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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: sleepybarb on Monday 01 February 16 12:09 GMT (UK)
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Morning everyone, I am hoping someone may be able to guide me in the right direction. The church I belong to has Dorothy Vlieland on our war roll of honour. We know she was a nurse, however she died in Exeter in June 1917. I am wondering if she may have been evacuated back to a hospital locally from the Front. Is this likely.
Barb
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This is interesting if you haven't seen it http://jnvlieland.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/dorothy-vlieland.html It doesn't give cause of death though as far as I can see.
There is mention elsewhere of her being awarded a military medal, perhaps if this could be traced it might give more background information?
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Thanks Groom, yes I've seen the blog. There are several trees on Ancestry, so I thought I would contact a couple and see what they know. We are currently revamping the church and the vicar has asked me to write a piece for the parish magazine. I know where she's buried and will walk to Higher Cemetary one day to see if I can find her grave.
Barb
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Hi Barb...If you go to Ancestry in..."Pictures" there is a clip of her birth cert, and grave and also a couple of other notices.
Carol
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Hi Carol, thanks for that.
Barb
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Far more likely that she was working somewhere in the UK. There were a considerable number of auxiliary military hospitals in the Exeter area, though her work could have taken her anywhere and her body returned to her home area after her death.
She has no medal index card at The National Archives which signifies no overseas service.
As for the Military Medal - that's a complete red herring. Very few were awarded to women during the First World War and are well documented, but Dorothy Vlieland is definitely not among them so it can be discounted.
Sue
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Thanks Sue, that's what I thought as I have had a look at the medal roll. I am going to have a look and contact one of the tree owners on Ancestry. I suspect that the family attended St. Davids , which is why she's there. It's not the parish church for the family, but then I don't live in the parish either.
Barb
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No.2 VAD Hospital (is that Kings Gardens, Hove, East Sussex? Where did she work?Double check the location of number 2 V.A.D)
This one was used as weekend convalescent homes for blinded officers.
Fellow workers from No.2 V.A.D sent flowers.
The grave was lined with laurels and ferns. Laurels a symbol for recognition? Ferns a symbol of sincerety towars others perhaps?
Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD)
Is it likely she died of influenza or TB, which her patients may have brought home with them?
Death certificate would be interesting
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Wasn't the Spanish flu epidemic a bit later? I'm wondering what she did to have her name on the war roll of honour, was it just the fact she was a nurse during the war, was this normal practice?
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Each county had similar numbering and if a '2' is given, then that probably refers to Devon/2 VAD which was Streatham Hall Hospital, Exeter. It seems more likely than Sussex/2 which was in Eastbourne.
At a time where there were no antibiotics, influenza, pneumonia and other chest infections caused many deaths throughout the UK every year. The majority of women whose names are on UK war memorials died during the war of illness or disease and are included as giving their services during wartime.
Sue
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Sue, you are amazing, Streatham Hall , renamed Reed Hall in the 1920's would seem to be the right one .It is within walking distance of St. Davids, strangely enough I had lunch there with my husband the other week. I am looking forward to writing the piece now, my next step will be to see what the family know.
Barb
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The term military medal does not necessarily mean THE "Military Medal", although if she did not serve overseas it's difficult to see how she might have qualified for the any of the usual medals. Perhaps there was some sort of unofficial decoration involved here?
Imber
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A quick google of Streatham Hall Hospital shows the nurses were looking after patients with shell shock, appendicitus, Tuberculosis of spine, Pueral Sepsis. I'd imagine it was quite a task for a nurse.
This book has some photographs of the No.2 Ward Exeter
Great War Britain Exeter: Remembering 1914-18
By David Parker
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=ilyfBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT57&lpg=PT57&dq=%22Streatham+Hall+Hospital%22&source=bl&ots=SnYOKTDNez&sig=g-wT2d0WbDI0GSJqIepBeLQ0v-s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSnpiS7d3KAhVKHZQKHYFjC4kQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepage&q=%22Streatham%20Hall%20Hospital%22&f=false
This book would certainly give you an idea of what Dorothy was doing, could have been 12 hour shifts
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The term military medal does not necessarily mean THE "Military Medal", although if she did not serve overseas it's difficult to see how she might have qualified for the any of the usual medals. Perhaps there was some sort of unofficial decoration involved here?
It's very easy to get things confused and re-hashed though, particularly on the web. It could well be the British Red Cross Society War Medal though whether these were issued for members who had died, I don't know
http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-and-archives/Collections/Medals-and-badges
Sue
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Hi, everyone, I am joining this thread a bit late, but I am interested in Dorothy Vlieland.
I am co-ordinating the research group looking at the history of Exeter's First World War Hospitals and Dorothy is one of the nurses whom we have listed as having died during the war. She was a nurse at No 2 Hospital which (for you Exonians) was Bishop Blackall School. She was a qualified nurse, not a Red Cross (VAD) nurse and had worked in hospitals before the war. Her mother was the wonderful woman Alice Vlieland who started the Infant Welfare Clinics in the city.
For more information or to find out about our project (and exhibition in September) see https://www.exeterlocalhistorysociety.co.uk/world-war-1-hospitals-exhibition/ I would be delighted to help in any way I can.