Page 53 - History of War - Issue 30-16

THE SOMME: 1916–2016

THOUGH SHELL SHOCK WAS RECOGNISED and these were constantly in use. The term thoroughly to ensure a national standard of
DURING THE PERIOD, WAS THERE MUCH ‘burn out’ was sometimes used to describe care. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which
UNDERSTANDING OF THE MENTAL, NOT those who were already suffering or about to was established in 1916, initially adopted
TO MENTION PHYSICAL, STRAIN ON suffer from mental health issues. Nightingale’s views then later shifted in favour
VOLUNTARY AID DETACHMENT NURSES Commanding ofi cers were trained to spot of registration.
(VADs) AND SISTERS AT THE TIME? signs of mental stress and take preventative In 1919, spurred on by the nation’s poor
One of the primary aims of commanding action when possible. Weekly reports from health and the inl uenza pandemic, a Ministry
oficers in charge of military hospitals was to St John’s suggest that around 5 per cent of of Health was established. In the same year,
keep all staff in robust mental and physical nurses suffered from ‘burn out’ or breakdown. the Nurse Registration Act was passed. Nurses
health. Furthermore, there were extensive Colonel Trimble noted in his report that: “Sister still failed to agree on professional direction,
measures put in place to achieve this aim. Gervive and VAD nurse Reny Taylor were taken however, and the government formed a General
Nurses were given a list of guidelines for into the sick sisters’ home in Le Touquet. I am Nursing Council (GNC). Registration for nursing
maintaining health upon their arrival on the greatly afraid that the last named lady will have entailed a three year training programme in
Western Front. These included instructions to be invalided to England as this is the second an approved hospital training school, followed
about diet, cleanliness, sleep and exercise. breakdown since she came to us a short time by written, practical and oral examinations. In
Entitled ‘a nurses duty to herself’ the guidelines ago.” Furthermore, when St John’s was badly theory the GNC could withdraw approval from
recommended that nurses should never skip bombed on 31 May 1918, at least six nurses inadequate nurse training schools but the
meals because this lowered their resistance suffered seriously from what is now termed need to staff hospitals relegated training to a
to infection. They were advised to sleep for at post-traumatic stress disorder. secondary concern.
least eight hours and exercise in the fresh air For nurses who had experienced the ravages
during their periods of off-duty. WAS THE NURSING PROFESSION of the Western Front political wrangling seemed
Once battle casualties began to arrive RADICALLY CHANGED BY THE futile. VADs were particularly hard done by.
following the Somme offensive, however, all EXPERIENCES OF WWI, AS IT HAD Returning from the frontline they discovered
these guidelines were abandoned. Nurses PREVIOUSLY BEEN BY THE LESSONS OF that their valuable wartime experience counted
worked until they dropped, skipped meals, and THE CRIMEAN WAR? for nothing in the civilian world.
had no time to wash. Moreover, the only time Before 1914, nurses were politically divided. If they wanted to continue nursing they were
they were in the fresh air was when they were Some followed the stance of Florence expected to embark on a three year nurse
making their way through a carpet of blood and Nightingale, who had argued that nursing was registration course, just like all those who had
khaki in the hospital grounds, attending to the a vocation with status attached to individual no experience at all.
wounded as they did so. hospitals, while others followed the assertion Consequently, most gave up on the idea of
Most of the guidelines for nurses’ health of Ethel Bedford-Fenwick, who maintained nursing. The Nurse Registration Act and the
were concerned with physical wellbeing, but that nurses needed a national standard General Nursing Council did eventually ensure
there was a recognition that mental stress training leading to registration. Nightingale had some standardisation in nurse training, but
might overcome some nurses. Certainly a insisted that nurses should not be tested as in their eagerness to protect nurse status
number of rest centres were established for though they were engineers, while Bedford- thousands of young VADs were needlessly lost
nurses who had been working under duress, Fenwick argued that nurses should be tested to the profession.

Mary, Princess Royal, volunteered
as a nurse during the war, here
photographed in her uniform in 1914

An Australian
recruiting poster
encouraging
women to join the
Red Cross

Images: Getty

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