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Extract of letter from Miss Daisy Urch, 18th General Hospital, Franco, Dated January 3, 1918. I returned to the Hospital the Saturday before Christmas and walked into trouble, I want you all to know the circumstances so shall write to you in full and trust you will pass it on to Miss Wheeler and Miss Noyesand I hope you will not allow any more units to leave the U. S. A. without the nurses having a definite rank and understanding as to their rights. Let me begin at the very first. Perphaps you know (as I learned in New York) that Major Besley was to have their uniforms made in Chicago and he kept the telegram from me, so all money was wasted. Those uniforms paid for by the Chicago Red Cross were discared and we were given the proper ones in New York. That was the beginning of my troubles with Major Besley, but not the end by any means. He has made it a point to make it very difficult for me right along. For instance he would come into the office and demand the nurses stay on duty longer thanthere was any need, then he would say they were writing things home that they should not. Oncone occasion he declared that bad sores were developing in the wards. I went all through the hospital and no doctor or nurse could fine one. It was one thin thing after another. He did not like this woman or that woman. When we had guests he would contradict every thing that I said.He began meddling in the nurses' mess I tried to get the commanding officer of the unit to help me, but he said it was Major Besley's unit and he must have his way about everything. It is my private opinon that Besley intended to make trouble for the nurses from the very frist. He dropped all his smoothness as soon as we took the oath of allegience. Well things went from bad to worse. He told the orderlies that they did not have to obey the nurses-so they say. When I returned from my illness he called me into his office and demanded that I resign as chief nurse. I objected but he stoody with his hand on the door and would not let me leave until I did so. What can one do in such a case? Our C. O. says that he is supreme and we can do nothing except through him and he refused to do anything. They have appointed Miss Spencer temporary chief nurse and I am on duty in the wards. I suppose nothing can be done in this particular case, but surely you can prevent other units from coming over without the chief nurse having her position assumed. If these men can dismiss her at will and without giving a reason, what kind of standards can we uphold? I asked them why and they said they did not have to give a reason and they refused to do so. Rumor says that Mrs. Besley has been down at Washington working against the nurses getting rank and he has been boasting that she has been working for it. I am so glad that you sent such a good lot of women otherwise I do not know where we would have been. We certainly need strong and good women and we need some legislarion to protect us. Can you help us? Very sincerely yours, Daisy Urch.

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Page
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Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
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    "coverageEndDate": {
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Page context
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    "ocrText": "Extract of letter from Miss Daisy Urch,\n18th General Hospital, Franco, Dated January 3, 1918.\nI returned to the Hospital the Saturday before Christmas and walked into\ntrouble, I want you all to know the circumstances so shall write to you in full\nand trust you will pass it on to Miss Wheeler and Miss Noyesand I hope you will\nnot allow any more units to leave the U. S. A. without the nurses having a definite\nrank and understanding as to their rights.\nLet me begin at the very first. Perphaps you know (as I learned in New York)\nthat Major Besley was to have their uniforms made in Chicago and he kept the\ntelegram from me, so all money was wasted. Those uniforms paid for by the Chicago\nRed Cross were discared and we were given the proper ones in New York. That was\nthe beginning of my troubles with Major Besley, but not the end by any means. He\nhas made it a point to make it very difficult for me right along. For instance he\nwould come into the office and demand the nurses stay on duty longer thanthere\nwas any need, then he would say they were writing things home that they should\nnot. Oncone occasion he declared that bad sores were developing in the wards.\nI went all through the hospital and no doctor or nurse could fine one. It was one thin\nthing after another. He did not like this woman or that woman. When we had guests\nhe would contradict every thing that I said.He began meddling in the nurses' mess\nI tried to get the commanding officer of the unit to help me, but he said it was\nMajor Besley's unit and he must have his way about everything. It is my private\nopinon that Besley intended to make trouble for the nurses from the very frist. He\ndropped all his smoothness as soon as we took the oath of allegience.\nWell things went from bad to worse. He told the orderlies that they did not have\nto obey the nurses-so they say. When I returned from my illness he called me into\nhis office and demanded that I resign as chief nurse. I objected but he stoody with\nhis hand on the door and would not let me leave until I did so. What can one do in\nsuch a case? Our C. O. says that he is supreme and we can do nothing except through\nhim and he refused to do anything. They have appointed Miss Spencer temporary chief\nnurse and I am on duty in the wards. I suppose nothing can be done in this particular\ncase, but surely you can prevent other units from coming over without the chief nurse\nhaving her position assumed. If these men can dismiss her at will and without giving\na reason, what kind of standards can we uphold? I asked them why and they said they\ndid not have to give a reason and they refused to do so.\nRumor says that Mrs. Besley has been down at Washington working against the\nnurses getting rank and he has been boasting that she has been working for it. I\nam so glad that you sent such a good lot of women otherwise I do not know where\nwe would have been. We certainly need strong and good women and we need some\nlegislarion to protect us. Can you help us?\nVery sincerely yours,\nDaisy Urch."
}