Woman Ambulance Driver Receives Military Medal

Miss Hilda May Dickinson and Great Dane [Luton News, 1st August 1918]

Friday 26th July 1918: News has reached Leighton Buzzard that Miss Hilda May Dickinson, whose widowed mother Adeline lives at Heath Cottage in Heath Road, has been awarded the Military Medal for bravery. Miss Dickinson went out to Belgium as a nurse at the beginning of the war, where she helped the wounded during the fighting at Antwerp and was decorated by the Belgians for her work there. She then spent six months nursing in a French hospital. After returning to England she worked at Woolwich for eleven months before joining the Military Transport in London. She was sent back to France on Christmas Eve last year and is now serving as an ambulance worker in the First Army Nursing Yeomanry. General Plummer’s notification states that the Military Medal was awarded:

“For conspicuous devotion to duty during the hostile air-raid, on the night of May 18th, 1918. This lady was out with her car during the raid, picking up and in every way assisting the wounded and injured, showing great bravery and coolness, and was an example to all ranks.”

Before the war Miss Dickinson was an enthusiastic breeder of Great Danes, and was a familiar sight in the town with her animals. One champion dog has accompanied her throughout her travels; she says it is a great protection to her when the enemy gets at close quarters. We reported in January 1916 on the adventures of Miss Dickinson’s sister Edith, who escaped from Serbia in a hazardous trek across the mountains following the fall of Belgrade, where she had been serving as a hospital chauffeur orderly.

Source: Luton News, 1st August 1918

Leighton Buzzard Nursing Association

Nurse Burchell, midwife, at Billington c.1927 [PCBillington19/77]

Monday 11th February 1918: The Leighton Buzzard Nursing Association held its annual meeting today at 11 Hartwell Crescent. Members heard that over the past year the services of the two nurses provided by the Association had been much appreciated and their work had been excellent. The nurses’ report showed that they had attended 204 cases during the year, including 44 midwifery and 14 maternity.  One nurse has been helping the Health Visitor at sessions held every two weeks at the Infant Welfare Centre, which opened in March. The Association’s funds were placed under some strain by the extra expense of providing a midwife, but this had been alleviated by a gift of £20 from the committee of the Invalid Kitchen, who had also given milk and Bovril for the patients.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 19th February 1918

Bedford Nurse Treats Dying Bedford Soldier

Gunner Herbert Brooks

Saturday 15th September 1917: Gunner Herbert James Bartlett Brooks, the only son of Mrs. Brooks of St. Martin’s Dairy in Foster Hill Road, Bedford, has died of wounds received while fighting with the Heavy Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery. Before the war Gunner Brooks was an enthusiastic Conservative and the honorary secretary of the St. Paul’s North Branch of the Bedford Unionist Association. Coincidentally, while in hospital in France he was treated by Sister M. J. Branson, the daughter of Mr. Branson, who some years ago was also a prominent member of the Conservative Party in Bedford. Sister Branson wrote to Gunner Brooks’ mother that:

“Your son … died in this hospital at 1.30 a.m. on September 4. He passed quietly and peacefully away, and was unconscious at the end. He had a very bad gunshot wound in the thigh, with fracture of the bone, and a gunshot wound in the arm. It will be some slight comfort to you to know that he suffered little pain, and also it must be a comfort to know that one you loved best bravely did his duty.”

However, a letter from Gunner Brooks’ commanding officer gives a different account of his injuries, stating that he “died from a penetrating gunshot wound of the abdomen”. He has been buried at Wimereux Cemetery near Boulogne.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard, 14th September 1917

Nurse Escapes from a Sinking Ship

Market Square, Leighton Buzzard c.1920. Number 22 is on the extreme right. [Z1306/72/11/3]

Tuesday 22nd May 1917: The family of nurse Edith Halford of Leighton Buzzard have been surprised by her unexpected return after she left for service in one of the more distant theatres of war. She never reached her destination, having had a narrow escape when the ship on which she was travelling was sunk. She and other nurses on board spent four hours in open boats before they were picked up by a tug. Miss Halford and her sister were enthusiastic members of the local Voluntary Aid Detachment before the war. For the past two years she has been nursing in an Army Hospital at Cambridge, where she and 56 other nurses were recently selected for foreign service. She is in good spirits and hopes she will be able to return to useful hospital work. Miss Halford’s father Edwin, one of the town’s oldest tradesmen, runs a jewellery business at 22 Market Square.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 22nd May 1917

