I shall never forget my first impressions of London. Of course, I am not going to bore the reader with them; but they are as vivid now as though the year 18— (I had very nearly let my age slip then) had not been long ago numbered with the past. Strangely enough, some of the most vivid of my recollections are the efforts of the London street-boys to poke fun at my and my companion's complexion. I am only a little brown – a few shades duskier than the brunettes whom you all admire so much; but my companion was very dark, and a fair (if I can apply the term to her) subject for their rude wit. She was hot-tempered, poor thing! and as there were no policemen to awe the boys and turn our servants' heads in those days, our progress through the London streets was sometimes a rather chequered one. In 1853, Mary returned to Kingston, caring for victims of a yellow fever epidemic. She was invited by the medical authorities to supervise nursing services at Up-Park in Kingston, the British Army’s headquarters, and she re-organised New Blundell Hall, her mother’s former lodging house rebuilt after a fire, to function as a hospital. Mary had no children of her own, but the strong maternal attachments she formed with these soldiers, and her feelings for them, would later drive Mary to the Crimea. Crimea The Crimean War lasted from October 1853 until February 1856. It was fought by a coalition including Britain, against the Russian Empire. My First Glimpse of War – Advance of my Turkish Friends on Kamara – Visitors to the Camp – Miss Nightingale – Mons. Soyer and the Cholera – Summer in the Crimea – "Thirsty Souls" – Death busy in the Trenches Furness, Hannah (30 September 2014). "CBBC sketch 'inaccurately' painted Florence Nightingale as racist, BBC Trust finds". The Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 26 March 2020.

Seacole was portrayed by the actress Sara Powell in a 2021 episode of the BBC science fiction drama Doctor Who titled " War of the Sontarans", alongside Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor. [178] In 1850, Seacole's half-brother Edward moved to Cruces, Panama, which was then part of the Republic of New Granada. There, approximately 45 miles (72km) up the Chagres River from the coast, he followed the family trade by establishing the Independent Hotel to accommodate the many travellers between the eastern and western coasts of the United States (the number of travellers had increased enormously, as part of the 1849 California Gold Rush). [37] Cruces was the limit of navigability of the Chagres River during the rainy season, which lasts from June to December. [38] Travellers would ride on donkeys approximately 20 miles (32km) along the Las Cruces trail from Panama City on the Pacific Ocean coast to Cruces, and then 45 miles (72km) down-river to the Atlantic Ocean at Chagres (or vice versa). [39] In the dry season, the river subsided, and travellers would switch from land to the river a few miles farther downstream, at Gorgona. [38] Most of these settlements have now been submerged by Gatun Lake, formed as part of the Panama Canal. was also the year a war broke out in a part of the world called Crimea. One of the countries fighting in this war was Britain. How does Barbara socialise while she’s going through the southern states? Is she staying with slave-owning families?Mary went there because of a war, and during the years she spent there, close to the fighting, she was able to look after many of the soldiers. Seacole’s work as a nurse was nearly as celebrated as Florence Nightingale’s, and the newspapers wrote that each woman was “The Mother of the Army.” Florence Nightingale was called “The Lady with the Lamp,” while Mary Seacole was “The Creole with the Tea Mug.” In the last 20 years of her life, Mary led a quiet life, spending her time between London and Jamaica – where she went to escape cold winters. She died in 1881 in Kensal Green, London. Why do we remember Mary Seacole? Let’s turn to the book you’ve chosen. The first one is Mary Seacole herself, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, which is her autobiography. Why did she write it? Seacole often went out to the troops as a sutler, [73] selling her provisions near the British camp at Kadikoi, and nursing casualties brought out from the trenches around Sevastopol or from the Tchernaya valley. [42] She was widely known to the British Army as "Mother Seacole". [1]

Brantley, Ben (26 February 2019). "Review: 'Marys Seacole' Puts Biodrama Through a Kaleidoscope". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 25 January 2023. What am I to do? Why did you ever bring me to this place? See what a state I am in – cold, hungry, and wretched. I want to wash, to change my clothes, to eat, to— " Home Office Moves Home". HM Government. 26 January 2005 . Retrieved 3 May 2008. [ permanent dead link] Not if she could help it. She’s staying in guest houses, hotels, sometimes she stays with people of colour wherever she finds them. She’s very much identifying herself with the oppressed. She went on to make a name for herself as the pioneering feminist of the Victorian era. Again, she was dealing with the oppressed—women. She founded the first women’s suffrage organisation and was also involved with the first university college for women, Girton College, Cambridge. Despite the problems of disease and climate, Panama remained the favoured route between the coasts of the United States. Seeing a business opportunity, Seacole opened the British Hotel, which was a restaurant rather than a hotel. She described it as a "tumble down hut," with two rooms, the smaller one to be her bedroom, the larger one to serve up to 50 diners. She soon added the services of a barber. [44]Janet Silvers, "Mary Seacole To Be removed From The National Curriculum", The Voice, 3 January 2013 Seacole also applied to the Crimean Fund, a fund raised by public subscription to support the wounded in Crimea, for sponsorship to travel there, but she again met with refusal. [53] Seacole questioned whether racism was a factor in her being turned down. She wrote in her autobiography, "Was it possible that American prejudices against colour had some root here? Did these ladies shrink from accepting my aid because my blood flowed beneath a somewhat duskier skin than theirs?" [54] [55] An attempt to join the contingent of nurses was also rebuffed, as she wrote, "Once again I tried, and had an interview this time with one of Miss Nightingale's companions. She gave me the same reply, and I read in her face the fact, that had there been a vacancy, I should not have been chosen to fill it." [54] [56] Seacole did not stop after being rebuffed by the Secretary-at-War, she soon approached his wife, Elizabeth Herbert, who also informed her "that the full complement of nurses had been secured" (Seacole 78, 79).

Her father was a Scottish soldier stationed on the island – at that time, Jamaica was part of the British Empire – and her mother was a Jamaican nurse and healer. She had a sister called Louisa and a brother called Edward.Lang, Brent (24 June 2019). "Racing Green Pictures to Launch With Gugu Mbatha-Raw Historical Drama 'Seacole' ". Variety . Retrieved 1 May 2022.

From growing up in Kingston, Jamaica as the daughter of a doctress to helping soldiers in the war, discover the details of the amazing life that Mary Seacole led in this beautifully illustrated book with real-life stories, timelines and facts. But poor Edward could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head, in answer to my indignant remonstrances. At last he made room for me in a corner of the crowded bar, set before me some food, and left me to watch the strange life I had come to; and before long I soon forgot my troubles in the novelty of my position.

This is Mary Seacole.

Rawlinson, Kevin (7 February 2013). "Another Gove U-turn: Mary Seacole will remain on the Curriculum". The Independent. London. a b c "Another Florence Nightingale? The Rediscovery of Mary Seacole". The Victorian Web. National University of Singapore. 30 April 2002 . Retrieved 6 April 2008. Elizabeth Anwionwu, "Scotching Three Myths About Mary Seacole", British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, Vol. 7, Issue 10 (October 2013), pp. 508–511. Via Mixed Race Studies American Sympathy – I take an Hotel in Cruces – My Customers – Lola Montes – Miss Hayes and the Bishop – Gambling in Cruces – Quarrels amongst the Travellers – New Granadan Military – The Thieves of Cruces – A Narrow Escape