World View: Mary Seacole Facts

Mary Seacole - Jamaican nurse

Mary Seacole was a nurse in the Crimean war who gained a great reputation for helping injured British soldiers.
During her lifetime, her renown rivalled Florence Nightingale, but, after her death, she was largely overshadowed by her illustrious fellow nurse.
She was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805
Her father was Scottish and an officer in the British army. Her mother was a free Jamaican lady, making her of mixed race.
On hearing of a call for nurses to travel to the Crimea, she was initially refused. She went on her own initiative and using her own funds.
Mary Seacole often visited soldiers on the front line to offer food, drinks and medicine. She was known as Mother Seacole amongst the troops.
Shortly after 7 September 1855, Seacole fulfilled a bet, and became the first woman to enter Sevastopol after it fell
Florence Nightingale was a contemporary of Mary Seacole. But, Florence did not offer much praise for her work and in some later letters cast doubts over her character.
When she returned to London bankrupt and ill, a charity gala was held for her over four nights attended by more than 80,000 people.
A campaign to erect a statue of Seacole in London was launched on 24 November 2003, chaired by MP Clive Soley, Baron Soley .