A Terrible Journey from Serbia to England

Serbian Army during retreat to Albania, October 1915 [Wikimedia]

Saturday 29th January 1916: Miss Edith Dickinson, of Heath Road, Leighton Buzzard has returned from Serbia where she was attached as a chauffeur orderly to a hospital organised by a Mrs Stobart. With her sister, Miss Hilda May Dickinson, she had been engaged in Red Cross work in Belgium during the German invasion. After her Serbian experiences she described what she went through in Belgium as a “mere detail”. The fall of Belgrade [1] was followed by several days of terrible hardships during which their hospital was inundated with maimed and wounded Serbians. Soldiers and civilians had fought side by side in the streets of the capital, with the nature of the wounds showing that there had been much hand-to-hand fighting.

When the retreat began the wounded in the hospital were left in the charge of Serbian doctors and Austrian orderlies. She was among a party of around fifty British doctors, nurses and orderlies which left as an air raid by German planes was taking place. They caught a train for Salonika, but found that the rails had been torn up by the Bulgarians and were forced to abandon the train and proceed by motor car. After some time they had to leave the car and continue on foot. Waggons drawn by oxen containing stores also had to be abandoned leaving the party only with the clothes they wore and what they were able to carry. At first the leaders of the party planned to travel over the Albanian mountains to the Adriatic Sea but this proved impossible due to the hostility of the Albanians to the Serbians. Their final route was an uneven, muddy track, along which they joined many thousands of refugees and the remains of the Serbian army. They passed numerous dead horses and cattle which had collapsed and been abandoned by refugees earlier in the retreat. The sight of dead bodies of human beings, half covered by snow, was all too frequent.

The journey over the mountains lasted for ten days, while blizzards and rain storms beat down on the party. At night tents were pitched into the snow and the exhausted refugees flung themselves down to sleep. The track was too dangerous to travel by night, in places being little more than a narrow ledge on the mountain side. On more than one occasion vehicles went over the edge, throwing out those inside and either killing or injuring them. One of the nurses, a Scottish lady, was killed in this way. They had only a very limited food supply, with rations doled out in ever smaller quantities. The Bulgarian and Austrian prisoners accompanying the party were fed as far as possible but many died of starvation. The hospital party was better off than most of the refugees; although they had only black bread and maize bread, they fortunately had some hospital stores, including Bovril and condensed milk. High in the mountains the cold was intense, and broken bridges meant they often had to wade through streams. Their clothes froze as stiff as boards on the wearers. The track was often knee deep in mud and slush in places, and hard and slippery with frost in others. Some of the nurses were wearing light summer dresses and had shoes totally unfit for the journey. Miss Dickinson was fortunate in that she had breeches and top boots.

Once the party reached the Adriatic side of the mountains it became warmer and their sufferings were less. They sailed across the lake of Scutari and after a further two days walk they reached San Giovanni di Medua from where they crossed to Brindisi in a small Italian boat. At San Giovanni they were told the Austrian army was on the move and that unless they took this ship they might not be able to get away; in the light of this they decided to risk the journey, although 300 people were packed onto a small vessel in heavy seas. When they reached Brindisi they were a sorry spectacle and had difficulty convincing the authorities to allow them to land. Miss Dickinson says “we looked simply wretched. Most of us were ragged, muddy and dirty, not having been in a bath for weeks. On top of this we were distressingly thin, and our feet were showing through our boots”. From Brindisi the party were able to take the train first to Paris and then to Le Havre and England.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 25th January 1916

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[1] Belgrade fell to Austria-Hungary on 9th October 1915

Red Cross Work at Wardown Hospital

Wardown House, 1914 [Z1306/75/8/2]

Monday 15th November 1915: It is encouraging to hear of the sterling work being carried out by the volunteer nurses of the Luton Voluntary Aid Detachments at Wardown House Hospital. Early in the war the mansion was placed at the disposal of the military authorities. Gifts of furnishings and equipment were sent from all over Luton and in October 1914 it was opened as a clearing hospital. As such it was used to nurse any cases of sickness among the troops training in the Luton area, and was also used as a training school for men of the Royal Army Medical Corps. At its busiest as many as 90 patients at a time were in residence, in the wards, in the annexe, or even accommodated in tents outside the house. Nurses provided by the V.A.D. have provided vital services from the time the hospital opened.

