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Who were the Dreadnought Nurses?

Equity & Transparency

This article was written for the Rewriting Women into Maritime initiative by Caroline Randall, Honorary Archivist for the Seafarers Hospital Society.

Find out more about the initiative

Rewriting Women into Maritime History

Women Supporting Seafarers Since 1821

The history of the Seafarers Hospital Society is enriched by the women who have supported and enabled its work at every stage — whether serving as nurses, doctors, patrons, fund raisers, and administrators — to ensure the continued support of seafarers of any nationality working in the United Kingdom.

The Seafarers Hospital Society, initially named the Seamen’s Hospital Society, was founded in 1821 by a group of philanthropists, including abolitionist MPs William Wilberforce and Zachary Macaulay. Motivated by the desire to improve the lives of merchant seafarers by introducing preventative procedures to contain and mitigate diseases common among sailors at the time, they set up and ran the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital.

Historical drawing of a ship labeled "Seamen's Hospital" with British flags, featuring multiple decks and rigging, anchored on water. — *The Dreadnought Hospital Ship, 1850s*

Historical engraving showing the interior of a hospital ward labeled "Interior of the Dreadnought" with patients in beds and medical staff. — The interior of the Dreadnought ship from The Graphic, May 1870

From 1821 to 1870, this hospital was situated on a series of ships moored on the River Thames at Greenwich. From the 1870 onwards, the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital moved onshore, and for the next 116 years it was located in the old infirmary of the Royal Hospital Greenwich. In 1877 the Dreadnought School of Nursing was founded and for 109 years offered high quality professional training for nurses working with the Dreadnought’s seafaring patients.

Historic photograph of Greenwich Seamen's Hospital with columned chapel entrance, viewed from lawn. — The Dreadnought onshore, 1900s

By the 1920s the Society was running seven hospitals – the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital in Greenwich; the Albert Dock Hospital in East London; King George’s Sanatorium for Sailors in Hampshire; the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Marseilles; the Angas Convalescent Home in Kent; Tilbury Hospital in Kent; and the London School of Tropical Medicine in central London. Crucial to the smooth and successful running of the Society’s hospitals were the hundreds of female nurses who worked in them and were trained to meet the specific needs of their seafaring patients.

Historical black and white photograph of a hospital ward with beds lined up along the walls, patients in beds, and medical staff attending to them. — *A ward in the Albert Dock Hospital*

Historic black and white photograph showing a covered porch with arched doorways and windows, overlooking a large estate with figures visible in the distance. — *Nurses at the King George’s Sanatorium for Sailors*

Historical photograph of medical staff gathering in a hospital room with nurses in uniform and patients seated while someone plays piano. — *Angas Home patients around the piano with nurses, 1920s*

Historical black and white photo of a large common room with people in nursing uniforms seated throughout, reading and relaxing. — *Tilbury Hospital nurses’ sitting room, 1925*

Historical black and white photograph of nurses wearing distinctive white caps with dark capes featuring X-shaped crosses, standing in two rows. — Dreadnought nurses, 1929

The fact that the Society ran multiple medical institutions meant that it offered a wide range of employment opportunities for women. The Society ran courses in tropical nursing at the Albert Dock Hospital, which offered an alternative form of nurse training for women who might wish to work abroad. As a result, these nurses were experts in dealing with the many tropical diseases that afflicted seafarers during a period of expanding colonial trade.

Dreadnought nurses at the Christmas exhibition stand, 1929 . — *Dreadnought nurses at the Christmas exhibition stand, 1929*

*Dreadnought nurses at the opening of the Devonport Nurses’ Home, 1929*

In 1929, the Devonport Nurses’ Home in Greenwich was opened by the Duke and Duchess of York. It became the home of many generations of trainee nurses until the Dreadnought Hospital closed in 1986. These trainees were overseen by well-respected matrons, such as Alice Hall who worked in seafarer hospitals for 30 years.

Historical black and white photograph of a nurse wearing a traditional white cap and uniform, presented in an oval frame on aged paper. — *Portrait of Alice Hall*

Alice Hall trained at Guy’s Hospital and, after one year as Matron of the Albert Dock Hospital in 1895, she was promoted to Matron of the Dreadnought where she stayed until she retired in 1925. She was known for her energy and enthusiasm and, although a strict disciplinarian, worked tirelessly to improve the welfare of the nurses under her care. In this she shared a passion with Florence Nightingale, who wrote her a letter which, along with one of her famous lamps, is now in the Seafarer’s Hospital Society’s archives. Matron Hall received the MBE for her services during the First World War when naval and military wounded joined seamen from the Merchant Marine for treatment at the Dreadnought.

This is a vintage black and white photograph showing a formal group portrait of people arranged in rows outside a building. The group appears to be from the early 20th century, with individuals dressed in formal attire typical of that era. Some are seated in the front row while others stand behind them. The photograph has a yellowed border indicating its age. — *Alice Hall with Dreadnought staff, 1920s*

This black and white historical photograph shows a nurse in traditional uniform with a distinctive cap standing beside a sailor in uniform with crutches. They are positioned on the steps of a building, with another person visible in the background. The image appears to be from a military or medical context, likely early-to-mid 20th century. — *Matron Alice Hall at medal ceremony Dreadnought, 1915*

Dreadnought nurses also ran events to raise funds throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Among the best known of these events was the annual Dreadnought Christmas pudding stir-up, attended by the Secretary, matron and local dignitaries. All the ingredients for a giant Christmas pudding were donated by the Australian High Commission, and nurses served the finished pudding to Dreadnought patients on Christmas day. Christmas shows, dances and races were also held to raise money for the hospital.

A historical photograph showing nurses in white uniforms with distinctive caps alongside men in suits, all posing with what appears to be taxidermied animals outside a building. — *Dreadnought nurses’ race, 1929*

Another well-known event was the annual regatta held on the River Thames in Greenwich over the course of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Hundreds of spectators would watch the races on the Thames, particularly the Ladies International Four Oared Rowing Race . Dreadnought nurses were involved in the regatta and helped construct a large-scale model of the Dreadnought Hospital ship which was floated on the river in front of the Royal Naval College.