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Odette Sansom: The Most Decorated Woman of World War II

The most decorated woman of World War II was a spy. Her name was Odette Sansom, a woman born in France that moved to Britain. This is her story.

Did you know that the most decorated woman of World War II was a spy? That’s right. Her name was Odette Sansom, a woman who was originally born in France and later moved to Britain, married an Englishman, and had three girls.

Odette would survive several years in prison after being captured by the Germans before the war ended. She was a determined, audacious woman whose adventurous and loyal spirit made her one of Britain’s best spies. Odette, better known by her code name of Lise, was also World War II’s most highly decorated spy.

Who Was Odette Sansom?

Odette Marie Céline was born on April 28, 1912 to Gaston and Yvonne Brailly who lived in Amiens, France. Her brother Louis was born a year later in 1913. In 1914 when World War I broke out, Odette’s father joined the Infantry Regiment and received the Croix de Guerre and Médaille Militaire for his bravery. He died trying to find two of his men who had gone missing after the Battle of Verdun. Thus, Odette and her brother Louis grew up never knowing their father except his brave deeds.

Odette was a sickly child, but she managed to grow out of that when her mother enrolled her at a convent near the English Channel. When Odette graduated from high school, the nuns wrote in their final report that Odette was intelligent but also petulant. This streak would be seen clearly in Odette’s later activities as a spy.

Bessie Dora Bowhill was a woman who served alongside of Dr. Inglis. Although Bowhill is less well-known than Inglis, she nevertheless did much to improve the lives of the Serbians she served. Bowhill had served during the Boer War and joined one of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in Serbia during the First World War. She retained her senior position as a matron of the unit until she left Serbia in 1916. Like Dr. Inglis, Bowhill experienced the German occupation and did much to assist the suffering Serbians. Bowhill received the Serbian Cross of Mercy as well as the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal due to her nursing work in Serbia.

Odette married an Englishman, Roy Sansom, in 1930, and they moved to London after the birth of their first daughter, Francoise, 1932. They would later have Lily in 1934 and Marianne in 1936. After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and France and Britain declared war, Roy enlisted with the British army and Odette was left at home to take care of their girls.

In 1942, Odette happened to hear on the radio that the Royal Navy was asking for photos of France. Odette had spent a fair amount of time on the beaches around Calais with her brother when Odette was in high school, so she had photos to send. In addition, Odette also mentioned in an accompanying letter that her parents were French and she was well-acquainted with the coastal regions, and promptly (and mistakenly!) sent the letter to the War Office.

Odette Sansom Turns Into Lise

Around a week later, Odette was summoned to the War Office where a Major Guthrie asked if she might be interested in some part-time work. Shortly thereafter, she received a letter from Captain Selwyn Jepson, who Odette would later discover worked for the F (France) Section of the SOE—Special Operations Executive—a secret organization that was supposed to assist with resistance efforts in Nazi-occupied countries and perform acts of sabotage in those countries.

Captain Jepson asked if she would be willing to undergo training to see if she would be fit for the role of saboteur. That day and for weeks later, Odette said no, saying that she had to take care of her children. Finally, she relented, just to prove Captain Jepson wrong that she was not fit for the job. But ironically, it turned out that she was, and Odette loved the training and was propelled by her desire to assist those in France.

After several failed attempts to get her to France, Odette under the code name Lise, arrived in Cannes on October 1942 to temporarily join Peter Churchill, who had the code name Pierre Chauvet, Michel, or Raoul, and the SPINDLE circuit. Odette was later supposed to go on to Auxerre to establish a safe house, but Peter—unrelated to Winston Churchill—pulled some strings, and Odette joined his circuit, which included one of the best radio operators, Adolphe Rabinovitch who had the code name Arnaud.

Odette Sansom and Peter Churchill Are Captured

For six months, Odette, Peter, Arnaud, and the SPINDLE circuit together incited mayhem and avoided Germans, which required relocating several times. Unfortunately, though, a member of their network, Andre Marsac, had been captured and a sweet-talking Abwehr—the German intelligence organization—officer Hugo Bleicher, known as Colonel Henri, convinced Marsac to name members of his organization. On April 16, 1943, Odette and Peter were captured, and by this time, had developed a romantic connection so it was fairly easy to play that they were married.

From that point on until the end of the war, Odette and Peter would move into different prisons and concentration camps, sometimes together, but other times not. Odette tried to save Peter by convincing the Gestapo that she was the mastermind, not Peter, and she mentioned that Peter, who she called her husband, was the nephew of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill. These intelligent acts certainly saved Odette and Peter’s lives for some time.

Odette Sansom’s Medals:

The George Cross (Great Britain)

The Order of the British Empire

Pre-WW1 Medals and Awards: The Legion of Honour

The Legion of Honor

The War Medal 1939-1945

The France and Germany Star

The 1939-1945 Star

The Gestapo brutally tortured Odette since they considered her the mastermind and asked her for the location of some individuals which only Odette knew. Even when a red hot poker was placed on her back and all of her toenails were pulled out, Odette simply replied, “I have nothing to say.”

In July 1944, Odette was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp and was kept in a dark bunker completely isolated for three months and 11 days at one point during her stay. Even though she was extremely emaciated and her hair and teeth were falling out, Odette still had her wits about her.

The camp commandment Fritz Suhren decided to take Odette with him to the American forces in May 1945, knowing that the Allies had entered Germany and that Odette had said that she was related to Winston Churchill. Odette, however, told the Americans to take him prisoner. Although Suhren would escape several times, he was eventually hanged for war crimes due in part to Odette’s testimony.

On August 19, 1946, Odette received news that she had received the George Cross, Britain’s second-highest honor, and it was decided that she and Peter would receive their British awards together at the investiture on November 17 of that same year. The only woman out of about 250 soldiers and officers about to be decorated, Odette was given the honor of leading the investiture.

