The Flaming Sword in Serbia and ElsewhereStobart, M. A. (Mabel Annie)
History
The Flaming Sword in Serbia and Elsewhere
Stobart, M. A. (Mabel Annie)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
The unit numbered forty-five, and comprised seven women doctors--Mrs.
King-May Atkinson, M.B., Ch.B., Miss Beatrice Coxon, D.R.C.P.S.R., Miss
Helen B. Hanson, M.D., B.S., D.P.H., Miss Mabel Eliza King-May, M.B.,
Ch.B., Miss Edith Maude Marsden, M.B., Ch.B., Miss Catherine Payne,
M.B., Miss Isobel Tate, M.D., N.U.I.--eighteen trained nurses, together
with cooks, orderlies, chauffeurs, and interpreters. The principle that
women could successfully conduct a war hospital in all its various
departments, had now been amply proved, and had been conceded even
by the sceptical. The original demonstration had already borne ample
fruit. Units of Scottish women were doing excellent work in France, and
also in Serbia, and even in London, women doctors had now been given
staff rank in military hospitals. The principle was firmly established,
and I thought, therefore, that no harm would now be done by accepting
the services of a few men orderlies and chauffeurs.
Amongst the applications for the post of orderly, were some Rhodes
scholars; and an interesting reversal of traditional procedure
occurred. At the last moment, the scholars asked to be excused,
because, owing to the additional risks of typhus involved in the
expedition to Serbia, they must first obtain permission to run the
risk, from their relatives in America, and for this, they said, there
would not now be time. Our women, on the other hand, braved their
relatives, knowing that a woman's worst foes, where her work is
concerned, are often those of her own household.
Determined, however, to dodge the typhus if possible, I proposed to the
Serbian Relief Fund that our hospital should be housed--both staff and
patients--entirely in tents. It was only a question of raising more
money; and this was obtained through friends and sympathetic audiences.
Typhus infection is carried by lice, and these would naturally be more
difficult to eliminate within already infected houses than in tents
in the open air. Also by the use of tents we should render ourselves
mobile, and be more likely to be of service in emergency; this was
later amply proved.
The Committee of the Serbian Relief Fund agreed to the proposal, and
sixty tents, mostly double-lined, were specially made to order, by
Messrs. Edgington of Kingsway, for wards, staff, X-ray, kitchens,
dispensary, lavatories, baths, sleeping, etc., etc., with camp beds and
outfit.
Lady Grogan and Mrs. Carrington Wilde, who were giving up their lives
to Serbian Relief Fund work, did wonders for our unit, and in every way
helped to make things easy for us. Mr. B. Christian, chairman, also
gave wholehearted support, and the Women's Imperial Service League,
with Lady Muir Mackenzie, Lady Cowdray, Mrs. Carr Ellison, Lady Mond,
Mrs. Ronald McNeill, and their indefatigable secretary, Mrs. McGregor,
were of invaluable service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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