Letter from Gladys Johnson to her future mother-in-law, Ellen Vickery, 15 May 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Gladys Ruth Johnson

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 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

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A letter from Gladys Johnson to Ellen Vickery, written on May 15th 1916. Gladys Ruth Johnson (b.1890) was training to be a nurse at the Adelaide Hospital in Dublin at the time of the Easter Rising in 1916. The hospital in Peter Street was close to the fighting and she writes about how the patients were moved to the cellars to keep them safe from the bullets. She writes how Jacobs Factory was occupied by 'Sinn Feinners' and they were give five chances to surrender because if the building had been blown up it would have meant damaging the hospital. Gladys qualified as a nurse later in the year and then volunteered to work as a VAD in France nursing the troops. She joined the Queen Alexandra's Medical Corps. Her fiancée , Dr Percy Vickery, was in the Royal Medical Corps and was stationed in Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine. They married in June 1918 and subsequently moved to England and settled in Hampshire where Percy was a GP.

 Private Collection https://letters1916.ie/item/1439 English Gladys Ruth Johnson 1916-05-15 Adelaide Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Ellen Vickery Kinsale, Ireland Female Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Personal Relations

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 Adelaide 15.5.16 My dear Mrs Vickery I think it is quite time I sent youa few lines, and you are perhaps wonderingwhen you are going to hear. I have been hearing about you all fromAlice. I am sure you were all delightedto have her with you for Easter, and for longerthan you expected — What terrible timeswe have had! it makes one wonderwhat we will hear next, and we little dreamtof rebellion in Dublin — Things havequietened down wonderfully well, but occasionallystill odd shots are to be heard, & only 2nights ago a soldier was shot down & boughtto Mercer's hospital. Being so near toJacobs, we felt rather nervous, it was occupiedall week by the Sinn Feinners, and we seemedto live amid the whirl & buzz of flying bullets.it seemed quite like a week at the 'Front' &made us realize what it must all be like, butone week was quite enough & we were thankful when it was all over, and with no serious damage except broken window panes — the poor patients were terrified, they were all put down in the cellars on mattresses, & we ourselves had to sleep on the corridors two on a mattress. The bedrooms were not safe with the bullets flying in, and some of the nurses had narrow escapes. The Adelaide certainly saved Jacobs from being blown up. They got 5 chances to surrender on account of us, as it would have meant damage to the hospital as well. Sackville St is one mass of ruin — I was sorry to hear that Sam was so near to you & you didn't see him, it must have been very tantalizing, but perhaps he may come round that way soon again. Percy seems to keep well and happy, & it is nice to hear where he really is at last — I am wondering when he will get 'leave', he is 6 months out this month, but of course from Egypt they don't get leave so often - he says he feels much better out there than in this climate, so that is a good thing - I suppose he will be Khaki colour when he gets back! Much love to each one of you - Lovingly Gladys Photograph of Gladys Johnson, nurse with child Adelaide Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Letter from Gladys Johnson to her future mother-in-law, Ellen Vickery, 15 May 1916 Kinsale, Ireland Letter from Gladys Johnson to her future mother-in-law, Ellen Vickery, 15 May 1916 Gladys Ruth Johnson Letter from Gladys Johnson to her future mother-in-law, Ellen Vickery, 15 May 1916