Odette’s George Cross Citation:

‘The KING has been graciously pleased to award the GEORGE CROSS to: Odette Marie Celina, Mrs. SANSOM, M.B.E., Women’s Transport Service (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry).
Mrs. Sansom was infiltrated into enemy occupied France and worked with great courage and distinction until April, 1943, when she was arrested with her Commanding Officer. Between Marseilles and Paris on the way to the prison at Fresnes, she succeeded in speaking to her Commanding Officer and for mutual protection they agreed to maintain that they were married. She adhered to this story and even succeeded in convincing her captors in spite of considerable contrary evidence and through at least fourteen interrogations. She also drew Gestapo attention from her Commanding Officer on to herself saying that he had only come to France on her insistence. She took full responsibility and agreed that it should be herself and not her Commanding Officer who should be shot. By this action she caused the Gestapo to cease paying attention to her Commanding Officer after only two interrogations. In addition the Gestapo were most determined to discover the whereabouts of a wireless operator and of another British officer whose lives were of the greatest value to the Resistance Organisation. Mrs. Sansom was the only person who knew of their whereabouts. The Gestapo tortured her most brutally to try to make her give away this information. They seared her back with a red hot iron and, when, that failed, they pulled out all her toe-nails. Mrs. Sansom, however, continually refused to speak and by her bravery and determination, she not only saved the lives of the two officers but also enabled them to carry on their most valuable work. During the period of over two years in which she was in enemy hands, she displayed courage, endurance and self-sacrifice of the highest possible order.’

The Reunion of Odette and Peter

After the war, Odette and Peter reunited after fifteen months of being separated and were married on February 15, 1947 although they would later divorce in 1956, but Peter never spoke ill of his ex-wife who married Geoffrey Hallowes later in 1956. Odette died on March 13, 1995 at the age of 82.

One of only three F Section agents operating in France to receive the George Cross, Britain’s second-highest honor, Odette was the only one to receive the award in her lifetime. In addition, Odette was the second SOE agent and the first female who had faced the enemy to receive the award. Odette did not like being especially singled out and asked that the award be regarded as acknowledgement of all who had assisted to liberate France. Even though some individuals disputed Odette’s receipt of the George Cross and asked it to be revoked, Prime Minister Macmillan refused to entertain the idea, as Odette had duly received the award.

In addition to the George Cross, Odette received the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.), the Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur, the the 1939-1945 Star, the France and Germany Star, the War Medal 1939-1945, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, and the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1950, Odette’s story was made in a film called Odette, and the Royal Mail released a stamp in Odette’s honor in 2012.

Sources

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/100273
Loftis, Larry. Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy. Gallery Books, 2019.

Guest Contributor: Rachel Basinger is a former history teacher turned freelance writer and editor. She loves studying military history, especially the World Wars, and of course military medals. She has authored three history books for young adults and transcribed interviews of World War II veterans. In her free time, Rachel is a voracious reader and is a runner who completed her first half marathon in May 2019.

The Arctic Convoys of the Second World War

How after a disaster in the Eastern front and the possible collapse of the communist giant, the USA and Great Britain helped the Red Army.

This night of the 21^st of June 1941, no one would have expected what followed. Well, some saw some signs that an enormous army was reaching the borders between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The tsunami that ensued was one of the most ambitious attack ever created by any army in the history of Mankind.

In a few days, lacking any real orders nor information from the Stavka (Soviet high command of the Armed forces) or Stalin, most of the troops of the Red Army were wiped out. The equipment was captured or destroyed. It would take several months for the Red Army to recover from this hurricane, and they would only stop the Germans in the suburbs of Moscow.

Seeing a total disaster in the Eastern front and the possible collapse of the communist giant, America and Great Britain decided to help the Red Army, in an unusual way but in a way that could only help the soviets recovering. The lend-lease program thus started in august 1941, taking its part in saving the explosion of the Soviet Union.

Where did the Arctic convoys come from, and where did they arrive?

Escorted by the Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the US Navy, the convoys sailed in the north Atlantic to a meeting point situated in Iceland and then sailed through the north, crossing the Norwegian sea as far away from the coast as possible, the tumultuous Barents Sea and arriving in Murmansk or Arkhangelsk deep in the coast of the White Sea.

During this journey, the vessels and their escorts would sneak between the icebergs of the Arctic Ocean and the German naval bases located in the fjords of the Norwegian coastline.

Besides the danger of icebergs and the minus 50 degree Celsius the sailors could face, the main trouble was the wolf packs of GroßAdmiral Dönitz. These packs were composed of several U-Boote and were hunting the vessels all year long. The submarines were not the only hunters in the paths of the convoys, as the Tirpitz and the Scharnhorst were also stationed in the fjords. As the Battle of the Atlantic was carrying on and with the slow death of the Kriegsmarine, these two Battleships had no real impact after 1942.

The destination of the convoys was not clear but the ideal target was Murmansk in the Kola peninsula. With the efficient rail network that covered the Soviet Union, it was the fastest stop to unload equipment and make it go across the country, until it reached front-line units.

Murmansk was at first a very dangerous stop for the convoys as Finland also joined the war against the USSR as a co-belligerent. One of the objectives of the Finns was to attack and cease Murmansk in case convoys would reach the Soviet Union. Operation ‘Silver Fox’ was a failure and the outnumbered and badly equipped Russians held Murmansk until the end of the war with Finland in 1944.

It would take around 10 to 15 days for the convoys to sail from their meeting point, either in Iceland or near the Orkney Islands, to Murmansk or Arkhangelsk.

Some may ask why the USA didn’t sail across the Northern Pacific to harbors like Vladivostok. The answer is quite obvious, since Japan declared war in late 1941. The Pacific Ocean was dangerous, not only because the Japanese Imperial Navy was hunting in the area, but also because in the Aleutian Islands, the Japanese did a ground landing and thus starting the only ground battle on American Soil.

Were the convoys that important for the USSR war economy?

We can always try and want to rewrite history, but the arctic convoys played a major role during the Great Patriotic War as the Russians call it nowadays. Some convoys were so stacked, it would take sometimes more than 6 months to unload their shipping in the soviet harbors. Tanks, aircraft, artillery, basic equipment like boots, trucks… The convoys unloaded more than 4 million tons of equipment into the arctic harbors!

