history crimea essay
Question: do you agree that Mary Seacole, not Florence Nightingale was the real “angel of mercy” during the Crimean war?
During the Crimean war there were two main women that were responsible for the health service, these were Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Nightingale is very famous for the work she did during the Crimean war; improving the conditions of the hospitals and after the war, setting up a medical school. Whereas Mary Seacole, I find, was more important as she set up a small medical unit on the front line completely off her own back. I feel that this is the main factor that makes Mary Seacole the real “angel of mercy”. I will explore the motives of both these women and why I think they are important in the way they helped the troops in the Crimean war.
Mary seacole was a Jamaican woman, at the start of the Crimean war, she travelled to England and attempted to get herself recruited as a nurse with Florence nightingale, but she was rejected several times. No doubt partly because of the colour of her skin. Determined to help the British troops, she deployed to Baklava where she set up the “British Hotel” which was really a small restaurant and general store in what William Russell described as “an iron storehouse with wooden sheds”. But it was much loved by the British troops as it was a place that they could stay and relax and eat comfort food. Mary Seacole was much seen as a mother figure to the troops as she cleaned them, mended their injuries, gave them food, gave the troops alcohol and sometimes stayed with the dying troops to give them a happy death. As well as Mary staying in the “British Hotel” and looking after the troops, she also sometimes went out on the front line to treat soldiers and give them food and drink. While some praised Mary’s efforts in trying to help the soldiers, Florence nightingale tried to avoid associating herself with Mary Seacole, as she objected to some aspects of Seacole’s hotel such as selling alcohol and
During the Crimean war there were two main women that were responsible for the health service, these were Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Nightingale is very famous for the work she did during the Crimean war; improving the conditions of the hospitals and after the war, setting up a medical school. Whereas Mary Seacole, I find, was more important as she set up a small medical unit on the front line completely off her own back. I feel that this is the main factor that makes Mary Seacole the real “angel of mercy”. I will explore the motives of both these women and why I think they are important in the way they helped the troops in the Crimean war.
Mary seacole was a Jamaican woman, at the start of the Crimean war, she travelled to England and attempted to get herself recruited as a nurse with Florence nightingale, but she was rejected several times. No doubt partly because of the colour of her skin. Determined to help the British troops, she deployed to Baklava where she set up the “British Hotel” which was really a small restaurant and general store in what William Russell described as “an iron storehouse with wooden sheds”. But it was much loved by the British troops as it was a place that they could stay and relax and eat comfort food. Mary Seacole was much seen as a mother figure to the troops as she cleaned them, mended their injuries, gave them food, gave the troops alcohol and sometimes stayed with the dying troops to give them a happy death. As well as Mary staying in the “British Hotel” and looking after the troops, she also sometimes went out on the front line to treat soldiers and give them food and drink. While some praised Mary’s efforts in trying to help the soldiers, Florence nightingale tried to avoid associating herself with Mary Seacole, as she objected to some aspects of Seacole’s hotel such as selling alcohol and