The Great War |
The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 brought an increase of patients to the London Hospital. The hospital had promised 250 beds to the army and on September 2 received 300 wounded soldiers. By October the soldiers had been replaced by sick and wounded Belgians. The location of the London in the densely populated East End meant that it treated more air-raid victims than any other hospital. Miss Lūckes appealed to the sisters not to join the nursing services as they were needed more than ever in the Hospital.
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The regular military nursing service, called Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS), was established in 1902. A permanent reserve for QAIMNS was established in 1908. On the eve of the war, there were 297 members of QAIMNS— matrons, sisters, and staff nurses—and less than 200 reserves available for mobilization. By the end of 1914, more than 2,200 nurses had enrolled in the reserves, and in total, more than 12,000 nurses served with QAIMNS Reserve (QAIMNSR) some time during the Great War in all theatres.
On December 1, 1915, her post-training contract obligations with the London Hospital complete, Florence offered her services as a nurse to His Majesty's Forces. The form agreement provided that she would serve with QAIMNSR for "a period of 12 months or until no longer required, whichever shall first happen.” Florence agreed to pay and allowances at the same rate as QAIMNS members. In addition, she would receive free passage to and from any country to which she was sent and free rations while in the field. Miss Lūckes signed as Florence’s witness. Florence’s London Hospital records state that she “left temporarily December 30th 1915 to join QAIMNS Reserve for the war,” with a group of Londoners (nurses trained at the London Hospital). A handwritten notation at the bottom of the application implied that Florence would initially be assigned to the “MEF [Mediterranean Expeditionary Force] 22nd Stationary Hospital,” however, her war records show that her first service was as a Staff Nurse at St. Andrews Military Hospital in Malta where she arrived on January 8, 1916. Malta was referred to by one author as the “nurse of the Mediterranean” during WWI, as there were many hospitals and convalescent facilities located on the island. During the time Florence was there, casualties from military manoeuvers in Gallipoli and Salonika were treated in Malta. St. Andrews was the second largest hospital on Malta at the time.
In 1917, . . . submarine attacks on hospital ships made it unsafe to evacuate from Salonika, and five General Hospitals, the 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th and 65th, mobilized in Malta for service in Salonika. They had 1040 beds each completely equipped and staffed from Malta. The hospitals left [for Salonika] in May 1917 . . . .
A notation on Florence's work report described above, made at a later date and in a different hand, said “Embarked for Salonika with No. 62 General Hospital on 26.7.17 [July 26, 1917].” Florence’s service card indicates that she boarded the troop ship HMS Kashmir, and that she disembarked at Salonika, arrived for duty at 63 General Hospital on August 3, 1917, and arrived for duty at 62 General Hospital on August 11, 1917.
After three months in Salonika, on November 7, 1917, Florence embarked for Italy on HMT Abbassich, disembarking at Taranto on November 15, 1917. Florence was stationed with the 62 and 79 General Hospitals in Taranto. The hospitals at Taranto were on the lines of communication (supply lines) to the East, and used for troops passing through. |
General Hospitals were a type of Base Hospital. They were large facilities, often located in pre-war buildings such as seaside hotels and casinos. The hospitals grew hugely in number and scale throughout the war. The Base Hospital was part of the casualty evacuation chain, further back from the front line than the Casualty Clearing Stations. The British hospitals were generally located near the coast. They needed to be close to a railway line in order for casualties to arrive (although some came by canal barge). They also needed to be near a port where men could be evacuated for longer-term treatment in Britain. Many General Hospitals operated as normal civilian hospitals, having all the departments and paraphernalia, including bacteriological and x-ray units. The holding capacity was such that a patient could remain until fit to return to his unit or sent across the Channel via hospital ships to the UK for specialized treatment or discharge from the forces. Once admitted to a General Hospital there was a good chance of survival. The official history states that while 36,879 men died in hospital, 169,842 returned to duty after treatment.
Florence’s war records show that she took Lady’s Leave May 6, 1918 through May 29, 1918, and from April 19, 1919 through May 10, 1919, both times returning home to England. World War I officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, but base hospitals still held patients until well into 1919, and therefore, the need for nurses continued.