Arguing about the necessity of the convoys is easy, knowing that all the Soviet war industries were displaced far away behind the Urals, but in 1941, when in the very first day of Operation Barbarossa, most of the Soviet air force was destroyed by the Blitzkrieg orchestrated by Nazi Germany, this equipment was more than necessary. It was vital.

The first English aircraft that set foot on Soviet territory was directly engaged in combat. Even “The Hurricanes” participated in the Battle for Moscow during winter 1941-1942, when the Soviet Union was on the brink of collapsing.

Why did the convoys play a Major role in the War?

The convoys played a major role in the war effort. Not only on the battlefield, even though the equipment provided by the UK and the USA was vital for the Soviet war effort, it wasn’t as vital as the diplomatic actions and trust it installed between the communist giant and the western democracies.

The convoys were vital for Stalin, but they were for Churchill as well. It showed that the West was prone to help the USSR before creating the “Second Front” in Western Europe in 1943 and 1944. Stalin was paranoiac but in the West was trying to help him, he knew he could trust the Allies and that they would not give up on him.

These sailors probably didn’t know it and some died without knowing it, but they played a major role in winning the War. They tried and succeeded to connect two different ideologies against a monstrosity only for the good to succeed in the end.As we look back, we must remember the sacrifice of these sailors, not because they did their job but because as FieldMarshal Mannerheim said : “Fortifications, artillery, foreign aid will be of no value, unless the ordinary soldier knows that it is HE guarding his Country.”

Sources:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-5-minute-history-of-arctic-convoys
https://www.rbth.com/longreads/arctic_convoys/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_convoys_of_World_War_II
Dönitz, Karl . The last Fuhrer. Peter Padfield.

Guest Contributor: Kjetil Vion is a writer and a history enthusiast. A passionate of France and modern military history, he has a special interest into the Prussian state, specially since the Sadowa battle against Austria. Always wanting to learn more, he now looks to spread his knowledge in history.

Colonial Military Involvement in World War I

More than half a million colonial soldiers fought in Europe. They came from all corners of Africa and were deployed in different battles.

It is still difficult to determine whether colonial military involvement in World War I helped strengthened or loosen colonial ties. More than half a million colonial soldiers fought in Europe, mainly in the French army. These soldiers came from all corners of Africa and were deployed in different parts of Europe.

Most of the European countries involved in colonizing Africa participated in World War I. They controlled large parts of the continent, thereby forcing the native Africans to participate in the war. Apart from the economic exploitation of Africa to support the war, colonial powers forced Africans to migrate to Europe where they either became workers or soldiers.

WW1 and the Colonies

Between 1914 and 1918 alone, more than 440,000 native soldiers and 268,000 workers were shipped to Europe, where they were forced to participate in the war. According to the British Library, more than four million men of African origin were mobilized across the continent to participate in the First World War alone.

The Origin of Colonial Troops

France was the most notable culprit as far as colonial troops were involved. It had already used African soldiers to fight its European wars like the Italian war in 1859, Crimean war (1854-1856) and the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-71.

After the first crisis in Morocco in 1905 Adolphe Messimy, a radical army general, petitioned for an extended period of compulsory military service to Muslim Algerians. A 1912 verdict allowed for the forceful recruitment if the required number wasn’t met by those who volunteered.

From 1914-1915, France deployed more than 450,000 soldiers from Africa. They came from West Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Somalia. European settlers added another 110,000 from North Africa, while around 5,700 were extracted from Senegalese ports and towns. The then Prime Minister George Clemenceau (1841-1929) came up with a suggestion to hire 200,000 Ethiopian mercenaries, but it never happened.

The number of colonial troops increased in the second half of the First World War. After suffering heavy casualties in the first phase, a new doctrine emerged. Colonial troops were to fight alongside soldiers from European countries to minimize defections and casualties.

The massive recruitment of men from North and West Africa to participate in World War I came with numerous challenges. For instance, the French saw a drop in the number of volunteers and the military resorted to coerced recruitment. This approach faced opposition from many people.

In West Africa, rich and influential Africans would resort to handing over their servants and slaves to the recruiting officers to spare their family members from participating in the war. Resistance came in many forms; for instance, there were cases of self-mutilation, fleeing into Liberia, the Gold coast, Guinea or even into the dense forests. In some instances, armed rebellion cropped up to fight the colonial powers taking people to fight in the First World War.

In West Africa, rich and influential Africans would resort to handing over their servants and slaves to the recruiting officers to spare their family members from participating in the war.

Unlike the French who never hesitated to deploy colonial troops in the First World War, countries like Britain, Italy, and Belgium among others exhibited some reluctance in deploying their colonial soldiers.

The British soldiers comprised of colonial troops in the Middle East and Africa. Part of India’s colonial soldiers was partially used in Europe from as early as 1914. But in 1916 the famous ‘million black army’ was endorsed by many politicians like Winston Churchill (1874-1965) and senior military officers. However, racial prejudice, logistical challenges, and opposition from African countries made it difficult to use these troops in Europe.

Italy tried deploying its colonial troops in Europe but it was disastrous. For instance, in August 1915, around 2,700 troops from Libya were taken to Sicily. But they failed to get to the frontline because many died from pneumonia immediately after arriving. As a result, the remaining Libyans had to be shipped back home.

Belgium had planned to ship its colonial soldiers from Congo, but this never materialized. But a small number of Congolese fighters fought alongside metropolitan Belgian troops. The Portuguese didn’t bother deploying its colonial troops in Europe either. The Germans used a majority of its colonial forces in the African theatres of wars but never envisioned sending them to Europe to fight in the First World War. Furthermore, they wouldn’t have done so due to logistical challenges.

Race and Military Dogma

It is no secret the involvement of the colonial troops in the First World War is remarkable in the sense that people from different races met and fought against each other and alongside one another. This diversity is the reason why Britain and France resorted to using non-white soldiers against the Germans.

In 1914, The Times History of the World wrote, “the instinct which made us such sticklers for propriety in all our dealings made us more reluctant than other nations would feel to employ colored troops against a white enemy.”

