Follow up to
previous post
I am indebted to Alan Cumming of
Scottish Women's Hospitals for the information below.
Alan recently visited Agnes's actual grave in Serbia at much the same time I found her family grave in Cumnock old cemetery.
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| Alan at Agnes's grave in Nis |
Background
The Scottish Women's Hospitals was founded in 1914 by Dr Elsie Inglis and other like-minded women who wanted to serve as doctors and nurses on the front line during WW1. The War Office was very much against the idea of women serving on the front line and declined their offer. Undeterred by the rejection the women returned to Edinburgh and hatched a plan to form all women hospitals; doctors, surgeons, nurses, orderlies, cooks, ambulance drivers and administrators. And by the end of WW1 there had been no shortages of requests for help among Britain's allies. France, Belgium, Serbia, Russia and Greece had all benefited from their work. Tens of thousands of lives had been saved. The impact they had in Serbia was remarkable, Serbia was not only fighting for its very life but faced huge typhus outbreaks. Often these hospitals were the only ones left in the field of battle.
Alan continues: As part of this year's WW1 centenary I felt that these brave women's stories, largely forgotten in their home land, should be told and we plan to take a presentation into schools, museums and community groups over the next four years. There were many women from Ayrshire and so far I have found one from Cumnock. Here is Agnes's story.
Agnes Kerr Earl was born on the 31st of March 1886 in Townhead, Cumnock. Her father William Earl was a joiner. Agnes's mother Jane Purdie passed away early in her life and she was brought up by her father. At the age of 25 she was living in Loudoun Street, Mauchline with her father.
On December 1916 she joined the Scottish Women's Hospitals as a nurse and set sail from Southampton to Salonika (Thessaloniki), a two week journey in those days and fraught with dangers from submarines, mines and Zeppelins over head. She joined the American unit. The unit's name was a result of the donations that had poured in from over the Atlantic Ocean. The unit was made up of 60 women, not just from Scotland but England, Wales and Australia. Agnes's Chief Medical Officer was the brilliant Dr Agnes Bennett from Australia. Their main objective was to support the 2nd Serbian Army who were fighting the Bulgarians in the Moglena mountains. The bigger picture was to support a huge force of Serbians, French and British to reclaim Serbia and push back the Germans, Austrians and Bulgarians. From 1916-1918 Agnes would have worked often day and night and all under canvas. The conditions were very hard going. Cases of malaria, gas gangrene, amputations were all a common sight. At times it was quiet, then hundreds of injured men poured in. There were very hot summers and cold winters and they were on the move as the front line moved back and forth. Agnes worked for periods at Salonika, Lake Ostrovo, Mikra Bay and a number of small field dressing hospitals. By November 1918 the Serbs were on the march home and Agnes moved to Vranje in Serbia working this time under Dr Isobel Emslie. The hospital at Vranje was a large ex army barracks packed with hundreds of patients with a whole manner of appalling conditions; pneumonia, pleurisy and serious surgical cases. Sadder still was one woman's account of the children "The injuries are terrible. We have had several poor little hands to amputate and often they have terrible abdominal wounds".
Cold weather came to Vranje and with it typhus, Agnes by this time was the sister in charge and had being doing a fantastic job and the death rates were very low. However while dressing a gangrenous limb she got a scratch which turned septic and two days later she was dead. Mary Green remarked "she had done heroic work in the typhus ward, never sparing herself in any way, a handsome girl, tall and strong and with a splendid character".
The Serbs were very sad at the news and rich and poor came bringing flowers. It was noted that vast crowds lined the streets for her funeral. British tommies formed the firing party and sounded the last post. A monument was erected by the Serbs as she was a favourite with them all.
Today Agnes's remains are buried in Nis in Serbia along with 5 other SWH members. I am happy to say the grave and cemetery are well looked after and she is not forgotten among the Serbian people.
She was awarded The Serbian Cross For Mercy and Silver Medal For Devoted Service In War.
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| Grave at Nis |