New arrangements are now being made for Wardown. Last week the hospital was transferred from the military authorities to the control of the V.A.D. Committee. At the present time there are only a few patients, but preparations are being made to receive about 70 wounded men who will be transferred from Aylesbury Hospital. These will be nursed entirely by the women of Red Cross V.A.D.s 12 and 14, under the command of Mrs. J. W. Green and Mrs. R. Durler. The Voluntary Aid Detachments were founded in 1905 at a meeting presided over by Queen Alexandra, and function under the auspices of the British Red Cross. By 31st March 1915 there were 2,207 V.A.D.s in Britain, with 66,059 members.  The Red Cross ladies of Luton include two quartermasters, 44 nurses and seven cooks. These volunteers are all now leading a life very different to the one they enjoyed before the war. Three of the nurses are on “active service” in France, and the remainder have been notified that they will now be called upon for both day and night nursing duties. They will be under the direction of a matron-in-charge and assisted by two professional nurses from London.

Wardown will make a perfect setting for wounded soldiers to begin their road to recovery. The dining-room, library, billiard and drawing rooms with their panelled ceilings have been turned into wards; upstairs rooms have been allocated for use as an officers’ ward, nurses’ quarters and the quartermaster’s stores. Considerable improvements were made to the property while the North Midland Division were based in Luton and it now meets high standards of cleanliness, ventilation and sanitation

Source: Luton Times, 12th November 1915

Grovebury Red Cross Hospital

Inspection of Voluntary Aid Detachment 1915 [Z1306/12/10/1]

Friday 12th November 1915: The Red Cross Hospital which opened at Grovebury Road, Leighton Buzzard on 23rd August has temporarily closed following the departure of the Royal Field Artillery for Ripon. In the two and a half months it was in operation it treated fifty four patients. These include both cases of sickness and those hurt in riding accidents at the Artillery School in Page’s Park. For much of this time the hospital operated with only a small number of nurses from the 18th Bedfordshire Voluntary Aid Detachment.  Fortunately by kind permission of Mrs. Leopold de Rothschild they were assisted by members of the 12th Buckinghamshire Voluntary Aid Detachment, the Linslade and Wing Branch of the St. John Ambulance Association. The Leighton Buzzard Red Cross detachment has now been asked to accommodate fifty wounded soldiers. They are hoping to be able to accept at least part of this number if they can get local help.

Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 2nd and 16th November 1915

More Confessions to Gertie Grimmer

Confessions of Sydney Hutton [X291/498]

Thursday 11th February 1915: Gertie Grimmer [LINK] has been adding the “confessions” of some of her military patients to her album. Here are the contributions of Bugler C.Denn, Sydney W.Hutton and George Norman Osborne: [1]

Of what country are you a native?

Charles:  England

Sydney:  England

George:  England, of COURSE

Who is the greatest state man living?

Charles:  Lord Kitchener

Sydney:  Sir Edward Grey

George:  None of ‘em worth calling great. Lloyd George the best – so far

Should bachelors be taxed?

Charles:  Why not

Sydney:  No

George:  Worth it, anyhow!

Who is your favourite hero in history?

Charles:  Nelson

Sydney:  Lord Nelson

George:  Henry VIII

Who is your favourite heroine in history?

Charles:  Mary Queen of Scots

Sydney:  Mary Queen of Scots

George:  Portia, from the Merchant of Venice

Do you prefer the Town to the Country?

Charles:  Yes

Sydney:  No

George:  Country, preferably shady nooks

At what age should a man marry?

Charles:  27

Sydney:  29

George:  When he can’t wriggle out of it

At what age should a woman marry?

Charles:  28

Sydney:  22

George:  When she’s sure she’s got him

Are you in favour of “Votes for Women”?

Charles:  Of course Yes

Sydney:  Emphatically No!

George:  Yes! If they can manage it.

What is your life’s ambition?

Charles:  Cannot state

Sydney:  To lead a quiet life

George:  To die single

Do you object to women smoking?

Charles:  Yes

Sydney:  No

George:  Certainly not

Where would you like to live?

Charles:  A place where the sun always shines

Sydney:  On the sea

George:  In a frame

What is your favourite Outdoor Pastime?

Charles:  Lifting pint pots

Sydney:  Yachting

George:  Depends on how much money I have

What is your favourite Indoor Pastime?

Charles:  Bags to eat

Sydney:  Sleeping

George:  Meditation (sometimes known as “Sulks”)

Do you consider yourself to be useful or ornamental?

Charles:  Neither

Sydney:  Useful

George:  Sometimes useful. Always ornamental.

What are your favourite Christian Names?

