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A Modest Florence Nightingale

From the Barwicker No. 103
September 2011



‘After walking through miles of hospitals I wrote home, This war has discovered no Florence Nightingale, but a modest woman who does anything and everything the hospitals require. She has no name, only initials. Her service unit is called Voluntary Aid Detachment and she is known as the V.A.D.’ (1)


Around the same time as Colonel and Mrs Gascoigne opened the V.A.D hospital at Lotherton Hall during WWI (see The Barwicker No. 95 September 2009), a future Mrs Gascoigne (later to become Lady Gascoigne) was a V.A.D nurse in France during WWI.

Lorna Priscilla Leatham was the only surviving child of Edmund H Leatham and his wife Jeanette Elliott Cunard of Wentbridge House, Pontefract. Lorna's brother, Hubert, died in 1914 on active service and the report on his death in the Observer of 8 November 1914 states that he was not injured, but blown to pieces by a German shell whilst riding to the succour of a wounded man. Her eldest brother had died whilst visiting Hubert in India thus Lorna was now the surviving child of her parents. It was fairly common for ladies of the upper classes to join a nursing corps rather than stay at home making comforts for the troops.

The following is taken from her diary of 1915/16. On the morning of Friday 29 January 1915 she and her mother left London at 5.00 am and after spending the night in Dover at the Burlington Hotel, crossed to Dunkirk on a cargo boat the following morning. The crossing was smooth which was fortunate as there was little accommodation on board. Once they reached Dunkirk they were met by the Consul’s car and were taken to the Edinburgh and Border Hospital outside Dunkirk at Malo Les Baines. The hospital was in a villa overlooking the sea and had 60 beds. The staff were housed in a nearby pension which Lorna declared was ′Not too clean!′ On February 1st 1915 she started work in the hospital and was given the medical section which was on the top storey. She also had to assist, when needed, in the surgical unit on the floor below. Accompanied by her mother they visited Dunkirk in the afternoon and found the town was ′full of soldiers and sailors of every description, and ambulances.′

British planes were scouting the area all the day and there were two guns just outside the hospital to eliminate the Taubes. Two days later her mother returned home. (NB a Taube was a monoplane, sometimes called a Dove).

Due to it being war time there was not a lot to do during her off duty except meet friends or walk either into the town or along the sand. One day she was walking along the sand dunes when she saw about 14 planes and hydroplanes (a fast boat) returning from a raid on Zeebrugge. Running into a snowstorm most had managed to get through but one pilot ′came to grief and fell into the ocean and lost his machine.′ In another incident a French plane which was preparing to land crashed near the hospital. The pilot was not hurt but the plane was ′smashed.′

The number of patients varied each day. Lorna cared about her patients and one in particular a young boy called Basil (who had been badly wounded in the foot), about whom after his death, she wrote ′was such a nice boy and with the sweetest way about him, always so grateful for anything done to him.′ Many other casualties died but she always was grateful when any of the men could be shipped home to England or return to their unit.

In February 1915 she went to see an English mine and managed to photograph it. Walking along the dunes she met some French soldiers and photographed them making a sailing machine to sail along the sands. Several others had pet rabbits and all apparently enjoyed being photographed. (The photographs were developed and she took them to the men who were delighted and asked her to return on the following Sunday to take some more). The following day she had just dropped asleep when she was woken with a terrific explosion and was convinced a Zeppelin had arrived! Although making an extremely loud noise and shaking the building it was only a mine which had been fired. However, sleep was a long time coming when she finally got back into bed.

There were lighter moments for Lorna. She wrote on 31 March ′going to try and make an April Fool of our Medicine Chief in the morning. He has a very exalted opinion of himself.′ The result was this doctor was sent hot water in the morning instead of tea and his colleague was given an empty egg shell for breakfast.

They had concerts for both patients and staff. A children′s concert was arranged for the wounded and held on 11 April. One small boy who was only about 3ft high played a full size cello and could not see over the top of it.

Afterwards she went to a football match between the French and ′our own flying corps.′ The British won 4 goals to nil which was a great surprise as they were told the French had internationals on their side. A huge crowd turned out for the match and a Taube was spotted which caused great excitement but it did not come near to the match.

Not long after her arrival in France she came off night duty no doubt hoping for some sleep after breakfast. Alas when she got to her room she found it in complete chaos never having been cleaned or tidied which she added was a ′most unusual occurrence. Expostulated gently with Louise who was loud in her indignation against the others!′ Lorna started to wash her hair when she heard what sounded like a waterfall behind her. Half the bath water had emptied on the floor! Louise was not at all bothered by this and just replied in a gush of French that it was but a minor thing. Lorna continues ′this happens periodically if I don’t empty the thing myself. My face sponge is also used to clean the floor occasionally.′

The cook′s daughter married on 6 April 1915. She wrote that they all trooped to the ceremony looking like a party of nuns in their coiffes. It was a long ceremony and the guests fed and drank at the Pension all day.

Lorna easily made friends and the fact that her cousin and good friend, the Hon. Ursula Lawley was also a V.A.D at the same hospital would have helped her tremendously. One day Lorna, Ursula and another friend had a half-day leave so they hired a pony and trap and went for a drive in the country. That evening she dined with Col. Eastwood and other friends at Ambleteuse. She thought it was against the regulations to dine outside Wimereux and upon entering the restaurant the first people she saw were one of the nurses from her ward dining with a doctor! The following day the doctor asked her not to say a word about the incident but Lorna admitted it was quite embarrassing.

