ISBN: 1 898410 86 0 Hardback Published by Tuckwell Press Ltd.
There are few books written to commemorate the unsung heroines of the First World War, those ladies who staffed the hospital on the Western Front. Less I suspect is written about their service in French Hospitals. Eileen Crofton has written such a story. One of selfless devotion and sheer hard work in the service of the French Medical Service.
At the outbreak of the war the Scottish Women’s Hospitals offered a 100 bed unit, staffed entirely by women, to the War Office and the Red Cross. Both offers were rejected. Not to be daunted they made the same offer to the French and Serbian authorities who very quickly accepted their services. The story is a record of their work in France from January 1915 until March 1919.
They opened their hospital in a beautiful thirteenth century Abbey of Royaumont, some 30 miles from Paris. The grounds of the Abbey were quiet and serene with lakes and large parklands, ideal for recuperation of the many patients who arrived during the war years. The Hospital was administered by a remarkable lady, Dr Elsie Inglis. She was a superb leader of the staff of the hospital, firm, determined and I suspect a daunting presence to the nurses. Her relations with the French authorities were always amicable and they valued the hospital highly. It became a byword for its nursing care, cleanliness and efficiency.
On arrival the staff found that the buildings were in a deplorable condition. They were dirty; there was a shortage of practically every amenity that they would need to run an efficient unit. There were no lifts; water had to be carried to where it was needed. By dint of much hard work the hospital was eventually given it certificate by the Service de Sante of the French Red Cross. Their work was unremitting, the winters bitter and I was left with unstinting admiration for this very gallant band of doctors, nurses, orderlies ambulance drivers, cooks, who gave so much to their patients throughout the war.
The story is told on a year by year basis, using letters and diaries and first hand accounts of the ladies who worked there during the war. The hospital grew from a small unit to one of 600 beds at the request of the French authorities who recognised the importance of this particular hospital. So much so that during 1917 they were asked to set up a canteen in Soissons and open a Casualty Clearing Station in Villers Cotteret. It is a remarkable account of the work of the hospital during the war years and Eileen Crofton is to be highly commended for bringing this fascinating story to life. I would highly recommend it to all readers.
Reviewer: Maurice Johnson
