Mary Seacole – A Pioneering Nurse | Black History Lessons | RTÉ

Mary Jane Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse who is known for her incredible work helping the sick and wounded during the Crimean War. Boni Odoemene tells us a bit about her adventurous life.

Mary Jane Seacole (born Grant;^[2][3] 23 November 1805 – 14 May 1881)^[4] was a British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman^{[5][6][7][8][9]} who set up the “British Hotel” behind the lines during the Crimean War. She described the hotel as “a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers”, and provided succour for wounded service men on the battlefield, nursing many of them back to health. Coming from a tradition of Jamaican and West African “doctresses”, Seacole displayed “compassion, skills and bravery while nursing soldiers during the Crimean War”, through the use of herbal remedies.^[5][10] She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991. In 2004, she was voted the greatest black Briton.

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