Negotiations with RBNA: Correspondence (alphabetical sections D-L)

• Reference:GB 1199 RCN1/1/1917/2
• Dates of Creation:1917-1918
• Name of Creator:
  Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom (1916-2017) Nursing organisation: Secretary's Office
• Physical Description:
  0.01m

• Scope and Content

  Negotiations with the Royal British Nurses' Association about the amalgamation of the two organisations; the setting up of the Nation's Fund for Nurses; state registration bills; nurse's pensions; the founding of the Liverpool Centre (1st branch of College). Correspondence is with: Burdett; Dr Chapple; Lady Cowdray; Lord Knutsford; Douglas Haig; William Harding; the British Women's Hospital Committee; the National Union of Women Workers; Miss M. Sparshott and Miss Seymour Yapp.

  Folder includes:

  Letter to the Editor of the Yorkshire Post from Beatrice Kent of the Nurses' Protection Committee concerning attitudes within the nursing community towards fundraising activites and the role of nurses;

  Letter dated 18 Mar 1918 from Lord Knutsford to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning the Nation's Fund for Nurses, endowments to the Royal College of Nursing and the significance of the Fund within the nursing community;

  Letter dated 28 Nov 1917 from Miss CK Barrett Lennard to Sir Arthur Stanley offering her assistance with fundraising efforts for the Nations Fund for Nurses;

  Letter dated 19 Nov 1917 from the Hon Mrs George Keppel to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning fundraising objectives and numbers of members of the College of Nursing;

  Letter dated 17 June 1918 from William Harding to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning the Red Cross and organisation of VADs, and suggesting that all British civilians should be enrolled in the scheme;

  Letter dated 18 Apr 1918 from W Edgar Horne to Sir Arthur Stanley congratulating him as Chairman of the Red Cross for reaching the £10,000,000 mark;

  Letter dated 27 Mar 1918 from Miss Maude Hockley to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning the payment and entitlements of VADs;

  Letter dated 20 Mar 1918 from Sir Arthur Stanley to Mrs Martin Harvey referring to "a small clique of nurses who have claimed to lead the Nursing Profession for the last 25 years and who, having done nothing for the Nurses during all that time, are now very annoyed that the College has come along to take up the work. They are a noisy lot and stop at no misrepresentation, but we are gradually wearing them down and are certain to beat them out of the field altogether in the end.";

  Programme for Matinee in aid of the Nations Fund for Nurses held at His Majestys Theatre in Aberdeen on 15 Mar 1918, design includes etching by DY Cameron for the Red Cross;

  Letter dated 12 Mar 1918 from Mr Martin Harvey of the Kings Theatre, Glasgow to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning Scottish attitudes towards the Nations Fund for Nurses;

  Letter dated 5 Feb 1918 from Sir Arthur Stanley to the Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral proposing a memorial service for Nurses and VAD nursing members who had died during the war;

  Letter dated 1 Dec 1918 from Sir Arthur Stanley to Sir Alfred Pearce Gould concerning fundraising and stating that one of the main objects of the College of Nursing was provision of care for nurses who "had broken down in health or fallen on evil days";

  Letter dated 6 Nov 1917 from Sir Arthur Stanley to John Galsworthy concerning Miss Beatrice Kents assertions about the College of Nursing;

  Extract from Minutes of Benevolent Committee Meetings held at Lady Rothschild's in March 1917 giving examples of nurses in need of financial and medical assistance as a result of war work;

  Letter dated 22 Jan 1918 from Sir Arthur Stanley to the Duchess of Devonshire in Ottowa asking her to assist in Canadian fundraising activities for the Nations Fund for Nurses and providing her with a history of the establishment of the College of Nursing and it's aims;

  Letter dated 13 Nov 1918 from Mrs Douglas of the British Womens Hospital to Sir Arthur Stanley concerning door to door collections for the Nations Fund for Nurses and worries about Mrs Bedford Fenwick and her parties' reaction to this.

  Letter dated 22 Sep 1917 from Douglas Haig to Sir Arthur Stanley, 'your scheme for creating a fund for nurses who have lost their health during the war seems to me to be most necessary. All of us in the army in France keenly appreciate the splendid work they are doing, often under most trying and dangerous circumstances and I can confidently says that they have gained the gratitude and admiration of the all the ranks of the armies out here.'

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Poor law nurses made up around a third of College membership at that time and they had 3 representatives on Council out of 14.

• Access Information

  This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact the RCN Archives in advance of their first visit.

• Other Finding Aids

  Most recent online Royal College of Nursing Archives Catalogue is available at http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/library_and_heritage_services.

• Conditions Governing Use

  Royal College of Nursing