The folks at Mary Seacole Information are vigilant about finding appearances of Mary in the media and making corrections if necessary. They ignored an outstanding Nigerian nurse, Kofoworola Abeni Pratt (1915-92), The Sunday Observer, May 28, 2006, Section I, p. 5. dying victims, putting screens around them, giving comfort until all died. Not the least harm done by avid Seacole supporters in the first BAME nurse in the NHS. You have to read Mary’s own words, this is also available online HERE. Here she aided in medically treating Cholera victims and as a result became known as the ‘yellow woman from Jamaica with the cholera medicine’. Episode 15A: Betty Crocker and our first Giveaway! Sadly, Edwin died in 1844, followed closely by the death of her mother. It was her husband, a This article is in the current edition of the Salisbury Review (out now). Notes on the Bust of Mary Seacole. Seacole would set out carrying bags of lint, bandages, needles, thread and medicine accompanied by mules loaded with sandwiches and other food, wine and spirits, arriving on the battle-field at dawn. By Vivienne Siva, JIS Reporter. However, the British Commander in Chief of the Crimea forces and the duke of Wellington and New Castle organised a four-day festival of music and gave her the proceeds. Reflecting on the mixed blessings of her Crimean experience Mary acknowledged that: ‘Whereas others in my position may have come back to England rich and prosperous, I found myself poor – beggared.’ However, Mary was greatly moved by the genuine affection and warmth she received in London from many of the soldiers that survived the war and who felt indebted to her for the selfless way she had served them. She was an outstanding student (the She Then she gives this up for some reason to come back to Britain and again be funded by her societies. This lesson comes about two thirds of the way through the teaching programme of Florence Nightingale. Dr. Deborah Gabriel is a Lecturer in Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University and the Founder and CEO of Black British Academics; a Community Interest Company working to advance race equality in the higher education sector. Half the population. After her return to England, Mary Seacole was presented w ith the Crimean medal, which the Jamaica Government in 1991 awarded her posthumously with the country’s third highest honour, the Order of Merit. The reason for its commission is unknown. Pratt came to London to train at the Mary Seacole – The Florence Nightingale of Jamaica. By Rita Monjardino. King Edward VII was a Dravidian Fulani who claimed the throne after the death of Queen Victoria. Mary Seacole was born as Mary Jane Grant in 1805 in Jamaica. The Jamaican Nurse, pp. Mary travelled to England and approached the British War Office, asking to be sent as an army nurse to the Crimea where she had heard there were poor medical facilities for wounded soldiers. © 2011 - 2020 The History Chicks | Proudly powered by, Shownotes Episode 5: Dolley Payne Madison. When the statue of Mary Seacole was unveiled the communique put out by St Thomas’ emphasised in a series of negatives that the real history of Mary Seacole was irrelevant, as was any comparison with any other – deliberately un-named – person (obviously Florence Nightingale). By Joanna Bogle. Letter addressed to Mrs. Edwards. She returned to Panama in 1854. She was in this Mary Seacole to be honoured with stamp. And so she might, given that she added New Mary Seacole Photograph supports UK Statue Appeal Fund. It was two former commanders of the Crimean war – Lord Rokeby and Lord Paget who organized a lavish fund-raising gala for Mary at the Royal Surrey Gardens in Kennington. Statues are erected and removed often to reflect present-day concerns. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. NHS, called for Seacole to be added to the 2020 Bicentenary in honour of By Inez K. Sibley. Great Jamaicans of the past… Jamaica Records, August 9, 1989. Book by Mary Seacole republished. As a teenager Mary longed to travel and often used to mark the route to England on a map. Jamaica Information Service,. Daily Gleaner, December 18, 1973, p. 3. However towards the end of the article I realised that the agenda was building her up more and more. Her father was a Scottish officer in the British Army, and her mother was a free Jamaican Creole who was a healer. Mary’s statue at St. Thomas Hospital in London, Mary Seacole died on May 14, 1881, at the age of 76 of a stroke and is buried in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Cemetary in London. Mary‘s return to Kingston in 1853 coincided with a violent outbreak of yellow fever which was particularly devastating to the British who had no resistance to the tropical disease. This facility provided medical, food, and other services and was used mainly by officers. Exhibition on Mary Seacole. She describes herself as “only a little” brown, but her friend was very dark so London boys made fun of their complexions. The site also features work on Rosa Parks and others. The Daily Observer, February 16, 2004. Sunday Gleaner, March 8, 1987. Mary Seacole’s grave restored in London. Institute of Jamaica, November 21, 2005. It was not until 70 years following her passing that recognition of Mary began to emerge. An Anthem to Mary Seacole. Mary Seacole portrait goes on show. Slavery still existed in the Southern states of America and the Panamanian locals detested the Americans who naturally felt themselves superior. to effect the first steps, notably by getting trained nurses into the workhouse Mary reports saving her first cholera patient in Cruces by using: In 1853, Mary returned to Kingston, caring for victims of a yellow fever epidemic. The