospital trains, and hospital ships. The Chamber of Commerce supplies
the Grand Fleet, and the British and Foreign Sailors’ Society sends to
the merchant ships and smaller ships.
The need for books in hospitals speaks for itself, while for our
fighting men reading is often the only form of recreation. In the
various theatres of war abroad they are entirely dependent for reading
matter on what may be sent to them from home. The need for light
literature and fiction is endless, to turn their thoughts from the
horror or the monotony of war.
The ways in which the books are obtained are many and varied. After
some months of war, the question of keeping up the supply for
distribution by the libraries became a momentous one. At first the
newspaper appeals brought in many thousands of volumes, financial
contributions for buying books were sent, and generous gifts were
received from publishers. But these supplies could not continue
indefinitely on a sufficiently large scale. A wonderful solution to the
problem came in August, 1915.
The Postmaster-General (Mr. Herbert Samuel) was struck, on visiting
some of the camps and on seeing the men in the trenches, by the great
value to them of the books already sent out. It occurred to him that
the post-offices of the country might be used to become collecting
depôts for the Libraries, and in consultation with Colonel Sir Edward
Ward and the Hon. Mrs. Anstruther a scheme was evolved by which anyone
could hand a book or magazine, unwrapped and unaddressed, over the
counter of any post-office in the kingdom for the benefit of our
soldiers. The collections thus made are divided in agreed proportions
between the four societies already mentioned.
The War Library started work quickly. In the first week of the war,
Mrs. Gaskell, her brother, Mr. Beresford Melville, and a small group
of friends, made an appeal in the newspapers for literature for the
sick and wounded. This was the first of all the great war appeals. The
response was so rapid and so overwhelming that, even in the large house
lent by Lady Battersea for the accommodation of the books, problems of
space and of methods of distribution at once arose. But a satisfactory
system was quickly evolved, and with the assistance of Dr. Hagberg
Wright, librarian of the London Library, it has developed into an
organisation of clockwork perfection.