One of the luxuries was a day off which didn’t happen often. On one such occasion she stayed in bed until 11am then went for a long walk across country. She took a tram to the Malo terminus before commencing a walk over the sand dunes. She was conscious she could be stopped and asked for her papers at any time but was only approached once as she crossed the railway lines and asked for her pass but the officials then waved her on without even examining if she had the correct eight papers – which she added she hadn’t! Having eventually returned to the Malo terminus she stopped to see them practising with the ′big guns′ and when standing behind she could see the shells clearly going through the air.

The last week in April 1915 saw a fierce battle raging in Flanders and bombing was coming from beyond Nieuport and the hospital suddenly became extremely busy. Wounded were being admitted all the time. More bombing took place on 30 April itself and two Taubes which flew over were thankfully chased away by our own aeroplanes.

In common with other V.A.D hospitals at the time life was never straightforward or routine. The staff never knew what to expect. On 1 May 1915 Lorna comments ′Today has really been like a pantomime if it was not so mixed up with tragedy.′ First they were told that at 8.00am they had to evacuate all the patients so they hurried over to the wards. The time was then altered to the afternoon and they got on with doing as many dressings as they could in the time left. The order was subsequently altered yet again to ′no evacuees at all.′ All those who were fit enough to travel, about 28 in total, were then sent on their way. Many of the local tradesmen and their families, along with others, had left during the day complete with as many of their possessions as they could carry. Taubes returned about 6.30pm and a bomb narrowly missed an ambulance which was transporting some of the patients. The final happening of a very eventful day was when a local woman who did all the washing and ironing was also ready to ′bolt′ so she brought the washing back and dumped it in a heap, un-ironed!

The following day saw no further patients in or out of the hospital and the ones already being treated were too serious to move. A further patient in her ward needed an amputation and was very poorly and Lorna added ′Hope he’ll pull through.′ The local people were still intent on leaving the town. She found out the washer woman was sleeping on the sand dunes. Just after all the trauma of the evacuation Lorna was transferred to Boulogne awaiting orders to transfer to a military hospital. She was eventually sent to No. 14 hospital at Wimereux. (Although Col. Gascoigne was at Wimereux during WWI it is not known if they came across each other). During the first couple of weeks she found life was extremely busy and was working about 14 hour days.

On 6 June she visited the matron of No.2 Stationary at Outran, a Miss Denne who had nursed her brother, Hubert, in South Africa. On July 16 Lorna had half a day off so went over to Hardelot to see Lady Gifford’s Home for Sisters. When she got back she went for a walk and it poured with rain. After dinner that evening with friends at a local restaurant they came home ′clad in a few underclothes and a big coat on top, with our wet garments under our arms!′

Discipline was strict in the hospitals where Lorna was based. One day she and a friend went fishing on their half day off . They arrived back very late for dinner only to be turned out immediately by the Sister in charge for not wearing their hats! They couldn’t be bothered putting their caps on so missed out on dinner and just had soup brought to their room.

As in most wartime hospitals there were peaks and troughs of admittances. At the beginning of October she wrote ′Still only five in my ward but I now have a hut near the garage as well. 12 in it tonight (tommies). We′ve two cases of tetanus …….. Poor things it’s dreadful to see them. (Both died in the morning).′

On the night of 4/5th October she wrote ′admitted 51 at the garage′. The following day she was ′specialling Mr Grinton who is shot through the chest and had tubes put in today.′

On 12 October there was great excitement because ′a Major General is coming in. We have been carting furniture all day to make him a sitting room….′ The King visited the hospital later that month but because he was behind schedule he did not get up to the ward where Lorna was working.

The diary goes quiet for several months until Lorna is able to catch up with events.

In the middle of August 1916 the nurses were entrusted with four puppies. They were police dogs and the owner could not get a pass to take them home. Lorna now had another duty viz to walk the puppies whenever she could. On September 13th the paperwork arrived and all the puppies left separately in boxes.

On the evening of 7/8th September a patient was admitted with a bayonet wound to his chest caused by his sentry going mad. Desperate for leave she wrote ′Am threatening to resign if I don’t get it.′ It finally came through and she left the hospital on 22 September complete with very bad lumbago and sciatica! She was allowed 14 days but ′have managed to pinch 2 more.′

Unfortunately her diary ends on her return to the hospital after her leave. Space does not allow me to tell you any further incidents but it has proved a fascinating insight into the life of a V.A.D in war torn France during WWI.

During her service she had worked in France and Italy. She was mentioned in Despatches in January 1917(2); awarded 2 scarlet efficiency stripes in the same year and the Royal Red Cross 2nd class award in 1918 and Lorna was discharged on 12 December 1918.(3)

The service personnel who were admitted to such hospitals staffed by V.A.D personnel owe so much to the organisation and professionalism of the staff, especially those like Lorna who gave up the security and comfort of their English homes to nurse the sick and wounded at such a traumatic time.



PAULINE ROBSON


Sources:
(1) The Fabric of Memory; Farrar, Straus and Cudhay (1957). Memoirs of Eleanor Robson Belmont. (Mrs Belmont went to France from the USA at the request of Theodore Roosevelt to bring back recommendations as to how the USA could follow the example of the British Red Cross.)
(2) Information from Lorna’s Medal card
(3)Information obtained from the British Red Cross Society I am indebted to Mrs Teresa Staeger (Gt. Niece of Lady Gascoigne) for giving me permission to write this article and also to Adam White (Curator) and Stephanie Davies (Visitor Assistant) at Lotherton Hall who gave me a copy of the diary.

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