Today marks the anniversary of the 1952 Harrow and Wealdstone accident, Britain's worst peacetime railway incident, resulting in the loss of 112 lives.
A remarkable side-story of that day, but one which deserves wider exposure, was the involvement in the rescue effort of Abbie Sweetwine, an African-American nurse stationed at a nearby USAF station. Sweetwine's interventions undoubtedly saved many lives, but beyond that she left a lasting legacy in the use of triage practises to assess the severity of the wounded, and determine the best treatment options for those who had yet to be taken to hospital.
You can read a little more about Sweetwine here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbie_Sweetwine
As far as I am aware there is no biography about Abbie Sweetwine - surely an omission that needs rectifying.
this is fascinating, thank you for a piece of history I have never heard of. No biography is a sad thing, I'd read it for sure!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I agree, someone needs to write a biography about her.
ReplyDeleteWow, so cool to learn about my family name. This is inspiring.
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