Mary Seacole

Mary Jane Grant was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805. Her mother was Jamaican and her father was a Scottish soldier. Her mother was a nurse and treated people with local herbs and medicines.When Mary was a child, she liked to play nurse with her dolls and pet animals. It is unknown whether she went to school or not, but she could read and write. At the age of 12, Mary was helping her mother to nurse sick.Mary loved to watch boats and she wanted to travel. In 1836 Mary married Edwin Seacole but the marriage was shortlived as he died in 1844.
Mary opened a hotel in Jamaica, where she cared for ill soldiers and their families. When she was young Mary travelled alot, this was unusual for a woman then.
The Crimean War began in 1854 and Mary wanted to help the wounded soldiers. She travelled to England, but no one excepted her offer to nurse ill soldiers cause of the colour of her skin.Mary was determind to go to the Crimean War and paid her own fare to get there. She visited Florence Nightingale's hospital, but Mary had her own plans.
She opened her British hotel which was two miles from the fighting in Balaclava. She sold soldiers supplies of what they needed such as tins of soup, saddles and boots. She cooked meals like Irish stew and rice puddings for the soldiers. Mary ran a daily clinic to help the soldiers.