By Mallory Rodell
Mallory Rodell is a graduate student at the University of Missouri who is completing a practicum at the Becker Archives, Washington University School of Medicine, during the Spring 2024 semester.
Lucille S. Spalding was born on October 12, 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri. After her primary and secondary schooling, Spalding entered the Washington University School of Nursing and graduated as a registered nurse in 1931. After graduation Spalding worked as a staff nurse at the St. Louis Maternity Hospital and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1935. By 1936 she was superintendent of nurses at the hospital and had assumed a role of instructor of nursing at Washington University. In 1939, Spalding left St. Louis for Cleveland,
Ohio to attend Case Western Reserve University where she received a master’s degree in nursing and assumed the role of Assistant Professor of Nursing. However, she would not stay away from St. Louis for long. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, though initially declining, Spalding
accepted an invitation to return to St. Louis and assume the position of Chief Nurse to lead the nurses of the 21st General Hospital, an Army Reserve unit of medical personnel associated with Washington University. Her duties started almost immediately by recruiting nurses for the unit and ensuring her staff had all of the resources they needed in order to succeed, including equipment and training. On December 24, 1941 Lt. Col. Lee D. Cady, commander of the 21st
General Hospital, received notice that the 21st General Hospital would be mobilized on December 26, 1941.
i208152, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis
By the end of January, Spalding and 55 nurses had arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia. During this time at Fort Benning the nurses and doctors worked at the Station Hospital and completed basic training courses as well as specialty courses to prepare them for the injuries they were likely to see during the war. The nursing courses included Gas Poisoning, Desert Warfare, and Wounds of the Nervous system. In one account of this time at Fort Benning it is stated that
“Miss Spalding maintains her grand disposition and calmly helps solve our many problems, and answer our numerous questions satisfactorily.”
VC208-i208154, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
On October 20, 1942 the 21st General Hospital, made up of 105 nurses, 60 medical and administrative officers, and 400 enlisted men, departed New York City for Liverpool, England. During their voyage, the 21st General Hospital assisted staffing the hospital on the ship. After arriving, the unit stayed in England for about a month, collecting equipment, before leaving for Oran, Algeria where they would have their first field hospital. In Cady’s promotion
recommendation for Spalding he wrote that even during this “extremely trying” time, Spalding “managed to retain in a quite satisfactory state the morale and discipline of her group.” When they arrived in Algeria, the unit was tasked with the establishment and expansion of their hospital. Living conditions were described as tents on a “mud flat” and the nurses “has three blankets, no sheets or mattresses— on an army cot, in a tent of 20 nurses to each tent”. The unit later moved from temporary housing into a more permanent building which formally was a resort, which provided for better working and living conditions. Col. Cady wrote that “especially during the first four months” the conditions were “pressing and difficult for [Spalding]” and she “kept her nurses under good disciplinary control and led them to a satisfactory adjustment of the situations involved”.
Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
During the Tunisian Campaign, which lasted through May 1943, the 21st General Hospital, which was organized as a 1000 bed hospital, expanded beyond the walls of their facilities into tents and huts to “accommodate 4000 patients, including about 250 German prisoners of war”. In a Commendation Order from Brigadier General Arthur R. Wilson, the 21st General Hospital
was thanked for the expansion of “over 300% without authorized addition of personnel”.
Algeria, VC208-i208210, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis
During these times of transition and stress, the role of Chief Nurse proved to be one of great importance in terms of the success of the unit. In one account written by 1st Lt. Margaret W. Beumer, she stated that “the influence of the principal chief nurse of any unit cannot possibly be overemphasized”. Explaining that the principal chief nurse had “direct influence” over the
nurses, medical officers, and enlisted personnel, and responsibility to maintain “high moral and confidence”, high standards, and organization of people and resources. Beumer wrote that “Captain Lucille Spalding, as principal chief nurse of our unit, embodied all of the requisites and more; and for these reasons, is beloved by everyone.”
from quarters to hospital, Naples, Italy, VC208-i208243, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis
After nearly a year of service in Northern Africa, the 21st General Hospital was moved to Europe. Italy provided a new set of challenges for this unit including presenting the harsh reality of war. The new site of the hospital was outside of Naples, Italy, at “Mussolini’s Fairground”, which was made up of temporary buildings due to damage caused by weather and bombing. In one account it was written that “in Italy we knew what war was when the air raid siren screeched
and the moon-lit sky was peppered with red tracers from our own ack-ack [Anti-Aircraft gunfire].” Patients were being brought to the hospital “by the hundreds” in trains, planes and ambulances which caused the hospital to raise its bed capacity to 4000. While serving thousands of patients, Spalding and her nurses were struggling with access to the resources they needed, including staff. In one report it was written that in June 1944 the unit received an additional 22 nurses, but were still 34 nurses short of their quota.
VC208-i208316, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
In October of 1944, the unit was transferred to their final location in Mirecourt, France. Unlike the other stations, these buildings were “real hospital buildings.” At this location they often cared for “over 3500 patients at one time.” On December 26, 1944, the hospital was bombed, leaving only minor injuries and damage, but providing added stress to the unit. During her service in Southern France, Spalding was presented with the Bronze Star Medal. In the medal citation it listed that “Major Spalding successfully accomplished the ample task of supervising nursing activities within the hospital”, improved the working and living conditions of her nurses, and directed a “far greater nursing service than originally anticipated.”
In September 1945, after nearly three years of overseas duty, the 21st General Hospital was relieved of their duties in France. In one report, it was approximated that the unit cared for 65,000 patients. At the end of the war, the “21st” was one of the “largest troop hospitals” and was “the most decorated”. Spalding was interviewed regarding her experience and decided to not focus on her personal experience but the character of those she served with. She described the nurses she worked with as “splendid” and their patients as “the most wonderful patients in the world.” Spalding went on to state that “it was a real opportunity to nurse where it did the most good.” On January 5, 1946, Lucille Spalding was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was discharged from the Army on February 13, 1946.
Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Even after the war, those she worked with spoke highly of Spalding. When writing of Lt. Col. Spalding, Col. Cady stated on two occasions he “did what [he] could unobtrusively to block … a transfer because of her unit loyalty, and our need for a nurse with superior professional stature.” In letters to Spalding, her nurses described her as “one of the most wonderful women we have ever known” and as a “chief nurse, teacher, and friend”.
Her work during the war was incredible. However, the work she did in documenting the 21st General Hospital is also remarkable. Her collection of documents regarding their work and personal experiences and photographs of the staff, patients, and living conditions provide a wealth of information in the archival record and memory of her unit. She continued filling her collection with photographs and documents from various events and reunions commemorating the work of the unit until her death in 1989
Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Archival Elements 