KJames Posted 10 December , 2015 Share Posted 10 December , 2015 This year I've come across some books on the Scottish Women's Hospital unit, as well as other units, involved in Serbia during the first world war. It's surprising, given that it's the centenary of this involvement, that there hasn't been more about it. An interesting feature, due to the fact that the units were privately funded, is that they are contemporary accounts, often with photos, which include names of places and people, in fact you get the impression that the writing, and publishing, of diaries was almost encouraged. I found these books fascinating on many levels With a Woman's Unit - Isabel Elmslie who started off with the unit in Troyes before going to Serbia, eventually becoming the CO of the American Unit, so called due to it's financing, in 1918. She also wrote a fascinating autobiography, as Isabel Hutton, called Memories of a Doctor in War and Peace The Flaming Sword - St Clair Stobbart who ended up in charge of a field hospital attached to the Schumadia Division of the Sebian Army A Farmer in Serbia - Ellen Chivers Davies, not an actual farmer but with the Scottish Farmers unit, again so called because of the source of funding, who went into captivity with the hospital before being repatriated. Monica Stanley & Olive Aldridge two accounts of nurses with the Stobbart Unit grouped into one print on demand book, including an account of the retreat through the mountains at the end of 1915 Yvonne Fitzroy together with Eva Shaw Maclaren, another print on demand combination, although the Scottish Womens Hospital part, by Eva Shaw Maclaren, is just in relation to their service in the Balkans. Whilst the typreface in both the print on demand books is good, the pictures weren't particulary well reproduced. Through the Serbian Campaign – Gordon Gordon-Smith whilst not attached to the Scottish Womens Hospital units this book gives an interesting overview of the overall situation, as well as a first hand account of events and the retreat through the mountains. With Serbia into Exile - Fortier Jones a first hand account by an American attached to a unit in Serbia who also participated in the retreat, a bit self promotional at times but interesting pictures. Little Grey Partridge - Ishobel Ross, joined the American Unit in 1916 for the return to Serbia There are also later works published around the subject including Elsie Inglis by Margot Lawrence, a fascinating biography of the founder and driving force behind the Scottish Women's Hospital, published in 1971, there are also, I think, two other biographies of Elsie Inglis There is also an overview of the work of the Scottish Women's Hospital called The Quality of Mercy by Monica Krippner published in 1980 Another background book is Serbia's Great War by Andrej Mitrovic, which also sheds light on how some of the present day issues arose. There is also an excellent book about the life & work of Katherine MacPhail called Ever Yours Sincerely by Zelimir Dj Mikic, Katherine Macphail started off with the Scottish Women's Hospital unit before branching out on her own, this was one of the most moving accounts of an individual moving through events in modern history Another excellent later book is Between the Lines by Audrey Fawcett Cahill, a book of extracts and letters of when the unit moved to Roumania in 1916 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 Some of the above are available online The Flaming Sword in Serbia and Elsewhere by Mrs St. Clair Stobart 1916 Archive.org My diary in Serbia, April 1, 1915-Nov. 1, 1915 by Monica M Stanley 1916 Archive.org The retreat from Serbia through Montenegro and Albania by Olive M Aldridge 1916 With the Scottish Nurses in Roumania by Yvonne Fitzroy 1918 Archive.org Part three: Serbia A History of the Scottish Women's Hospitals by Eva Shaw McLaren 1919 (This is a microfilm copy) Archive.org Through the Serbian campaign : the Great Retreat of the Serbian Army by Gordon Gordon-Smith 1916 Archive.org With Serbia into exile; an American's adventures with the army that cannot die by Fortier Jones 1916 Archive.org Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle George Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 I came across 'The Ethel Moir Diaries' the other day. Ethel Moir served as a ward orderly in Dr Elsie Inglis' Scottish Women's Hospital in Romania and Serbia. https://talesofonecity.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/the-ethel-moir-diaries/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard_Lewis Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 I have a section in my latest book on Nurse Elizabeth Clement (from Swansea) who was captured while helping the Serbian Army. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarylW Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 I have a section in my latest book on Nurse Elizabeth Clement (from Swansea) who was captured while helping the Serbian Army. Bernard I was looking at photos and articles about Nurse Clement recently in the Welsh Newspapers Online (free) database. Former workhouse nurse, briefly held captive (according to her account) who resigned from her position at the workhouse on her return to Wales. Gave talks afterwards about her experiences. Very interesting it was too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 The papers of Una Phyllis Moffet, who served with SWH in Serbia and subsequently in France are in Angus Archives. She died in 1997 aged 104. Howver before anyone sets off hot foot. They are a tremendous what might have been. Apparently her carer who handed over the papers destroyed all her letters without looking at them in case there was something personal. Una Moffet kept up her Serbian