Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	McCaul, Ethel Rosalie Ferrier, 1867-
Title:	Ethel McCaul Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1877-1937
Quantity:	1.0 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the English nurse during the Boer War and Russo-Japanese War. Collection includes correspondence (1901-1937); manuscripts and other material relating to her 1904 trip to Japan and Manchuria; memorabilia.
Language:	English, Japanese, Russian
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Ethel Rosalie Ferrer McCaul (1867-1931) was a British nurse, author, and advocate for improvements in military medical practice and care.

Sometime prior to 1899, McCaul established a private nursing home in London, with a staff of 20. It was here that she likely became acquainted with Dr. Frederick Treves, surgeon to the young Duke of York (later George V). Treves was one of eight civilian surgeons recruited in 1899 to serve alongside those of the Royal Army Medical Corps in the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. He took with him his own staff and transport, his own surgical instruments, and two theatre nurses: Ethel McCaul and Alice Tarr. McCaul distinguished herself as a front-line nurse, while at the same time becoming an outspoken critic of shortcomings in in British medical practices, and a crusader for improvements based in large part on the high quality of care that she observed in the Japanese military.

Among other things, McCaul advocated for the creation of an independent corps of Army nurses to replace the use of Reserve System, which often resulted in soldiers being cared for by untrained and inexperienced staff. She founded the Union Jack Club in London because "[w]hile officers had their clubs, servicemen below commissioned rank had nowhere reputable to stay with their families in the nation's capital. Miss McCaul was determined that they should have the opportunity to do this and see London and all its sights."

In 1904, McCaul undertook, by the sanction of Queen Alexandra, a special mission to Japan and Manchuria in order to obtain information about the workings of the Japanese Red Cross in the Far East. She kept a diary of her trip, which was published as Under the Care of the Japanese War Office (Cassell & Company, 1904).

In 1914 she offered the British military the use of her nursing home, and it became the McCaul Hospital for Officers. Among its innovations was the use of a "Colour Ward," which employed "positive" hues such as warm yellow, spring green, and blue to soothe and comfort patients, particularly those suffering from "shell-shock."

Sources consulted: Gordon Daniels, Sister Ethel McCaul R.R.C. (1867-1931) And The Japanese Red Cross (2010); "Ethel Rosalie Ferrier McCaul," Lives of the First World War; "McCaul Hospital for Officers," Lost Hospitals of London; The Union Jack Club, "Our History"

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Ethel McCaul Papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, memorabilia, and published material.

Correspondence includes the British Red Cross and McCaul's publisher, Cassell & Company, as well as a few items from the British royal family.

Manuscripts consists of manuscripts for McCaul's book, Under the care of the Japanese War Office (1904), as well as her lectures and notes, and a few manuscripts by others on related topics.

Memorabilia contains awards and tributes, clippings, photographs, material related to the Red Cross and hospitals in Japan, picture postcards, and other items.

Published material contains newspaper clippings about McCaul.

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Arrangement of the Collection

All material is arranged alphabetically by name or type of material.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

The general circulating collection has a copy of McCaul's book, Under the care of the Japanese war office, call number DS517.9.M15.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Associated Titles

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Ethel McCaul Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: --
Date: Jan 1967
Revision history: 22 Oct 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC); 7 Nov 2018 - rehoused, inventory and bio expanded/corrected (MS, MRC); 18 Aug 2023 - box location for one item corrected (DTF)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		British Red Cross Society 1914
Box 1		Buckingham Palace May 6, 1910 - telegram, most likely from Princess Victoria to McCaul on the day King Edward VII (Victoria's father) died
Box 1		Cassell & Company 1904
Box 1		Hayashi, Tadasu 1904-1905
Box 1		Knollys, Charlotte
Box 1		Kuroda, Koto 1904-1905
Box 1		Markino [or Makino], Yoshio ("Heiji") undated
Box 1		Reid, Thomas Wemyss 1904 - editor at Cassell & Company
Box 1		Union Jack Club 1904, 1925-1926
Box 1		Victoria, Princess
Box 1		Miscellaneous

	Manuscripts
		Books
Box 1			Under the care of the Japanese War Office undated - typescript manuscript with holographic corrections
		Lectures
Box 1			Given at Corn Exchange, Atherstone Feb 21, 1907 - typescript
Box 1			The Red Cross Society Nov 13, 1907 - typescript copies (two) with handwritten corrections
Box 1			A universal religion with no dogmas undated - typescript, handwritten
Box 1			Untitled undated (6 items)
Box 1			Fragments undated
		Notes
Box 1			Miscellaneous 1904, undated
		Manuscripts of others
Box 1			Eaton, Peter / Pages from a Japanese Diary 1877
Box 1			Hope, Robert Charles / Index to the 129 Buddhist Deities of Japan 1896 - handwritten
Box 1			Pakenham, William C. / Diary of Pakenham's trip to Russia 1880s - handwritten
Box 2			Tsudzumi, Tsuneyoshi / Japanese Art undated (2 folders)

	Memorabilia
Box 2		Awards and tributes - in Japanese
Box 2		Calling cards
Box 2		Financial 1904
Box 2		Hospitals, Japan - includes plans of military hospitals in Japanese, list of Russian prisoners in Russian, presumably from the Russo-Japanese war
Box 2		Japan - includes information from the Red Cross Society of Japan, in English and Japanese
Box 2		Legal papers 1904
		Yoshio Markino
Box 2			Book, When I Was a Child, London: Constable & Company 1912 - inscribed by the author to McCaul, in English and Japanese
Box 2			Clippings by undated
Box 2		William C. Pakenham 1924, undated - clippings, photographs, and memorial dinner menu, "1874-1924 H.M.S. Britannia," signed
Box 2		Photographs 1904, undated
Box 2		Picture postcards, Japanese circa 1905 - series of postcards, each portraying a military virtue (e.g. "Loyalty"), with hand-written notations in English
Box 2		Program, "Come and See" undated
Box 2		Union Jack Club 1904 - one page extract of the minutes of the first meeting, one page on fundraising

	Published material
Box 2		Newspaper clippings about 1904-1907

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