Britain used colonial troops in its colonies for imperial defense and not in Europe to fight other white groups. The argument brought forward is if a white man is trained to use arms against another European, there’s no guarantee that they’ll not attack their own masters in the future. However, this changed after European countries realized their native soldiers were suffering heavy casualties, hence the decision to use colonial troops. The British had a racial categorization policy that informed their decision to deploy two Indian divisions in France.

Final Thoughts

While in common thought the perception of World War I is narrowly confined to the Western Front, the battle took place in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. But there were brief excursions in the Far East and Central Asia.

The litany of the labels of the different arenas of combat has become the identifier for the ‘world’ nature of World War I. The colonial Homefront -the lives of many, women and children across Africa and Asia who lost their fathers, brothers, and husbands and experienced a myriad of challenges remains one of the under-researched areas of World War I history.

Part of the problem lies in the sources. A majority of the colonial soldiers who served in the First World War were illiterate and did not leave memoirs and diaries like those found in Europe. But there is much to learn from the experiences of both men, women and children, both combatants and non-combatants who fought in the war and whose lives were changed forever.

Guest Contributor: Solomon Ochieng is an ex-soldier turned freelance writer. He’s interested in military history, its traditions and recent developments. He has a BsC in ICT Management from Maseno University and regularly writes for Ethiopia’s Ezega.com, and a regular contributor to Identify Medals focused on military medals and awards. In his free time, you’ll find him reading or working out.

Florence Nightingale: The Life and Medals of the Lady With the Lamp

Florence Nightingale became a common household name due to her part in the Crimean War. She turned nursing into a respectable profession for women.

Born on May 12, 1820 to wealthy English parents, Florence Nightingale was named after the Italian city in which she was born—Florence, Italy—just like her sister Parthenope who had been born in Naples and was given the Greek name for the ancient city. When they returned to England, the Nightingale family divided their time between their two homes: Lea Hurst in Derbyshire for the summer and Embley in Hampshire for the winter.

Who Was Florence Nightingale?

Although many Victorian women did not attend universities, pursue professional careers, or receive an education, Florence’s father William believed that his daughters should have the opportunity to get an education. Thus, he decided to teach his daughters a variety of subjects, including Italian, Latin, Greek, history, and mathematics. Florence, in particular, excelled academically, and she received superb preparation in mathematics from her father and her aunt. It is due in part to Florence’s education as a child that her two greatest life achievements—pioneering the field of nursing and reforming hospitals—were possible.

As Florence received her education from a young age, she also was very active in ministering to the ill and poor people in the village near her family’s estate. By the time she reached the age of 16, she believed that nursing was her calling and divine purpose. At first, her family did not take too kindly to this idea.

But Florence insisted. She turned down a marriage proposal and enrolled as a nursing student at the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany in 1844.

Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War

Florence Nightingale became a common household name due to her part in the Crimean War, which lasted from 1854 to 1856. In 1853, Florence had returned to London from Germany and began serving as an unpaid superintendent of an organization for gentlewomen suffering from illness and did so for a year. When the war broke out in 1854, Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of War, recruited Florence and 38 nurses to serve in Scutari during the Crimean War.

Florence and the nurses left London on October 21, 1854, crossing the English Channel, traveling through France to Marseilles, and sailing on to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) before arriving on November 3, 1854. Scutari was located near Constantinople, and the conditions were abysmal. The hospital was replete with vermin and lacked even basic equipment and provisions.

Moreover, the medical staff could not keep up with the substantial number of soldiers who were being shipped from across the Black Sea away from the fighting in Crimea. Even worse, more patients were dying from disease and infection than from battle wounds.

Florence Nightingale in Florence

Florence and her nurses got right to work. They turned the hospital into a significantly more healthy environment by washing the linens and clothes, improving the medical and sanitary arrangements, writing home on behalf of the soldiers, and introducing reading rooms. Within six months, the death rate of the patients fell from 40 percent to a mere 2 percent.

It was here at Scutari that Florence would acquire the nickname of “the Lady with the Lamp.” According to the Times, Florence would walk among the beds at night, checking on the wounded men with a light in her hand. This image—in a similar way to the flag-raising at Iwo Jima—captivated the public, and she became a celebrity with her own “cult following.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of many to admire Florence and immortalized her in his poem Santa Filomena:

Whene’er a noble deed is wrought

Whene’er is spoken a noble thought
             Our hearts, in glad surprise,
             To higher levels rise.
The tidal wave of deeper souls
Into our inmost being rolls,
             And lifts us unawares
             Out of all meaner cares.
Honor to those whose words or deeds
Thus help us in our daily needs,
             And by their overflow
             Raise us from what is low!
Thus thought I, as by night I read
Of all the great army of the dead,
             The trenches cold and damp,
             The starved and frozen camp, —
The wounded from the battle-plain
In dreary hospitals of pain,
             The cheerless corridors,
             The cold and stony floors.
Lo! in that house of misery
A lady with a lamp I see
             Pass through the glimmering of gloom
             And flit from room to room.
And slow, as in a dream of bliss,
The speechless sufferer turns to kiss
             Her shadow, as it falls
             Upon the darkening walls.
As if a door in heaven should be
Opened, and then closed suddenly,
             The vision came and went,
             The light shone and was spent.
On England’s annals, through the long
Hereafter of her speech and song,
             That light its rays shall cast
             From portals of the past.
A lady with a lamp shall stand
In the great history of the land,
             A noble type of good,
             Heroic womanhood.
Nor even shall be wanting here
The palm, the lily, and the spear,
             The symbols that of yore
             Saint Filomena bore.

After several months of working at the hospital in Scutari, Florence desired to witness the conditions of the army at Balaklava herself and left on May 2, 1855. In just a few days of arriving in the harbor, she was struck with “Crimean fever,” and it was feared that Florence would die. By the end of the month, however, Lord Raglan telegraphed London that she was out of danger. Nonetheless, her complete recovery was slow due in part to her demanding schedule as a nurse.

Florence’s experiences in the Crimean War completely changed her, and when she returned to England in August 1856, she began to campaign for the reform of nursing and the sanitation of hospitals. Within three years, the Nightingale Fund had reached over £40,000, which Florence used to establish the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas’ Hospital on July 9, 1860. After nurses received their training, they were sent to hospitals across Britain to introduce Florence’s ideas.

