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The First World War

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1867-1955), the fourth Duchess of Sutherland, travelled to Europe to provide medical relief for wounded soldiers in Belgium and France. Known as The Millicent Sutherland Ambulance, Duchess Millicent’s unit was initially established in Namur in Belgium. As the conflict went on, Duchess Millicent also established an Ambulance Car Convoy and later founded a Red Cross Hospital which eventually became a Casualty Clearing Station serving British troops in 1918.

The Sutherland Papers include a wealth of documents relating to Duchess Millicent’s work overseas during the Great War. In addition to correspondence from British and French medical authorities, the collection includes letters from Winston Churchill and King George V. Printed diaries describing life with the Millicent Sutherland Ambulance also feature, alongside the Visitor’s Book from Duchess Millicent’s Red Cross Hospital and a wide range of photographs, including those commemorating King George V’s visit to the hospital in 1917.

Click here to see documents relating to the life of Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1867-1955), the fourth Duchess of Sutherland, in the Sutherland Papers
Click here to see First World War documents in the Sutherland Papers