The African American Navy Nurse Who Helped to Break down Barriers During World War II.

The African American Navy Nurse Who Helped to Break down Barriers During World War II.

I have been learning a little about Helen Turner Watson. She was an American nurse and educator. She was also one of the first African American women to receive a commission in the United States Navy during the Second World War. At the time both racial and gender barriers were still very much rooted in American society, so her achievements were remarkable.

Helen Fredericka Turner was born on the 3rd of July 1917 in Augusta, Georgia, but she grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. She went Weaver High School and graduated in 1935. She then trained at the Lincoln School for Nurses in New York City and qualified as a registered nurse in 1939. She went to work with the American Red Cross and later continued public health studies in Virginia while she was also helping communities that were struggling with tuberculosis and poor access to healthcare.

During the Second World War, Helen joined the United States Navy Reserve on the 20th of April 1945. In June of that year, she became one of only four African American women to be commissioned as officers in the Navy Nurse Corps, serving as an ensign. Do you think she knew she was helping to break down barriers or was she just doing what she felt drawn to?

After leaving the Navy in 1946, Helen continued with her education. She earned degrees from the University of Connecticut and Yale University, and spent decades teaching nursing, public health, and child healthcare. She eventually became an associate professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. Also serving on several important state commissions focused on healthcare, women’s rights, and human rights.

Throughout her career, Helen received several honours including the Award for Service to School Children of Connecticut in 1961, the National Distinguished Service Award in 1962, the Citation for Outstanding Achievement in 1963, and the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Nursing Education in 1973.

Helen Turner Watson died on the 26th of September 1992 at the age of 75, leaving behind her husband Harold Watson, her children, stepchildren, and a legacy of service.

 I think figures like Helen are far too often forgotten. Had you heard of her before?

How Anne Lister Defied Society’s Expectations For Women In Georgian England

How Anne Lister Defied Society’s Expectations For Women In Georgian England

Today I want to talk about Anne Lister. She lived in a time when women were expected to behave in ways that society considered “respectable,” modest, and feminine.

Anne was born on the 3rd of April 1791 in Halifax, Yorkshire, into a minor landowning family. Her childhood was not especially easy for her. Several of her siblings tragically died young, something that was not uncommon in that era. From an early age she stood out. She was intelligent, curious, determined, and very interested in learning. While many girls of her class were expected to focus mostly on domesticity, Anne loved classical literature, history, languages, and to study. Books became a source of comfort for her.

In 1805 she was sent to school in York, where she met Eliza Raine, who would become her first serious romantic relationship. Their connection was very deep and emotional, and Anne’s diaries suggest that she already had an understanding of her feelings towards women from a very young age. In a society where same-sex relationships were rarely discussed openly, Anne must have felt somewhat isolated, cautious, and also misunderstood. But unlike others in the era she refused to entirely hide who she was.

As she grew up, Anne became well known for behaving differently from what society expected of women. She dressed mostly in black, she preferred practical clothing, and had a confident, direct personality that many considered unusual or unfeminine. Some people mocked her by referring to her as “Gentleman Jack.” The nickname was intended to insult her but it reflected how impossible she was to ignore. She did not fit into the role society thought she should.

Anne inherited Shibden Hall in Yorkshire during the 1820s and became heavily involved in managing the estate. She took an active interest in her business, coal mining, canals, railways, and land management, areas that were normally dominated by men. I really admire her strong character and determination. When women had such limited legal and financial independence, Anne pushed against the expectations.

 She also renovated Shibden Hall to suit her own tastes, adding a Gothic tower and improving the grounds around the estate.

Travel became a huge part of her life. She travelled across Britain and Europe, which was something that was still quite unusual for women at the time. She climbed mountains in the Pyrenees and explored remote regions of the world. Travel seemed to have given her a sense of freedom that she could not find at home. Her diaries also reveal that she had times of loneliness, frustration, and disappointment, particularly in her relationships.