Florence Nightingale's Books

Around this time, Florence also published two books, Notes on Hospital and Notes on Nursing, both published in 1859. These books, in addition to about 200 other books, pamphlets, and reports on hospital, sanitation, and other health-related issues, would lay the foundations for modern nursing.

Florence lived until the age of 90, dying on August 13, 1910. Even though she had the opportunity to buried in Westminster Abbey, her relatives declined the offer, and she was instead buried at St. Margaret Church in East Wellow near her parents’ home.

Florence’s work and achievement cannot be understated. She turned nursing into a respectable profession for women. Previously with the exception of nuns, most women who worked as nurses were working-class and often poorly trained and disciplined. Florence was determined to educate women in the field of nursing and turn it into a respectable occupation. Due in large part to her work in Crimea, Florence helped to transform the public image of nursing.

The Legacy of Florence Nightingale

Even today, Florence continues to be recognized for her pioneering work. New nurses take the Nightingale Pledge, and the Florence Nightingale Medal, issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross beginning in 1912, is the highest international award that a nurse can achieve.

Like the woman named in honor, the Florence Nightingale Medal is awarded to nurses or nursing aides who exhibit “exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster” or “exemplary services or a creative and pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education.” In addition, International Nurses Day has been celebrated on her birthday (May 12) each year since 1965.

Less well known are Florence’s mathematical achievements. However, her reforms in hospital sanitation methods were due to her use of new techniques in statistical analysis. Florence developed a “polar-area diagram” to depict the needless deaths that had been caused by unsanitary conditions. In this way, Florence was innovative in collection, graphical display, interpretation, and tabulation of descriptive statistics.

Florence Nightingale Medal - WW1 British Mdals & Awards - Red Cross

The Florence Nightingale Medal

Florence even received an award from Queen Victoria herself: a jeweled brooch designed by Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, with the dedication: “To Miss Florence Nightingale, as a mark of esteem and gratitude for her devotion towards the Queen’s brave soldiers.”

Sources:

How to Look for British Soldiers from the Second World War WW2

There is a wide-ranging variety of records from the Second World War where you can research British soldiers and their histories. These are kept in different archives, all held by the Ministry of Defence. In this guide we will list them so you can search for information about those that put their lives at risk (and frequently lost them) during WW2.

Records Available Online

A lot of records can be accessed online, for free or for a very small fee. These include registers and documents provided in large by the National Archives and the Ministry of Defence.

1939

The 1939 Register

This 1939 register allows you to browse for documents by name or address. The site is paid, as it belongs to Findmypast.co.uk. Th register contains a survey of the civilian British population and was used as the basis for issuing ID cards and ration books, among others.

> Explore the 1939 Register

1915-1978

The Cabinet Papers

The Cabinet Papers lets you check records from the Cabinet Office. This includes documents concerning decisions and discussions before, during, and after the Second World War.

> Explore Cabinet Papers

1943-1945

The Allied Expeditionary Force Papers

This website allows you to browse copies of documents from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and 21 Army Group, which relate to a variety of headquarters responsibilities. The records are also available as digital microfilm in their catalog.

> Explore all WO229 Documents

Service Records

1920 – Present

Service Records by Veterans UK

Veterans UK offers summaries of service records from the Ministry of Defence. One important note: Only those who are next of kin can request access, as these are not available to members of the general public.

> Explore Service Records

National Archives in Kew Records

1939 – 1945

War Diaries from British Army Units

This website allows you to search British Army unit war diaries for the Second World War. They have a nice research guide you can use to get started.

> Explore War Diaries

1939 – 1945

UK Wartime Diaries and Personal Papers

This link will connect you with the Imperial War Museum website. Here, you will be able to access different records from their document archive, as well as from the various collections held by the museum and that refer to the Second World War.

> Visit the Imperial War Museum Website

Government and Military Records

The National Archives has an immense collection of documents you can consult, divided into Departments that cover government and military records for the Second World War. Just note that there’s likely to be some overlap between separate departments.

Most armed forces and general war records will be found in one of these:

Correspondence, policy and negotiation with other states can be explored in:

Foreign Office

Correspondence to and from the Prime Minister’s office:

Prime Minister’s Office

Domestic and internal affairs:

Home Office

The Falklands War: Military Medals from Argentina and the United Kingdom

The Falklands War was a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands, and its territorial dependency, the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Argentina suffered a state coup on March 24 th , 1976, and on April 2nd, 1982, the military government invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in an attempt to rise the low public opinion regarding their political performance, as in the period from March, 1976 and December, 1983, 30,000 people were kidnapped, tortured and disappeared for being against the military government.

Decorations of the Falklands War

When it comes to the Falkland’s War decorations both Argentina and the United Kingdom medals to those who fought or performed outstandingly during the war.

From the United Kingdom there’s just the South Atlantic Medal, which was awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands War of 1982. Over 33,000 of them were awarded.

Argentina, on the other hand, issued (at different points in time) several medals. The main ones being:

The Argentine Nation Cross to the Heroic Valour in Combat is the highest military decoration give by the Republic. It is granted to the military and security forces personnel, civilian police forces, Argentine or foreign, whom in combat motivated by extraordinary events have the character of a war function, perform isolated or in the exercise of command, a ponderable action that stands out considerably from the behavior patterns, usually considered correct. A total of 21 medals were given to Argentine heroes of the Falklands War, all of them having fought in the war, and eight of them having given the medal posthumously.

The Argentine Nation to the Valour in Combat Medal is the second highest military decoration given by the President of Argentina and it’s awarded to “Recognize acts during the Southern Atlantic war for merits, valour and heroism in the defense of the Motherland“. The medal can be given to Argentinian citizens as well as foreigners.

The Medal to the Fighters is a decoration given by the Argentinian Republic to everyone who fought in the territorial claim of the Falklands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands between April 2nd and June 14th 1982.