Observer, May 12, 2005, p. 22. Read Mary’s Story Learning to use traditional medicines. That would be unfair. Mary Seacole – Nurse Courage. I think there is a statue of Nightingale somewhere, but not, apparently, appropriately at St Thomas’s. In Jamaica, the Jamaican Nurses Association named their Kingston headquarters Mary Seacole House. By Stuart Flittin. In her book – The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, Mary reveals a happy childhood in which she was raised by an elderly lady in her home, among her grandchildren. British artist Albert Charles Challen (8 October 1847 – 1 September 1881) is best known as the painter of this portrait of Mary Seacole when she was around 65 years old. Both a hall of residence at the University of West Indies and a ward in Kingston hospital were named after Mary. Undaunted, she funded her own trip to Crimea, now part of Ukraine, where she established the British Hotel with Thomas Day, a relative of her husband, Edwin. The Daily Observer, March 7, 2014. Copyright © The Salisbury Review 2019. Mary Seacole was born ‘Mary Jane Grant’ in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805 during the period of British Colonial rule. Walker, Episode 150: Margaret Brown and the Titanic Revisited, Anniversary Edition, Episode 152: Catherine the Great *An entirely true story, Episode 153: Catherine the Great, *Part Two of an entirely true story, Episode 156: The Statue of Liberty, Revisited, Episode 159: Empress Sisi of Austria, Part One, Episode 160: Empress Elisabeth, “Sisi,” of Austria Part Two, Anne with an E Recap: Episode 7, Season One Finale, Schuyler Sisters with Amanda Vaill (interview), A Conversation with Carol Wallace (interview). By Stuart Flitton. In addition to visiting London for a second time, she also traveled to Haiti and Cuba. went to England in September 1854 to look into her failing gold stocks, by Plaque Unveiling Ceremony and Display: Mary Seacole. Lord Soley launched the campaign for a statue after leaving the House of Commons. The above picture depicts Mary seated in front of a wide valley, beside a tent, next to a camp stool and table full of medicine bottles. Again, in 1853 when yellow fever raged all over Jamaica, Seacole’s skills were brought to the fore. Asked what Seacole had done for the NHS or health care, he Crimean War celebrity Mary Seacole as a medal-winning, daredevil battlefield In one of his regular columns he wrote of Mary: ‘A more tender and skilful hand about a wound or broken limb could not be found among our best surgeons.’ During an outbreak of cholera Mary services were again in great demand. The more I read the more I see an opportunist which is backed up further when she comes back to Britain broke having to sell off all her goods at a loss. She faded from history for many years, but was rediscovered in the mid-1950s and, today is well know well enough that she has a statue in London. More about Mary Seacole: The Florence Nightingale of Jamaica. Unfortunately for Mary, the end of the war spelt personal disaster as she was left with unsaleable stores that were eventually sold for next to nothing. The Daily Telegraph, September 25, 1981. fee-paying schools. The hotel provided a place of respite for sick and recovering soldiers. Jamaican healer and war heroine – Mary Seacole. 2. Letter addressed to Institute of Jamaica. Widow Seacole moved on to start the British Hotel in Cruses, in modern-day Panama. When asked, Florence did come up with a couple of nice things to say about Mary, but for the most part, she wasn’t a fan of the energetic, enthusiastic, smart, charming woman. The Times War Correspondent, Sir William H Russell, wrote of Mary in 1857: “I trust that England will not forget one who nursed her sick, who sought out her wounded to aid and succour them, and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead”. In 2004, Mary was voted the Greatest Black Briton. Mary Seacole: Nurse, Entrepreneur, humanitarian – Her Career Story. The readings don’t specify that she actually took them back to her Hotel for treatment or even to a field hospital, only offering services to the wounded waiting to board ships on the harbour. epidemic in Kingston. The perpetrators of such misinformation are well meaning: Nursing leaders, NHS officials, the Royal College of Nursing, the Department of Education, the National Portrait Gallery, National Science Museum, National Army Museum and teachers from KS-1 and KS-2 to GCSE teachers and examiners. Mary Seacole, 1869 © Seacole was a pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War, who as a woman of mixed race overcame a double prejudice. coincidence arriving just after the first battle of the Crimean War. Mary Nightingale was a cleaner never any influence in nursing cannot read nor write. Not long after her husband’s demise, Mary’s mother also passed on and she was ‘left alone to battle with the world…’. Her mustard poultices (to cause sweating), Outlook, May 10, 1998, pp. time she gave up on her gold stocks (she had invested while in Panama), not The Sunday Gleaner, September 16, 1979, p. 7. Variety has the story. Essence, March 1974. Her arrival coincided with the cholera epidemic in that country. She writes with great wit and humor. Among the commendations Mary had received were the Crimean war medal and the French Legion of honor. Your email address will not be published. In her endeavour to work as a nurse in the Crimea, she wrote a letter introducing herself to Florence Nightingale, who was responsible for the group of nurses going to the Crimea. had no reply. The site also features work on Rosa Parks and others. The exciting discovery was made in 2009 by Dr Geoffrey Day, Fellows’ and Eccles Librarian at the school.