- DURATION 60 mins
Event Description
The Spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire was one of the many English spas that treated wounded soldiers of the Great War. Other than Bath, Buxton is the only place in England that has naturally hot mineral water. British soldiers suffering from stiff limbs, rapid heart rate, rheumatism and shell shock were offered hydrotherapy treatments at the Royal Devonshire Hospital, whilst wounded Canadians filled up Buxton’s Hydro Hotels for similar treatments. One of the forgotten stories of the First World War is how many nurses suffered from shell shock or wounds from being too near the Front or working 18 hour days with no breaks.
Join Melanie, author of The Secret History of English Spas (Bodleian, 2021), as she shares the tragic story of some of the Canadian nurses who suffered from shell shock and nervous breakdowns, and who were treated at Northwood House, an extension of the Canadian Red Cross Special Hospital in Buxton. The ‘Blue Birds’, named due to their blue uniforms, were often tragically misdiagnosed as ‘hysterical’. In so many cases, their treatment was too short and they were sent back to their nursing duties before they were well with disastrous consequences.
- Duration: 60 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Melanie
Melanie King has published eight books of historical non-fiction, covering subjects from prophecy and espionage to the history of chocolate. Her latest book, The Secret History of English Spas, was released September 2021.
Melanie graduated from Sussex University and has worked in Bangkok as a staff writer for the Nation, in Brussels with eurocrats, in the publications department at Chatham House, and in London with refugees and victims of torture. She earns a living as a writer and speaker, exploring the oddities of little-known byways of history.
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