Her most important relationship was with Ann Walker. In 1834 the two women took communion together at Holy Trinity Church in York and considered themselves married, despite it having no legal recognition. For Anne, this was clearly something very meaningful and emotional. In many ways they created a private life together in defiance of the world around them. The couple lived together at Shibden Hall and travelled extensively.

In 1839 Anne and Ann began an ambitious journey through Europe and into the Russian Empire. They travelled through harsh conditions, drawing attention wherever they went because two wealthy English women travelling alone was extremely unusual. During the journey Anne became ill with a fever while in Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire. She died on the 22nd of September 1840 at the age of only 49 years old. Ann Walker arranged for her body to be brought all the way back to Halifax to be buried. I would have been a long and emotional journey that must have been heartbreaking.

Perhaps Anne Lister’s greatest legacy is her diaries. She wrote about her life, relationships, travels, business dealings, and thoughts. Large sections were written in a secret code that combined symbols, letters, and mathematics. The diaries were eventually deciphered long after her death and revealed an extraordinarily honest account of her life and who she was.

 Today they provide historians with a rare and personal glimpse into both women’s history and LGBTQ+ history during the 19th century.

Do you think society fully appreciates just how unusual and courageous people like Anne Lister were?

Image info:

Artist: attributed to Joshua Horner

Date: 1830

Collection: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

The Rise And Fall Of Henry V’s Great Ship The Grace Dieu

The Rise And Fall Of Henry V’s Great Ship The Grace Dieu

I have been finding out a little bit about some of the many medieval disasters. So I started looking into the Grace Dieu, an enormous warship built for King Henry V of England in the early 15th century.

The Grace Dieu was built not long after Henry V’s famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, during the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. Henry wanted England to become more powerful at sea as well as on land. Control of the English Channel was really important. Ships were needed to carry soldiers, weapons, supplies, and it was vital for trade. Enemy raids along the coast could cause fear and destruction. Henry wanted to create a fleet that was powerful enough to protect England and to also intimidate its enemies.

Construction of the Grace Dieu began around 1416 near Southampton. It was one of the largest wooden ships built in England during the Middle Ages, it was around 140-150ft long. Medieval measurements are difficult and estimates vary. Huge amounts of timber, iron, rope, and canvas were needed to make it. Hundreds of people were involved in building it, there were carpenters, blacksmiths, sailors, and many labourers.

The ship was designed to be a floating fortress. It had wooden structures at the bow and the stern so that archers and soldiers could more easily attack other vessels. It must have been an impressive sight. Medieval naval warfare was extremely brutal and chaotic. Ships would crash together and the men would fight hand to hand. The Grace Dieu was built to dominate.

But despite all of the expense, the Grace Dieu never truly fulfilled its purpose. Henry V died unexpectedly in 1422 at the age of only thirty-five years old. His death changed everything. England was suddenly ruled by an infant king, and priorities had shifted. The massive ship became far too expensive to maintain properly. And without Henry’s determination, interest in the vessel had faded.

For years, the Grace Dieu was laid up along the River Hamble. What had once represented royal ambition and military power became a rotting dream. In 1439, the ship was hit by lightning and it caught fire. The blaze destroyed much of the ship. This was the sad end of the story of one of medieval England’s most ambitious ships.

Even today, the remains of the Grace Dieu still lie preserved in the mud of the River Hamble.

Do you think medieval rulers built enormous projects like the Grace Dieu more for practical warfare, or partly to inspire awe and fear in the people around them?

The Navy Nurse Who Helped Transform Women’s Roles In Military Service

The Navy Nurse Who Helped Transform Women’s Roles In Military Service

I would like to continue finding out about some of the remarkable women who served during the world wars, and today I wanted to talk about Nellie Jane DeWitt. She had a career that stretched across decades of change in the United States Navy. She went on to become one of the women who helped to shape the future of military nursing.

