Helen Fairchild

Helen Fairchild (November 21, 1885 – January 18, 1918) was an American nurse who served as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and who became known for her wartime letters to her family in the U.S., which vividly depicted the realities of combat nursing during World War I. She died of post-operative complications after surgery for a gastric ulcer while on duty with British base hospital #10/#16 on the western front.

Biography

Born in Turbot Township, Milton, in central Pennsylvania, Fairchild graduated from Pennsylvania Hospital in 1913. Along with 63 other nurses, she volunteered for the American Expeditionary Force to help care for wounded soldiers after the United States entered World War I in April, 1917. After arriving in France, Fairchild volunteered for front-line duty at casualty clearing station #4 at Passchendaele on July 22, 1917, where she was exposed to heavy shelling including the use of mustard gas. She served as a combat nurse during the Third Battle of Ypres.

Fairchild had a medical history of abdominal pain, which worsened after her combat experience. By Christmas, 1917 she was vomiting after every meal. X-rays revealed a large gastric ulcer obstructing her pylorus. She underwent surgery for the ulcer on January 13, 1918. At first she recovered well but then lapsed into a coma and died five days later. The post-mortem examination suggested that she died as a result of hepatic complications from the chloroform used as the anesthesia during her operation, possibly worsened by her previous exposure to mustard gas.

She is buried at Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in Bony, France.

Honors

The Nurses' Post of the American Legion in Philadelphia was named the Helen Fairchild Nurses' Post #412 in her honor. She is registered in the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

External links

* [http://www.vlib.us/medical/MaMh/MyAunt.htm Virtual Library entry for Helen Fairchild, with letters and other documents]
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wfairchild.htm Spartacus Educational entry for Helen Fairchild]
* [http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent?file=ML_fairchild_bkp Military.com entry for Helen Fairchild]

Persondata
NAME= Fairchild, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= known for her wartime letters to her family in the U.S.
DATE OF BIRTH= November 21, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH= Turbot Township, Milton
DATE OF DEATH= January 18, 1918
PLACE OF DEATH=