The Eleanor McGee Collection

Women played varied and important roles in the Great War both on the home front and overseas.  Eleanor McGee, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, served with the American Red Cross at Base Hospital No. 23 in Vittel, France in World War I.

Base Hospital No. 23 was first organized in January 1917 and remained in operation from January 1918 through February 1919.  The hospital was part of a larger hospital center at Vittel, France and cared for over 11,000 patients throughout the war.

McGee collected numerous documents that represent her time spent overseas during the war.  These documents range from thank you letters written to her by various soldiers, to colorful postcards and booklets of poetry written by soldiers who were cared for by McGee at the base hospital.

This collection also includes a letter written by McGee to the mother of a deceased soldier who had died after suffering from the effects of a gas attack, and a letter, along with colorful mementos from German POW's.


To view the entirety of this collection please visit our Digital Collections page.


Images and Collection courtesy of the National World War I Museum


Sources:


U.S. Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History: The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War.