WWI Red Cross Nurses

During World War I, over 28,000 nurses served in the Red Cross with more than 19,000 of these sent to the front lines.   Our speakers will discuss what life was like for these brave women, focusing especially on Clara Ayres.  Nurse Ayres was a native of Seneca County, Ohio and was one of the first two nurses killed during the war.   Many of the nurses from Michigan trained in Detroit at Harper Hospital [Base Hospital 17] or the Detroit College of Medicine [Base Hospital 36] and were sent to France.  Little is known about nurses from Monroe County.  Attendees are encourage to bring stories, photos and other documents about family members who serves as nurses during WWI.  There will be time to share these at the end of the presentation.

Our speakers:

Theresa Sullivan is the Executive Director of the Seneca County Museum.  She will be discussing the short life of Clara Ayres.

Matt Switlik is a former director of the Monroe County Historical Museum.  Matt is an expert on Civil War and World War I artillery and has avid interest in WWI.

Viola Switlik is a former Monroe Public Schools teacher and a reference librarian with the Monroe County Library System.  Her interest in World War I is personal.  Her father, George Bell, was an ambulance driver during the war.