Nellie Jane DeWitt was born on the 16th of July 1895 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, and grew up on her family’s farm in Jackson. She went to Susquehanna High School, and then went on to train as a nurse at Stamford Hospital School of Nursing in Connecticut, graduating in 1917. Only a year later, as the First World War was coming to an end, she decided to join the Navy Nurse Corps on the 26th of October 1918.

She served in the Naval Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, but she went on to serve in many different places, including Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington DC, California, Hawaii, and even Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Life as a Navy nurse was demanding, disciplined and required you to constantly move. It must have been quite challenging having to adapt to so many new places while she was caring for servicemen.

By 1937 she had become a Chief Nurse, and after the Second World War she rose even further. In 1946 she became Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps at a time when the military was rapidly shrinking after wartime. During her leadership, an important change took place in 1947 when Navy nurses officially became recognised as full Navy officers. Nellie then became the first Director of the Navy Nurse Corps.

After retiring in 1950, she remained active in charity and community work before passing away on the 22nd of March 1978 at the age of 82. She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, a lasting reminder of a lifetime spent in service.

The Fearless Victorian Explorer Who Refused To Let Illness Stop Her

The Fearless Victorian Explorer Who Refused To Let Illness Stop Her

Today I want to tell you about a remarkable woman of the Victorian era, Isabella Bird. In an era when many women were expected to live quiet and restricted lives, Isabella travelled across some of the most difficult and remote parts of the world completely alone.

She was born on the 15th of October 1831 in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, into the family of a clergyman. As a child she constantly moved when her father took up different church positions around England. Isabella was intelligent, outspoken, and curious about the world, but she also struggled with poor health. She suffered from back problems, headaches, and insomnia. Doctors believed that fresh air and travel might improve her condition, and this is something that would eventually shape the rest of her life.

In 1854, she travelled to the United States. For many Victorian women, this journey would have been intimidating and maybe even improper, but Isabella appeared to have love to explore new places. She turned the letters from her travels into books, and she gradually became known for her travel writing.

She travelled across places including Hawaii, Japan, China, Korea, India, Persia, and the Rocky Mountains of North America. In Colorado she rode hundreds of miles through dangerous terrain, often dressed practically and riding in ways that shocked many in Victorian society. I do admire her determination. Travel during the nineteenth century was tiring, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous, especially for a woman travelling alone.

In 1880, her sister Henrietta sadly died from typhoid, a loss that affected her badly. Isabella went on to marry Dr John Bishop, but he also sadly died only a few years later. During the late 1880s, Isabella’s health suffered another serious setback when she became ill with scarlet fever. It was dangerous infectious diseases in the Victorian era, especially for someone already weak. Many people may have expected her to slow down, but remarkably she recovered and rather than hiding away from the world, she threw herself even more into her travels and also humanitarian work. In Kashmir, she helped to establish a hospital for women in memory of her late husband.

After the death of her husband, Isabella even began studying medicine so that she could help the people she met during her travels even more, her journeys seem to no longer be only about exploration but also compassion.

By the 1890s, Isabella Bird had become one of the most famous travellers in Britain. She became the first woman to be admitted as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, this  broke barriers in a world that was dominated by men. Even in her seventies, she was still planning new journeys.

She died in Edinburgh on the 7th of October 1904 at the age of 72, only a few days before what would have been her 73rd birthday on the 15th of October. She had only just returned from Morocco. She refused to let illness, grief, or Victorian expectations control her life. I sometimes wonder how many women of her era must have secretly dreamed of the freedom that Isabella Bird managed to find.

Do you think she was seen as inspiring during her lifetime, or too unconventional for many people to fully understand?

 

The Battle of Sluys And The Medieval Struggle For Control Of The Sea

The Battle of Sluys And The Medieval Struggle For Control Of The Sea

We have been finding out a bit about medieval disasters recently, it made me think about just how dangerous warfare, particularly at sea, could be during the Middle Ages.  So I thought we could explore the Battle of Sluys, one of the most devastating naval battles of the medieval period. The battle took place on the 24th of June 1340 near the port of Sluys in what is now Belgium. It happened during the early part of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

Image info:

Artist: Loyset Liédet

Title: Battle of Sluys, miniture

Date: 15th century

Collection: Bibliothèque nationale de France

The battle happened because both England and France were struggling for control of the English Channel. King Edward III of England needed safe sea routes so that he could move soldiers and supplies to the continent. The French hoped to weaken the English by threatening an invasion and by cutting off English trade. Tension between the two countries had been building for years, mostly over land, power, and Edward’s claim to the French throne. A major clash at sea felt inevitable.

