"A self-possessed humanitarian", 29 January 2016

This review is from: Mary Seacole (Life & Times) (Paperback)
A short (126p plus bibliography) but informative look at the life of the Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole. With photographs throughout, and a multitude of quotes taken from her autobiography, we follow the mixed-race 'doctress' as she nurses the British troops stationed on her island, as well as her travels to Panama and elsewhere.
But of course her main claim to fame was her determined journey under her own steam to the Crimea - turned down by the British government - to help the suffering soldiers. Here, her fearless forays onto the front line earned her the title 'mother of the army'. But she also ran a 'British Hotel' and stores, provisioning the grateful men.
Many questions remain unanswered about Mary Seacole but her achievements - especially for an illegitimate, black woman from the colonies - are quite outstanding. ( )