LETTERS: Two autograph letters signed.
WORLD WAR I NURSING
[Nursing] (Red Cross.) Leontine Bishop. Two Autograph letters signed to Miss Martin Wood,
December 10 and December 18, 1919. With an autograph note of reminiscences on the affair by
Wood; two pages each, on red and black letterhead of the British Committee of the French Red
Cross, 9 Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, with long list of Red Cross officers down the left
margin. The second letter in its envelope, with stamp and postmark.
In the first letter, Bishop writes that she has been informed by Dara McManus that Wood ‘might
possibly care to go to Sillery which is a sanatorium being opened by the British Committee of the
French Red Cross for demobilized men left in bad health; victims of the war in fact. A lady is
wanted to act as secretary to the “Directrice” Baronne de Pitteurs who is Belgian & has not a
perfect knowledge of English & much of the work would be in English. She must also be able to
keep accounts and to type; short hand is not necessary. | I don’t know Baronne de Pitteurs
personally but I hear from everyone she is very nice & clever. She is a very great friend of
[the British Committee’s president] the Vicomtesse de la Panouse’. In a final paragraph she
discusses the salary and invites Wood to visit her.
She begins the second letter by informing Wood that the Baronne de Pitteurs has accepted her
services. She discusses the salary and other details of employment. ‘She also says “we have no
cases of tuberculosis at Sillery, we only have convalescents or delicate boys of eighteen. If
anyone were ill he would immediately be sent somewhere else | Sillery is an excessively healthy
place at 30 kilometres from Paris. The is [sic] not cold. The calorifer in the house does not heat
sufficiently but there are fires everywhere.”’ She hopes Wood will like the work, adding ‘Melle.
de Pitteurs is very interested in the work.’ After inviting Wood to meet her after Christmas, and
thanking her for her references, she concludes. Wood’s note on the incident is written on the back
of he envelope: ‘My former schoolfellow Leontine Bishop who had for years been Confidential
Sec. to the Vicomtesse de la Panouse in London, & therefore naturally was chosen by her to
be Sec. to their Red Cross in London. | This fell through because the lady on the spot engaged
there a Miss P Fister (!) when they here had practically engaged me. I would have ben very
glad of it at the time (Jan. 1920) and had just done 3 months (evenings only) typewriting at
Pitman’s School Southampton Row.’
(#4657167)
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