contacts after the war and returned with goods for a Serbian orphanage and spoke about Serbia at local organisations. Most of her remaining papers are her cookery books, which might be worth a look from someone who knows more about it than I do, since (officially at least) went to Serbia with SWH as a cook. RM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysie Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 Serbia is set to honour 6 Scottish women for their work during ww1 by having their faces on a set of stamps. Mary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 The papers of Una Phyllis Moffet, who served with SWH in Serbia and subsequently in France are in Angus Archives. She died in 1997 aged 104. Howver before anyone sets off hot foot. They are a tremendous what might have been. Apparently her carer who handed over the papers destroyed all her letters without looking at them in case there was something personal. Una Moffet kept up her Serbian contacts after the war and returned with goods for a Serbian orphanage and spoke about Serbia at local organisations. Most of her remaining papers are her cookery books, which might be worth a look from someone who knows more about it than I do, since (officially at least) went to Serbia with SWH as a cook. RM That carer was very careless. What a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard_Lewis Posted 11 December , 2015 Share Posted 11 December , 2015 Nurse Elizabeth Clement kept a diary during her service and that was published in a local Swansea newspaper during the war. Interestingly, when I was appealing for info on Swansea in the Great War a gent got in touch to say he had a photo of an ancestor (Nurse Clement) who had been captured by the Austrians. But, as that was all he had, I ventured that it was unlikely to make the book, lacking in 'meat'... Then, months later, I stumbled across the press report of the diary and, hey! we're cooking with gas! Bernard Nurse Elizabeth Clement kept a diary during her service and that was published in a local Swansea newspaper during the war. Interestingly, when I was appealing for info on Swansea in the Great War a gent got in touch to say he had a photo of an ancestor (Nurse Clement) who had been captured by the Austrians. But, as that was all he had, I ventured that it was unlikely to make the book, lacking in 'meat'... Then, months later, I stumbled across the press report of the diary and, hey! we're cooking with gas! Bernard Nurse Elizabeth Clement kept a diary during her service and that was published in a local Swansea newspaper during the war. Interestingly, when I was appealing for info on Swansea in the Great War a gent got in touch to say he had a photo of an ancestor (Nurse Clement) who had been captured by the Austrians. But, as that was all he had, I ventured that it was unlikely to make the book, lacking in 'meat'... Then, months later, I stumbled across the press report of the diary and, hey! we're cooking with gas! Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 12 December , 2015 Share Posted 12 December , 2015 Bernard, for some reason your message has appeared three times in the one post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 12 December , 2015 Share Posted 12 December , 2015 That carer was very careless. What a waste. Possibly a doubly "might have been", her sister, who was a physiotherapist also served with SWH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard_Lewis Posted 12 December , 2015 Share Posted 12 December , 2015 Sorry Derek. On Smartphone now, will fix later from laptop... Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJames Posted 12 December , 2015 Author Share Posted 12 December , 2015 Maureen, Thank you for those links, I will have a look as to what else is available there Uncle George, I'll keep an eye on that link as they seem to be saying that they will be putting more up soon. Ethel Moir was part of the unit when they went to Roumania in 1916 and her diaries are quoted in the book by Audrey Fawcett Cahill. Bernard & CarylW, thank you for the info about Nurse Clement, I look forward to following those up It's the fact that there were so many diaries written that make it a shame when some of them go missing, but I suppose some of the things they did, which nowadays seem everyday, might have been considered quite scandalous at the time mysie, it's partly the way in which they are well known abroad whilst being vitually unknown here, which makes it so strange, STV, I think, did a documentary, which is on youtube, as is another documentary, but it seems surprisingly little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 13 December , 2015 Share Posted 13 December , 2015 I have recently come across a website called Scottish Women's Hospitals http://scottishwomenshospitals.co.uk The Home page has an interesting YouTube video, which may be the documentary mentioned by KJames in post 13 called The Woman Who Went to War - A Great Adventure. The direct YouTube link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ43IALlvI0 There is also a page about the stamps issued in Serbia, mentioned in post 7, http://scottishwomenshospitals.co.uk/serbian-stamps-honour-scots-ww1-heroines/ which says "The stamps are part of a wider campaign by the British Embassy in Belgrade aimed at highlighting more than 600 British women who contributed to the war effort in Serbia". There are also some interesting articles which you can access through the Archives, or Recent Posts Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 14 December , 2015 Share Posted 14 December , 2015 http://blog.b92.net/text/25930/Lest-we-forget/ I used to know the author of this piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now