The Medal to the Fighters (Argentina)

Military Medals Argentina - The Cross to the Heroic Valour in Combat

The Cross to the Heroic Valour in Combat (Argentina)

The Argentine Nation to the Valour in Combat Medal

The South Atlantic Medal

Argentinian Falklands War Decorations Recipients

The recipients of the Argentine decoration for service were:

Lieutenant Roberto Estévez (posthumously) for commanding, while severely injured by British bullets, his infantry troops and for guiding by radio the artillery fire in the first line of combat during Darwin’s battle. A last bullet impact ended his life.
Lieutenant Ernesto Emilio Espinosa (posthumously) covered from the top floor of Top Malo House farm, the retreat of all his fellows, while being surrounded and attack by special British forces, dying during action by the fire of enemy rifles, grenades and rockets.
First sergeant Mateo Antonio Sbert (posthumously) fought while being severely injured by enemy fire during the Top Malo House battle, and died in combat.
First Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso Posse fought with tremendous courage during the whole war, combating while being in disadvantage against the enemy’s special forces in the surroundings of Mount Kent, in spite of being isolated and injured, he kept fighting, forcing the enemy forces to retreat. He returnedby his own means to the Argentine lines, loosing a huge amount of blood.
Second Lieutenant Juan José Gómez Centurión led, while being in great material and numerical disadvantage, several counter attacks during Darwin’s battle.
Sergeant Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo fought in spite of being injured by bombardment splinters the day before Mount Harriet’s battle. He also transported injured soldiers under enemy fire and took them to a safe place, risking his life in several occasions, and continuing the fight body to body during those movements until he run out of ammunition, and even using his knife, until he fell prisoner of the Royal Marines.

Conscript soldier Oscar Poltronieri operated a machine gun during the Mount Two Sisters’ battle, ignoring the retreat order, and staying fighting by himself, allowing the effective retreat of all his fellows to safer areas, and holding the enemy with only his machine gun, preventing the whole British offensive from moving forward.
Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino (posthumously) led, without opening fire against the British troops, the assault to the governor’s house where, when entering there, was severely injured by the Royal Marine’s fire, and died the same day at the hospital.
Ship Lieutenant Guillermo Owen Crippa piloted an Aermacchi MB-339 in the first aerial attack, and attacked all by himself the British troop based in the San Carlos Port, conformed by twelve ships strongly defended by anti aerial artillery and missiles, he left the HMS British ship out of service and returned safe to his base at Argentine Port.
Corvette Liberty Carlos Daniel Vázquez conducted his section of shooters during the defense of Tumbledown against the attack of a British unit resorting to the fire of his own artillery, without caring about his own security, and resigning his position just after the third attack, when he had no ammunition left and his section was practically destroyed.
NCO Júlio Saturnino Castillo (posthumously) for showing devotion and loyalty to his subordinates and superiors repeatedly, and conducting his men until his last breath, when he jumped to save a subordinate that was being killed with bayonets. An Argentine Army’s ship was named after him.

Conscript Félix Ernesto Aguirre (posthumously) fought body to body, bearing an immense superiority of the enemy and the fire against his position. He got injured in his legs and besides that, he tries to help Second Lieutenant Silva who was deadly injured near him and got injured again, dying in his position.
Corvette Lieutenant Héctor Miño led successfully several counter attacks facing an immense numerical and material disadvantage, holding the British forces, where he is severely injured, and then took as prisoner by enemy forces.
Brigadier Ernesto Ureta, Commodore Gerardo Guillermo Isaac, Captain José Daniel Vázquez (posthumously) and Captain Omar Jesús Castillo (post mortem) piloted an A-4C Skyhawk each, attacking the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, which was at the very center of the British defensive fleet, and was left out of service. Captain Vázquez and Captain Castillo were killed during the attack.
Commodore Pablo Carballo led his section in the attack of two British ships in the north of the Falklands islands.

Chief Petty Officer Carlos Omar Ortiz, for leaving the refuge in the middle of red alerts to assist injured staff under enemy fire and in combat zone.
Chief NCO Pedro Prudencio Miranda for offering himself as an explosive screwdriver volunteer, first disarming by himself an active bomb inside the Argentine ship Formosa, later on disarming bombs in an A-4Q plain that had landed in the base, and lastly disarming a bomb that he had notice was accidentally activated and was just about to explode.
Aircraftman José Raúl Ibáñez, for repelling by own decision an aerial attack against his ship by two enemy’s Harrier, immensely superior in armament and firepower. In spite of not being in charge of the machine gun, he did not hesitate when the operator was shot, and responded to the attacks, getting to damage one of the planes with a light gun that was not prepared to fight against planes, forcing the British aerial patrol to retreat.
These are just a few examples of the enormous courage of the Argentine men that fought with an immense armament and numerical disadvantage during the whole war.

The Cyclist Corps of the First World War (Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia)

Bicycles had been around for a while when thr First World War began. They are lighter, quieter and logistically easier to manage than horses, which need much by way of logistical support for its feeding and care. To the British, it soon became clear that the most mechanised army in the world could use this popular form of transport in the war effort.

The Cyclist Corps could move relatively quickly across poor ground and had long range, making them the perfect group for reconnaissance and communications. In this article, we’ll go through how these battallions were formed and used during WW1.

The Creation of the Cyclist Corps

In Great Britain, volunteer cyclist units had been formed as early as the 1880s. In 1888, for example, the first complete bicycle unit was raised, the 26th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers. These cyclists, while not deployed as organised combat formations, were still employed intermittently during the South African War.

When the Haldane reforms took place (a series of changes in the British Army named after the Secreatry of War Richard Burdon Haldane) the Volunteers, Yeomanry and the Militia Regiments were reorganised into the Territorial Force, forming nince battalions of cycists.

The members of the Territorial Forces could not be compelled to serve outside the country, as they had been created as a home defence force for service during wartime. However, in 1914 many members volunteered for Imperial Service, and the the units had to be split. One was liable for overseas service, and the other for home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas. A third line was later created to serve as a reserve.

Recruitment efforts in 1914-1915 aimed at attracting men who were already cyclists, or who were at least interested in things mechanical. On the eve of the First World War, the Territorial Force had a strength of fourteen cyclist battalions, the majority Territorial battalions as part of the regular infantry Regiments except for four: the Huntingdonshire, Highland, Northern and Kent Cyclists, who were independent.

