Stories Hidden and Lost Fort Wayne Red Cross Nurses in the Great War

Abstract

When the United States entered World War I, nurses from across the country answered the call of the American Red Cross and volunteered for both stateside and overseas duty. Author Peggy Seigel follows the stories of Fort Wayne, Indiana, nurses Elizabeth Melville and Margaret Phillips Church. Melville served in a Red Cross base hospital behind the battle lines in Contrexéville, France, and Phillips worked in a variety of settings for the Red Cross Children’s Bureau. Both women called upon all their professional skills, as well as their stamina and courage, to meet the needs of wartime nursing.