« The American Nurses Memorial » was erected in 1921/22 in France, in memory of the American nurses who died in service during WWI.
This memorial is unique in that it is a “living memorial”, since it is represented by a nursing school, dedicated since 1921 to the “preparation of nurses (called “gardes-malades” at the time) for the well-being of France and humanity.”
This memorial was financed, in large part, by the contributions of American nurses to honor their colleagues, and also, to permit Dr. Anna Hamilton to continue to develop nurse training. Director of the Maison de Santé Protestante de Bordeaux (MSPB) since 1901, Anna Hamilton was a pioneer for training nurses according to the principles of Florence Nightingale.
From its beginnings, the school of MSPB was renown and received numerous visits from American nurses, visits which continued during WWI because of the presence of American hospitals in the suburbs of Bordeaux.
At the end of the War, Anna Hamilton solicited three American professional associations in order to be able to build a “Home” for student nurses. It was decided to initiate a subscription to allow American nurses to honor the nurses who had died during the war, and, at the same time, respond to the needs and wishes of Anna Hamilton.
The subscription, publicized in the American Journal of Nursing, reached $50,000.00 and permitted the construction of the Memorial in a new location, the domain of Bagatelle in Talence (suburb of Bordeaux), a domain left in 1914 to MSPB by the protestant families Bosc and Seltzer.
Thanks to the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, a dispensary was also constructed, followed by a modern hospital, in order to transfer all of the MSPB activities to the Talence site.
Additional information:
American nurses were solicited two additional times in order to enlarge and restore the American Nurses Memorial, notably after the occupation by the German army during WWII.
In 1918, the descendants of Florence Nightingale were honored by giving the name of the heroine of the Crimean War to this school, underlining this anglo-saxon connection.

« The American Nurses Memorial » was erected in 1921/22 in France, in memory of the American nurses who died in service during WWI.
This memorial is unique in that it is a “living memorial”, since it is represented by a nursing school, dedicated since 1921 to the “preparation of nurses (called “gardes-malades” at the time) for the well-being of France and humanity.”
This memorial was financed, in large part, by the contributions of American nurses to honor their colleagues, and also, to permit Dr. Anna Hamilton to continue to develop nurse training. Director of the Maison de Santé Protestante de Bordeaux (MSPB) since 1901, Anna Hamilton was a pioneer for training nurses according to the principles of Florence Nightingale.
From its beginnings, the school of MSPB was renown and received numerous visits from American nurses, visits which continued during WWI because of the presence of American hospitals in the suburbs of Bordeaux.
At the end of the War, Anna Hamilton solicited three American professional associations in order to be able to build a “Home” for student nurses. It was decided to initiate a subscription to allow American nurses to honor the nurses who had died during the war, and, at the same time, respond to the needs and wishes of Anna Hamilton.
The subscription, publicized in the American Journal of Nursing, reached $50,000.00 and permitted the construction of the Memorial in a new location, the domain of Bagatelle in Talence (suburb of Bordeaux), a domain left in 1914 to MSPB by the protestant families Bosc and Seltzer.
Thanks to the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, a dispensary was also constructed, followed by a modern hospital, in order to transfer all of the MSPB activities to the Talence site.
Additional information:
American nurses were solicited two additional times in order to enlarge and restore the American Nurses Memorial, notably after the occupation by the German army during WWII.
In 1918, the descendants of Florence Nightingale were honored by giving the name of the heroine of the Crimean War to this school, underlining this anglo-saxon connection.