On September 25, 1919, Florence signed an agreement to extend her service with QAIMNSR “at home (or abroad) until the 30th of April 1920, or until my services are no longer required (whichever is the earlier date).” An Annual Confidential Report of Florence's performance was completed on September 27, 1919:
Staff Nurse Yemm has served under me one year & five months [since approximately April, 1918] her professional ability has been quite the average rank, her administrative capacity, power of initiative, power to train & instruct orderlies is good. Special qualifications C.M.B. [Central Midwives Board] Certificate. She is a most capable & reliable nurse is tactful with orderlies. Very energetic. Has common sense & sound judgment, is punctual, her influence in general is good. |
Dorothea Matilda Taylor, QAIMNS principal matron in Italy during the Great War, wrote about the General Hospital and hostel in Taranto when she was with the Italian Expeditionary Force in late 1917 and 1918, coincident with the time Florence was in Italy:
At the camp outside Taranto there was a large General Hospital. It was in the process of reconstruction at the time I was there, the Nissen huts were being replaced by brick huts with verandahs and tiled floors. The Sisters had good quarters with rooms opening out on to a verandah and a nice large mess room. There was also a hostel at this hospital for nurses passing to and fro from the East. As a large number of nurses were accommodated in this hostel, the post of Sister-in-Charge was a very responsible one. Large parties frequently arrived at very short notice, but they always met with a hearty welcome. I remember one sister telling how she remembered being one of a large party who arrived late one Christmas Eve, and how surprised they all were to find that a Christmas dinner was forthcoming for the whole of the party. The staffs of the Scottish Women’s hospitals, lady doctors and others, shared the hospitality of the Taranto hostel with members of our own services. In Taranto there was a Nurses’ Club, run by the British Red Cross Society, which was a great boon to those nurses who had to spend some time at Taranto waiting for boats.
On November 2, 1919, Florence was "posted to 39 Ambulance Train for duty and journey through France." She arrived at Folkestone, the seaside dispersal station in England on November 12, 1919. Florence reported her home address as Worrall Hill, Lydbrook, Gloucestershire and that upon dispersal, she would proceed to the train station at Upper Lydbrook. Florence was discharged from service on November 20, 1919.
Florence's Medals
For her service in the war, Florence was awarded two campaign medals: the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Allied Victory Medal. (The two medals displayed together are sometimes referred to as "Mutt and Jeff.") In early 2014, I was contacted by Sarah Rogers, who purchased Florence's war medals at an auction in London. Sarah is a Londoner, and also a family history researcher; she researches and writes about nursing history and former London Hospital graduates. Sarah sent photos of Florence's medals, both of which were stamped "Staff Nurse F.M. Yemm." She also kindly shared her research from the London Hospital archives. No information about the medals was available when Sarah purchased them and we can only speculate that Florence gave them to a friend or family member when she immigrated to the United States. Curiously, medal flashes matching those for the campaign medals are pinned inside Florence's London Hospital badge case. However, the flashes on Florence's medals appear intact (though very worn). We'll probably never know the journey Florence's medals took through the years or the story of the flashes in her badge case. But we are thrilled her medals survived and were found by someone who was interested in learning about Aunt Flo and sharing more of her story with us. Many thanks, Sarah!
Florence's Family and the War
Florence’s family in America was also affected by the war. The United States had declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I on April 6, 1917. Six weeks later, on May 18, 1917, the Selective Service Act (SSA) was passed, which authorized the president to increase the military establishment of the United States. As a result, every male living within the United States between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was required to register for the draft, regardless of citizenship status. Many thousands of young men who had immigrated to the United States in the prior decade fell within the SSA. Joe (age 37) and Stephen (age 35), neither of whom had yet become U.S. citizens, registered on September 12, 1918. Esther’s husband, Arthur George, also registered at that time. Thomas Meek, Dollie’s husband-to-be, registered on June 5, 1917 (he was younger than Joe, Steve, and Arthur, and fell into an earlier registration group). Not all men who registered actually served in the armed forces and neither Joe, Stephen, Arthur, nor Thomas ever enlisted. However, Arthur died three months later in the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 that, incredibly, killed more people than did WWI.