From Nurse to Leader: Florence Blanchfield’s Remarkable Wartime Journey

From Nurse to Leader: Florence Blanchfield’s Remarkable Wartime Journey

As many of you may know, I have been learning a little about the some of the incredible people who served during the world wars. Today I want discover Florence Aby Blanchfield.

She was born on the 1st of April 1884 in Shepherdstown in West Virginia. Her mother was a nurse and she had relatives who were physicians. After completing her nursing training in 1906, she moved into hospital roles, as a surgical nurse. She later worked in places as far away as the Panama Canal area.

When the First World War started, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and served in France from 1917 to 1919. Although she briefly returned to civilian work after the war, she was compelled back in to military service.

By the late 1930s, she was working in Washington and was rising slowly through leadership roles. During the Second World War, she became a superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps. She oversaw its growth from just a few hundred nurses to tens of thousands. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1945 and played a key role in securing full military status for nurses in 1947. She also became the first woman commissioned into the regular U.S. Army. In 1951 she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal recognising her work in nursing.

Florence died on the 12th of May 1971 at the age of 87.

A Musician’s Final Performance: The Lost Story of Roger Bricoux

A Musician’s Final Performance: The Lost Story of Roger Bricoux

I have been finding out about the people on boarx the Titanic. And I want to tell you the story of Roger Bricoux.

He was born on the 1st of June 1891 in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, into a musical family. As a child, his family moved to Monaco, and he was educated in Catholic schools in Italy. He began playing in orchestras and even won a first prize at the Conservatory of Bologna.

After he spent time studying in Paris, he moved to England in 1910, in order to continue his career. He then returned to France. By 1912, he had joined the musicians on Titanic, having previously served on Carpathia. He was just 20 years old.

When the ship sank on the 15th of April 1912, he was tragically lost and his body never found. For years, he was wrongly listed as a deserter, only being officially recognised as dead in 2000.

Ptah: The Creator Who Shaped the World Through Thought and Word

Ptah: The Creator Who Shaped the World Through Thought and Word

I have been learning a little about some of the many ancient Egyptian gods and I want to tell you a little bit about Ptah.

Ptah was seen as a creator god and he was mainly worshipped in the city of Memphis. Memphis was one of the first capital of a unified Ancient Egypt. Ptah was believed to have brought everything into existence. It is said he imagined the world in his heart and then spoke it into being.

As Egyptian belief developed and evolved, Ptah became closely associated with craftsmen, builders, and artisans and he was seen as their patron.

Ptah was often depicted as simple and composed, wrapped like a mummy, holding a staff that combined symbols of stability, life, and power. Unlike some gods who were shown in dramatic or aggressive poses.

Over time, Ptah became connected to other creator figures and became part of a broader understanding of how the universe was formed. But his main identity remained the same. He was still the god who created through thought and word.

 

Do you think people felt closer to gods like Ptah because they could see his influence in the work of their own hands?

 

Image info:

Ptah, the God of the Metal Workers, the designer of all things on Earth, with the Egg of the World.

Date: 1917

 

The Nurse Who Took Flight and Changed Wartime Medicine

The Nurse Who Took Flight and Changed Wartime Medicine

I have been learning about individuals who served during the world wars and today I want to talk about Elsie Ott.

 She was born in 1913 in Smithtown, New York, and trained as a nurse in New York City. Before the war she worked in several hospitals. In September 1941, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and was quickly given the rank of second lieutenant. She was first posted to Louisiana and Virginia, then she was sent to India.

In January 1943, with only 24 hours’ notice, no formal air evacuation training, and having never having flown before, she was assigned to care for wounded soldiers on a flight from Karachi. Over the course of a week, she helped transport injured men across continents to Washington, D.C., a journey that would normally have taken months by sea.

After the flight, she carefully recorded what had worked and what had not. Just two months later, she became the first woman to receive the Air Medal.

She later rose to captain and left service in 1946. She went on to serve in the Vietnam War. Elsee died in 2006 at the age of 82 or 83.

Image info:

 Lt. Elsie Ott being awarded the Air Medal by Brig. Gen. Fred Borum 

Surviving the Titanic: The Remarkable Resilience of R. Norris Williams

Surviving the Titanic: The Remarkable Resilience of R. Norris Williams

I have been finding out a little bit about some of the people who were on board the Titanic. Today I want to tell you about R. Norris Williams.

He was born on the 29th of January 1891 in Geneva. As a child, he was guided by his father, Charles, who introduced him to tennis.

He studied at Harvard and made a name for himself in tennis, winning intercollegiate titles and he developed a bold, attacking style.

Then, in April 1912, everything changed. He was travelling with his father on board the Titanic. Chaos and anxiety was everywhere. He had to break down a cabin door to free a trapped passenger. As the ship went down, he and his father went into the water. Tragically, his father did not survive, and Williams was left alone. It is difficult to imagine the grief and the disbelief when he was rescued by the RMS Carpathia.

He was left with badly frostbitten legs, and doctors were worried he might never play again. But he refused to accept that. He was determined, and he forced himself to recover, remarkably, he went on to win major tennis titles, including the U.S. Championships.

He later served in the First World War and continued to build a successful life, but that night in 1912 never left him.

Do you think surviving something so traumatic can shape a person’s determination for the rest of their life?

Bastet: From Fierce Lioness to Gentle Guardian of Home and Joy

Bastet: From Fierce Lioness to Gentle Guardian of Home and Joy

I have been learning more about the ancient Egyptian gods. So today I want to tell you a little about Bastet.

In the earliest part of the Egyptian beliefs, Bastet was not a gentle figure that many came to know. She was originally depicted as a lioness, just like Sekhmet, and she was associated with protection, warfare, and the defence of the land.

Her image began to change. As Egyptian society started to evolve, Bastet became more closely associated with the domestic cat. She became linked to the home, to fertility, to motherhood, and to protection.

Cats in ancient Egypt were highly valued, they were not just companions, they had a role in protecting food from pests.

Bastet also became associated with joy, music, and celebration. Festivals were held in her honour, it was a chance for people to come together and be happy.

But even in her softer form, there was still a sense of protection. A cat may seem to be calm, but it can react quickly when it needs to.

Do you think people felt more connected to gods like Bastet because they could see her influence in their lives?

From Frontline Nurse to Lasting Voice: The Story of June Wandrey

From Frontline Nurse to Lasting Voice: The Story of June Wandrey

I have been learning about the lives of those who served during the World Wars. Today I would like to share with a little about June Wandrey.

She was born on the 25th of June 1920 in Wautoma, Wisconsin, and grew up in a small American town before everything changed with the start of the Second World War. In 1942, she joined the United States Army Nurse Corps, a role that would put her close to the realities of war. Over the next four years, she served across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and even Germany. Her service earned her eight battle stars, a reflection of just how much she experienced.

After the war, she chose to share the memories of her time as a war nurse. Her book, Bedpan Commando, brought attention to the work of military nurses, it was also published in television and radio. In 1995, she went to Nettuno, Italy, fifty years after the Anzio landings, she even met Bill Clinton during the commemorations.

She stayed closely connected to the veteran community. She passed away on the 27th of November 2005 at the age of 85.