hospitals in the event of the Territorial Forces being mobilized, was
submitted at a meeting held in Miss Haldane's house, Sir Alfred Keogh,
Medical Director General, being present. This scheme was approved and
an Advisory Council appointed at the War Office.

The Matrons of the largest and most important nurse-training centres
in the Kingdom were appointed as principal matrons (unpaid) and to
them the success of this Force is largely due. They received the
applications of matrons, sisters and nurses willing to join, looked
after their references and submitted them, after approval by the Local
Committee, to the Advisory Council. To their splendid work was due the
ease of the vast mobilization of nurses when war broke out. There were
then 3,000 nurses on their rolls. On August 5th they were called out
and in ten days 23 Territorial General Hospitals in England, Wales and
Scotland were ready to receive the wounded and the nurses were also
ready.

Each hospital had 520 beds, but this accommodation was quite
inadequate after a few months of war, and the accommodation of
practically every hospital was increased to 1,000 to 3,000 beds and
many Auxiliary Hospitals had to be organized. By June, 1915, the
Territorial Nursing Staff was 4,000 in number and in Hospitals in
France and in Belgium and in clearing stations, there were over 400
Territorial Nurses as well as Imperial Nurses.

The Naval Nurses were about 70 in number with a Reserve, and their
Reserve was called up at once also, and they went to their various
Hospitals. The other two great organizations, the British Red Cross
and the order of St. John of Jerusalem, now working together through
the joint committee set up to administer the _Times_ Fund for the Red