Netley nurses

[rmarsden]

Look at all those lovely belt buckles.

[bobscot]

Any idea when this was taken. Can't think why they would be at a military hospital.
Bob

[Paul Spellman]

Bob,
Most likely WW1, Netley was a military hospital nr.Southampton
The Japanese were our allies then.
Paul

[Charlie 585]

I live fairly close to the site of Netley Hospital which is now Queen Victoria country park and is a lovely place to spend a summer's day.

This link will take you to an informative site if you're interested in knowing more:

http://www.netley-military-cemetery....lition-starts/

I had the pleasure of passing the time of day on a bench in town some years ago chatting to an old veteran who had ended up there as a post D-day casualty. His lasting memory was of the kindness of the local little girls who would make embroidered badges of the soldiers regiments to give them and he still had a couple of these, though sadly I don't remember which regiment. He also had a lovely example that he had made himself, this was what the soldiers did to pass the time during their recovery once well enough and under the guidance of the little girls who showed them how it was done.

Regards

Ry

[David Tremain]

I remember seeing the ruined building as we sailed down the river on my dad's oil tanker in the early Sixties. It was a spectacular site. Too bad it had to be demolished. Another case of benign neglect.

David

[BWEF]

I saved this from somewhere some time ago. If anybody recognises it maybe they could cite the source?

".....the Japanese Red Cross nursing contingent left Japan for Britain to aid the British Red Cross on December 19th, 1914. The party consisted of 22 nurses, 2 doctors, and 2 clerks. Arriving in Liverpool January 22nd, 1915, they went to London as guests of the Red Cross and War Office. They were introduced to Queen Alexandra.

The Japanese Nurses began their work at Netley on February 1st, 1915, at the Red Cross hospital huts. According to one source the Red Cross hospital was erected as a base hospital with 500 beds, and treated 20,227 patients between Oct. 1914 and May 1919.

The Japanese contingent stayed to the end of 1915. In the Irish Hospital they treated 661 patients in 334 days of their service. However, some Japanese nurses served under English medical officers in other huts and looked after 1,892 patients during the same period.

Dr. Suzuki, Chief of the Detachment, spoke about the experience in 1916. He said that they greatly enjoyed the experience: "in no circumstances did either the English medical officers or English sisters draw any line of demarcation between them and the Japanese".

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by rmarsden

Look at all those lovely belt buckles.

I count 22 nurses, which is the lot.

[orasot]

One of them may have looked after this man, one of the QWR men I am researching, wounded at Houplines and came back to Netley where he died of wounds, he is buried in the cemetery there, we will have to visit him one day Ry,
Wilf

[norfolk regt man]

Originally Posted by Charlie 585

I live fairly close to the site of Netley Hospital which is now Queen Victoria country park and is a lovely place to spend a summer's day.

This link will take you to an informative site if you're interested in knowing more:

http://www.netley-military-cemetery....lition-starts/

I had the pleasure of passing the time of day on a bench in town some years ago chatting to an old veteran who had ended up there as a post D-day casualty. His lasting memory was of the kindness of the local little girls who would make embroidered badges of the soldiers regiments to give them and he still had a couple of these, though sadly I don't remember which regiment. He also had a lovely example that he had made himself, this was what the soldiers did to pass the time during their recovery once well enough and under the guidance of the little girls who showed them how it was done.

Regards

Ry

I was there today, looked in the café and walked around the chapel outside, the only bit left . Hospital was 1/4 mile long.

[Charlie 585]

Originally Posted by orasot

One of them may have looked after this man, one of the QWR men I am researching, wounded at Houplines and came back to Netley where he died of wounds, he is buried in the cemetery there, we will have to visit him one day Ry,
Wilf

Evening Wilf,

We will indeed mate, I'll look forward to that, the cemetery there is nicely situated and very peaceful, in fact the whole place is delightful when the sun shines and it must have been quite some place in its hey day with the grand hospital buildings as its centre piece and the bracing sea breeze blowing in from Southampton water.

Thanks for the info on your QWR chap, very sad but good to know that he is not forgotten

Originally Posted by norfolk regt man

I was there today, looked in the café and walked around the chapel outside, the only bit left . Hospital was 1/4 mile long.

Hi Andrew,

You were brave to venture there today with the weather we have had, I hope it was still worth the trip. The chapel itself is no small building and is a good guide to the sheer size of the long lost hospital, it is also good that it still stands.

Regards to all.

Ry

[Charlie 585]

This has turned out to be an interesting thread, I have seen and handled examples of the type of buckle that they wear, worn I believe as a badge of qualification and with pride at the competence that they portray.

I have to admit that I didn’t dwell on the seemingly scowling faces of the ladies in the image at first glance but having re visited the photo I noticed the humanity in the faces of these nurses, I wonder how long after their arrival at Netley that the image was taken as Wilf’s Private Silvester was admitted shortly after their service there began according to the dates kindly supplied by BWEF.

There do seem to be some pretty sombre faces but there are several other emotions on display here as well. I would go as far as judging that these ladies had seen action at the sharp end of their profession in the interval between their arrival and the day of the group pose that is shown in the opening post. Whilst some of them seem quite at ease and even mildly happy there are others who have an air of sadness and sorrow and others seem to be uncomfortable and don’t seem to want to be there having their photo taken on that day.
This I can only put down to the trauma that they must have been subject to whilst caring for the wounded from the battlefields, the seriousness and extent of who’s injuries are easy but uncomfortable to imagine.
I also see kindness and compassion, which if I am honest are traits that I wouldn’t normally expect to relate to a military themed image featuring the Japanese in the first half of the twentieth century. I am pleased to find these traits here and to know that men, the likes of Private Silvester of the QWR were cared for with skill, care, and compassion in the last days, hours and minutes of their lives, as they rightly deserved.

I imagine that it is possible even probable that one or more of those ladies may have been caring for and comforting Private Silvester the final moments of his life. Bless them for doing so, their compassion and humanity radiates from this image now for me and I hope also for others due to the back story that has emerged since it was posted.

Regards to all

Ry

[Wooffy]

BWEF - The book that you quote is:

The development of the Japanese nursing profession :adopting and adapting western influences (2004) by Aya Takahashi.

From what I can find, this is the output of his doctoral (PhD) studies.

Link to a review of the book here.
Link to the book in the google book store / review thing here.

Its also quoted in a thread on the same hospital here on the great war forum, there are other images on that thread too for those who are interested (although they appear to be other groups of nurses, not those in the original photo at the start of this thread).

[Blackadder1916]

Medical Ambassadors: Japanese Red Cross Nurses in Britain, 1915-1916
http://www.seijo.ac.jp/pdf/fasiv/4-1/tomida&daniels.pdf


The gazetting of the RRC to the two matrons.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...29431/page/341

War Office,
5th December, 1915.

The KING has been graciously pleased to
confer the Decoration of the Royal Red Cross
of the First Class upon the following members
of the Japanese Red Cross Mission : —

Sister Yao Yamamoto.
Sister Shige Kiyooka.