The French fleet gathered near Sluys and chained many of their ships together to form what they thought would be a strong defensive barrier across the harbour entrance. They had a large fleet which was made up of warships, merchant vessels, and hired Genoese ships. Thousands of sailors, knights, archers, and soldiers were on them. Medieval ships were quite often packed tightly with people of all ages. Experienced knights fought alongside teenage squires, common sailors, and young archers who may only have been in their mid to late teens. Life at sea was already dangerous before any battle even began.

Edward III sailed with a large English fleet and arrived off the coast. Chroniclers suggest the battle lasted for many hours, possibly from late morning into the evening. The English had several advantages. Their ships were more mobile, and English longbowmen proved to be devastating to the French. As the fleets closed together, arrows rained down onto the French ships. Once the vessels locked together, they were forced into brutal hand-to-hand fighting. Many men met an horrific end.

The French defensive formation actually worked against them. Because so many vessels had been tied together, it became difficult to manoeuvre or escape once the panic began to spread. The English were able to attack ship after ship in succession. Edward III fought aggressively and he inspired confidence among his men, but confusion appears to have spread through parts of the French fleet.

The loss of life was catastrophic. Medieval chroniclers often exaggerated numbers, but thousands were believed to have died. Some estimates suggest over 15,000 French sailors and soldiers may have lost their lives, although the real figure was probably lower. Many men were unable to save themselves because of the heavy armour after they had fallen into the water. English losses were far smaller but still significant. Around 190 French ships were believed to have been captured, destroyed, or sunk.

The English victory changed the course of the war. Control of the Channel gave Edward III much greater freedom to invade France and continue his campaigns overseas. It also damaged the French naval strength for many years after and it reduced the immediate threat of a French invasion of England.

Unlike battles on land, there was often no escape at sea. If your ship sank, the cold water usually became your grave.

Do you think the French defeat at Sluys was unavoidable once they chained their fleet together, or could the battle have ended very differently with another strategy?

The Navy Nurse Who Sewed Hope Inside a Japanese Prison Camp

The Navy Nurse Who Sewed Hope Inside a Japanese Prison Camp

Today I have been learning a little more about some of the nurses who served during the World Wars. Today I want to talk about Goldia O’Haver.

 

Goldia Aimee O’Haver was born on the 3rd of December 1902 in Rock Island County, Illinois. In 1929, she joined the United States Navy as a surgical nurse. Nursing was already demanding work, but the world was moving ever closer to war and many military nurses found themselves facing dangers far beyond what they had expected.

 

During the Second World War, Goldia was stationed at Cañacao Hospital near Cavite Naval Base in the Philippines. In January 1942, after Japanese forces advanced into Manila, she and eleven other Navy nurses were captured. These women later became known as the “Twelve Anchors.”

 

In 1943, the nurses were transferred to the prison camp at Los Baños. Conditions were extremely harsh. Supplies were scarce, food was limited, and illness spread really easily. She continued to help others. She used small scraps of fabric and managed to create uniforms, sheets, gowns, and clothing for the patients in the camp hospital. Even in captivity, she still found ways to bring comfort and dignity to the people around her.

 

After more than three years as a prisoner, Goldia was finally liberated in February 1945. She was weak from malnutrition and she ended up being hospitalised in San Francisco. She received both a Gold Star and a Bronze Star for her wartime service.

 

Soon after the war, she married fellow former prisoner Robert Heath Merrill. She retired from the Navy Nurse Corps in 1946 and settled in California, where she lived until her death in 1997 at the age of 94.