Extract from the Daily Mail entitled ‘Women who pose as men: An army Surgeon’s Career’, 27 August 1910, from Dr James Barry’s personal file. Catalogue ref: WO 25/3910
Please note that the tone and language used in article are of their time and unacceptable today. The questions are based on a short extract taken from the article. The whole article is also available for further investigation.
Extract from a letter written by Edward Bradford, Deputy-Inspector-General of Hospitals published under the heading, ‘The Reputed Female Army Surgeon’ in the Medical Times & Gazette, 9 September 1865. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
Shortly after Dr Barry’s death, his history was reported without respect for his personal life in this publication.
Extract from a letter from Dr McKinnon in reply to George Graham [see Source 7], 24 August 1865, Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
Letter from George Graham, Registrar General at General Register Office for the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales, to Staff Surgeon D.R. McKinnon [see Source 6]. 23 August 1865. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
Letter to J.B. Gibson, Director General for Army Medical Department from Senior Surgeon D.R. McKinnon, Major. 25 July 1865. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
A third extract from a document entitled ‘Memorandum of the Services of Dr James Barry Inspector General of Hospitals’. This was written by Dr Barry at the end of his career after serving in Canada when he returned to London in 1859, although the date stamp on the document is not clear. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
This letter from Dr James Barry to the army General Commanding Officer, 25th January 1859, refers to a disagreement between Dr Barry and two church officials for the Church of St John’s in Montreal, Canada. Catalogue ref: PRO 30/46/18.
Dr James Barry was promoted to the highest rank in the army as Inspector General of Hospitals in the British colony of Canada in 1857.
The disagreement concerned the timing of the church Service held for the army. The churchmen complained to the Bishop of Montreal that Dr Barry had ‘with such violence of manner and language, accused the Archdeacon and me [the Dean] of refusing to allow the military service to be changed from 2pm to 9am, stating that we were callous to the spiritual welfare of her Majesty’s soldiers, with much more to the same effect, and finishing with a threat to publish us in the London Times newspaper’.
A second extract from a document entitled ‘Memorandum of the Services of Dr James Barry Inspector General of Hospitals’. This was written by Dr Barry at the end of his career after serving in Canada when he returned to London in 1859, although the date stamp on the document is not clear. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1
In this extract Dr James Barry makes refers to the Crimean War (1854-56) fought by an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia against Russia. Whilst serving during the Crimean War, Dr James Barry was supposed to have argued with Florence Nightingale.
Extract from a document entitled ‘Memorandum of the Services of Dr James Barry Inspector General of Hospitals’. This was written by Dr Barry at the end of his career after serving in Canada when he returned to London in 1859, although the date stamp on the document is not clear. Catalogue ref: WO 138/1.
In this extract Dr James Barry refers to an important rebellion of the enslaved on the island of Jamaica 1831-32.
Extract from Dr James Barry’s personal army service record. This page shows his training at Edinburgh University in medicine. Catalogue ref: WO 25/3910.