Among the regulations from 1907 for the use of bikes in the field of battle and in drilling and ceremonial occasions, we can find:

‘A cyclist standing with his cycle, with rifle attached to it, will salute with the right hand, as laid down in Section 19, returning the hand to the point of the saddle on the completion of the salute. When at ease, a cyclist, whether mounted or leading his bicycle, will salute by coming to attention, and turning his head to the officer he salutes. A party of cyclists on the march will salute on the command Eyes Right, which will be followed by Eyes Front, from the officer or NCO in charge.’

‘The rate of marching, excluding halts, will generally vary from 8 to 10 miles per hour, according to the weather, the nature of the country, and the state of the roads. A column of battalion size should not be expected to cover more than 50 miles in a day under favourable conditions.’

The Cyclist Corps in WW1

The cyclist battalions were first employed on Coastal Defences and to supply drafts of men to the regular forces in the United Kingdom. This task was crucial, so none of them were sent overseas then, and very few later, in small groups of men with the divisions possessing individual cyclist companies.

Cyclists were usually held back in preparation for the resumption of “normal” mobile warfare between action. They were employed in combat, but in conditions of trench warfare they were generally found to be ineffective, although they proved essential around 1918 for reconnaissance. The terrain on the Western Front was unsuitable for bikes and they were discarded early on with the unit. Still, the cyclist corps were armed as infantry and could provide mobile firepower, if required. Some battalions such as the Kent Cyclists were also converted to infantry and used for foreign service in India, usually working in the rear areas behind the front lines and in traffic control duties.

The 1st Kent Cyclist Battalion was the sole battalion to be awarded battle honours – The North West Frontier in 1917, Baluchistan in 1918 and later Afghanistan.

The Corps was disbanded in 1920 because cyclists were perceived as having little future value and the Corps. By 1922 all remaining Territorial cyclist battalions had been converted back to conventional units.

The Australian and New Zealand Cyclist Corps

The Australian Cycling Corps were used mainly as despatch riders, to conduct reconnaissance and do patrolling. They were formed in Egypt in 1916 as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following its evacuation from Gallipoli, and fought on the Western Front in France and Belgium during World War I. Each of its five infantry divisions was allocated a company of cyclists – every company with a headquarter and six cycle platoons with a total strength of 204 men.

Following their arrival in France, they were reorganised as corps troops, with the 1st and 2nd Cyclist Battalions being formed and attached to the I and II Anzac Corps. The 2nd Battalion included two companies of New Zealanders, and was commanded mostly by New Zealand officers. The unit arrived on the Western Front in July 1916 and participated in the Messines and Passchendaele offensives in 1917 and the Spring Offensive and Advance to Victory in 1918.

These cyclist battalions were first organised like the infantry (as despatch riders) and later operated in a manner similar to cavalry (doing reconnaissance and patrolling). The II Anzac Corps were particularly involved with burying telegraph cables, and at times served in the trenches as infantrymen.

In early 1918, the New Zealand Cyclist Corps was called upon to fight as infantry, taking part in important defensive actions in the Battle of the Lys (April) and offensive actions in the Second Battle of the Marne (July-August).

Remembering the Cyclist Corps

It’s not easy to determine how many men served in the various cyclist units during WW1. Some 20,000 names can be traced from the campaign medal rolls, but this does not include the many who served in units at home.

No regimental memorial has been built to commemorate the Cyclist Corps efforts. These men, working in the trenches, were in the most acute danger and carried out many acts of great bravery. Below are a few stories to honor them.

Pte William Liddell DCM

Pte William Liddell was a 33-year-old married man from Leith, Scotland. He served in the 9th Divisional Cyclist Company, after having been with the Seaforth Highlanders. His citation in the London Gazzette for the Distinguished Conduct Medal (junior only to the Victoria Cross) he received speaks of his action during the Battle of Loos in September 1915 at Madagascar. Sadly, Liddell would later die of wounds near Ypres on 25 February 1916.

‘Hearing a wounded man of another battalion, who was lying out in the open, calling for assistance, he, accompanied by Captain Campbell, jumped over the parapet and together they carried the wounded man to safety. Private Liddell’s clothing was hit in several places by enemy bullets.’

Jack Hales

Jack Hales was part of the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Batallion. He was involved in the Gallipoli landings and also served in Turkey and France. He left England shortly after the end of the war, moving to Canada then Australia before finally settling in New Zealand.

John Edward ‘Ned’ Shewry

John Edward “Ned” Shewry (1889-1962) was a world champion woodchopper from New Zealand. HIs good skills and technique with an axe caught the eye of the elder Eastern Taranaki bushman Hughie McLeod, who entered Shewry in his first chopping event. In 1911 he won in Eltham, the “Mecca of axemen”, and carried on his winning streak at a number of other chopping events around Taranaki and the King Country.

In 1915, Ned and his brother David joined the New Zealand Cycling Corps. He served in Egypt, France and Belgium and his service was recognised with the Military Medal for bravery, which he received for saving an officer’s life while under fire at Marfaux, France in 1918. Ned was wounded twice and was even buried alive – only the quick actions of his friends saved him from suffocation. He didn’t totally abandon his axe. He joked that he only received the Military Medal ‘because I kept the cookhouse supplied with kindling wood!’

Tragically, his brother David died from injuries received in France in 1917. Ned was twice wounded in battle, but when he returned home he was a fit man keen to return to the woodchopping arena.

British Medals: Order of Wear, How to Apply and Request Records

In this article we explore the order of wear of British medals and awards, how to apply for them and how to request records of deceased personnel. To see a list of all Great Britain military medals, badges and awards please go to this page.

Order of wear of British Medals and Awards

All services use a common order of wear for medals and awards. You should only wear official decorations, medals or emblems which you are entitled to and have been approved for acceptance and wear. Unofficial medals should not be worn with official orders, decorations and medals. These are the general rules:

The Victoria Cross and the George Cross
United Kingdom Decorations
Order of St John (all classes)
United Kingdom Medals for Gallantry and for Distinguished Service
United Kingdom Operational Service Medals (worn in order of date of award)
United Kingdom Polar Medals, Police Medals for Valuable Service, Jubilee, Coronation and Durbar Medals.
Long Service and Efficiency Awards
Commonwealth Orders, Decorations and Medals instituted by the Sovereign and instituted since 1949 otherwise than by the Sovereign (worn in order of date of award).
Foreign Orders, Decorations and Medals (if approved for wear, worn in order of date of award).

