Mary was a remarkable lady best remembered for her work during the Crimean war (1853-1856) where she helped injured soldiers, even riding on horseback onto the actual battlefields. Although not a trained nurse, she knew how to make people better. She set up a place called the British hotel providing soldiers with dressings, food and drink and even a hug too! But at first she was not accepted to join Florence Nightingale’s nurses in the Crimea, maybe because she was black and from Jamaica at a time when most nurses were white and British. Unlike with Florence Nightingale, for 100 years people forgot about Mary’s achievements and bravery. Fortunately, today people want to learn about this special lady and there are now large statues so we remember her.
