Page:A short history of nursing - Lavinia L Dock (1920).djvu/272

256 A Short History of Nursing some and unusual careers than those of any other country have had. War nursing has called English Government Sisters to posts of distinction and danger services from the time when the War Office Hospital at Netley placed a superintendent and staff of Sisters in charge (1869) to the present day. Florence Lees (Mrs. Dacre Craven), one of the first and ablest of Nightingale nurses, took a prominent part in nursing in the Franco-Prussian War. Rachel Williams, another "Nightingale," served as lady superintendent of nurses in the Egyptian campaign of 1884. English Sisters were drawn into every picturesque corner of Africa and Asia where British influence reached. The Imperial Military Nursing Service, named for Queen Alexandra, was reconstituted in 1902 from the Army Nursing Service. A Military Nursing Reserve, a Royal Naval Nursing Service, a Military Nursing Service for India, and a Terri- torial Force Nursing Service have secured for Great Britain a highly perfected army nursing personnel. The position of army nurses was de- fined by the Army Act of Great Britain in these terms: "As regards medical and sanitary matters and work in connection with the sick, the Matrons, Sisters, and staff nurses are to be regarded as having authority in and about military hospitals next after