Charles:  Charles, Edward

Sydney:  Barbara and Basil

George:  George Norman

Source: Confessions Album of Gertie Grimmer[X291/498]

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[1] These would appear to be Bugler Charles T. Denn of the 3rd Rifle Brigade; Sydney W.Hutton of the 9th London Regiment (discharged 29.11.1916 due to wounds) and George Norman Osborne  of the Denbighshire Yeomanry (discharged 7.9.1916 due to sickness).

I Caught A Bullet

Gertie Grimmer, seated second from right [X291/499]

Sunday 31st January 1915: J Duncan of the 2nd Royal Scots, one of the patients being cared for by Nurse Gertie Grimmer, has not lost his sense of humour despite his injuries. He has inscribed the following poem in her “Confessions” album:

I caught a bullet that I know well

I gave a leap and then a yell

I wished the Germans all in ---

And then came back to England.

They have taken a lot of bones out of me

Since here I have been billeted

And if they take any more bone out

I am afraid I shall be filleted.

Source: Confessions Album of Gertie Grimmer [X291/498]

Confessions to Gertie Grimmer

Confessions of Betty Benfield

Monday 4th January 1915

Gertie Grimmer, currently nursing at the 1st Eastern General Hospital in Cambridge, received a “Confessions” Album for Christmas from her friend Ethel.[1] Here are some "confessions” from three of her friends: Betty Benfield, Isabel Campbell, and Ruby Whytock.

Of what country are you a native?

Betty:  England

Isabel:  India

Ruby:  Bonnybridge, Scotland

Who is the greatest state man living?

Betty:  Sir John Jellicoe

Isabel:  Earl Kitchener

Ruby:  Sir John Jellicoe

Should bachelors be taxed?

Betty:  Good heavens yes!!

Isabel:  No

Ruby:  Certainly not

Who is your favourite hero in history?

Betty:  Nelson

Isabel:  General Gordon

Ruby:  General Gordon

Who is your favourite heroine in history?

Betty:  Bloody Mary

Isabel:  Grace Darling

Ruby:  Grace Darling

Do you prefer the Town to the Country?

Betty:  Town rather

Isabel:  Town

Ruby:  Yes

At what age should a man marry?

Betty:  It depends on his stability

Isabel:  28-35

Ruby:  28-30

At what age should a woman marry?

Betty:  When she feels inclined and gets the chance

Isabel:  25-30

Ruby:  When she is asked and feels like it

Are you in favour of “Votes for Women”?

Betty:  No

Isabel:  No

Ruby:  No. No. No.

What is your life’s ambition?

Betty:  To travel

Isabel:  Ain’t got any

Ruby:  To get married and have children

Do you object to women smoking?

Betty:  Certainly not

Isabel:  Certainly not

Ruby:  No

Where would you like to live?

Betty:  On the top of the car

Isabel:  Glasgow, Scotland

Ruby:  Capital of Scotland, Edinburgh

What is your favourite Outdoor Pastime?

Betty:  Boating and ….

Isabel:  Golfing

Ruby:  Tennis

What is your favourite Indoor Pastime?

Betty:  Music and ….

Isabel:  Sleeping

Ruby:  Cuddling

Do you consider yourself to be useful or ornamental?

Betty:  Both. Am absolutely necessary.

Isabel:  Neither

Ruby:  ?

What are your favourite Christian Names?

Betty:  Ebenezer and Sophia

Isabel:  Lionel and Eileen

Ruby:  Ormond and Jean

Source Confessions Album of Gertie Grimmer[X291/498]

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[1] Gertie Grimmer was the aunt of well-known Ampthill local historian, Andrew Underwood.

An Unfortunate Motorcar Accident

Wrest House (South Front), c.1914 [Z1130/104/1/20]

14th September 1914, Wrest Park: About sixty convalescents recovering from injuries they sustained during the Battle of Mons have already arrived at  Lord Lucas’s house at Wrest Park, which has been converted into a hospital for soldiers. Some of the Red Cross nurses who have been sent to Wrest were involved in an unfortunate accident yesterday evening. They were given permission to take one of Lord Lucas’s cars for a spin and took a corner badly near the village of Haynes. The car overturned, leaving the driver with a broken arm and the passengers with injured heads. A motor omnibus taking a group of soldiers from Bedford to Shefford stopped at the scene to help and the injured nurses were taken to Shefford. They were well enough to return to Wrest but the car was badly damaged.

Source: Luton News 18/9/1914