Applying for Medals in the United Kingdom

You can apply for a medal if you served in the armed forces and are eligible, if you were awarded a medal for service in any of the following:

the army
the Royal Navy
the Royal Marines
the Royal Air Force (RAF)
the Home Guard
the reserve forces

You must meet the eligibility requirements for the medal you’re applying for. You can also apply on behalf of a veteran if you have lasting power of attorney.

Download and fill in the medal application form.

How to Request Records of Deceased Service Personnel

The MOD is the custodian of the records of service personnel and Home Guard records until they are opened to general public access at the National Archives.

Subject to the payment of an administration fee and provision of a copy of a death certificate (except where death was in service), certain information can be provided from the records of service of service personnel on request under the publication scheme.

More Information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/request-records-of-deceased-service-personnel

The Poetry of The Great War

During the First World War, numerous poems, novels, diaries, letters, and memoirs were written by men and women, frequently observing the effects of the war on soldiers, spaces, and the homefront. This need to record the experiences of those involved in WW1 produced a boom in publication of war literature, for example in Britain, in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

WW1 Poets and Poems

Published poets wrote over two thousand poems about and during the war. Among the most popularly anthologized are lyrics by Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, as well as poems by Ivor Gurney, Edward Thomas, Charles Sorley, David Jones and Isaac Rosenberg. However, only a small fraction of the total poems written during the Great War is still known today, with several poets that were popular with contemporary readers becoming obscure as time past.

We have compiled here some of the poems available through wikipedia and other websites. Below, you can also find a list of published work.

The Great War - WW1 Poetry

How to Die

by Siegfried Sassoon

Dark clouds are smouldering into red
While down the craters morning burns.
The dying soldier shifts his head
To watch the glory that returns:
He lifts his fingers toward the skies
Where holy brightness breaks in flame;
Radiance reflected in his eyes,
And on his lips a whispered name.

You’d think, to hear some people talk,
That lads go West with sobs and curses,
And sullen faces white as chalk,
Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses.
But they’ve been taught the way to do it
Like Christian soldiers; not with haste
And shuddering groans; but passing through it
With due regard for decent taste.

Kitchener

by George Orwell

NO STONE is set to mark his nation’s loss,
No stately tomb enshrines his noble breast;
Not e’en the tribute of a wooden cross
Can mark this hero’s rest.

He needs them not, his name untarnished stands,
Remindful of the mighty deeds he worked,
Footprints of one, upon time’s changeful sands,
Who ne’er his duty shirked.

Who follows in his steps no danger shuns,
Nor stoops to conquer by a shameful deed,
An honest and unselfish race he runs,
From fear and malice freed.

A Letter from the Front

by Henry Newbolt

I WAS out early to-day, spying about
From the top of a haystack—such a lovely morning—
And when I mounted again to canter back
I saw across a field in the broad sunlight
A young Gunner Subaltern, stalking along
With a rook-rifle held at the ready, and—would you believe it?—
A domestic cat, soberly marching beside him.

So I laughed, and felt quite well disposed to the youngster,
And shouted out “the top of the morning” to him,
And wished him “Good sport!”—and then I remembered
My rank, and his, and what I ought to be doing:
And I rode nearer, and added, “I can only suppose
You have not seen the Commander-in-Chief’s order
Forbidding English officers to annoy their Allies
By hunting and shooting.”
⁠⁠But he stood and saluted
And said earnestly, “I beg your pardon, Sir,
I was only going out to shoot a sparrow
To feed my cat with.”
⁠⁠So there was the whole picture,
The lovely early morning, the occasional shell
Screeching and scattering past us, the empty landscape,—
Empty, except for the young Gunner saluting,
And the cat, anxiously watching his every movement.

Thomas of the Light Heart

by Owen Seaman

FACING the guns, he jokes as well
⁠As any judge upon the Bench;
Between the crash of shell and shell
⁠His laughter rings along the trench;
He seems immensely tickled by a
Projectile which he calls a “Black Maria.”

He whistles down the day-long road,
⁠And, when the chilly shadows fall
And heavier hangs the weary load,
⁠Is he down-hearted? Not at all.
‘Tis then he takes a light and airy
View of the tedious route to Tipperary.

His songs are not exactly hymns;
⁠He never learned them in the choir;
And yet they brace his dragging limbs
⁠Although they miss the sacred fire;
Although his choice and cherished gems
Do not include “The Watch upon the Thames.”

He takes to fighting as a game;
⁠He does no talking, through his hat,
Of holy missions; all the same
⁠He has his faith—be sure of that;
He’ll not disgrace his sporting breed,
Nor play what isn’t cricket. There’s his creed.

World War I Poetry Available Online

Wikipedia has an extensive list of poems written about World War I by servicemembers or civilians from various countries. At the moment of writing this article, 234 poems had been added to the list.

See all WW1 poems on Wikipedia >

All the WW1 Inter-Allied Victory Medals

The Victory Medal (or Inter-Allied Victory Medal) was awarded to anyone who had been mobilized in any of the fighting services and having served in any of the theatres of operations, or at sea, between midnight 4th/5th August 1914, and midnight, 11th/12th November 1918.

The medal was originally designed by William McMillan and adopted by Great Britain first, then Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA.

Each allied nation would design a ‘Victory Medal’ for award to their own nationals. All issues had certain common features, such as the ribbon, and showed a similar design (a winged figure of Victory on the obverse). Two countries, however, had very distinct designs: Siam and Japan.

The Different Designs of the WW1 Inter-Allied Victory

In terms of collecting, the Inter-Allied Victory medals make for a great group, but a few of them (like the Brazil and Siam issues) are extremely difficult to find, and there are a lot of counterfeit ones around. Still, if you want to take a look at what’s available keep scrolling and you’ll see some auctions (you’ll need to have your adBlock disabled).