Mary Seacole; life in the Crimea

Not only did we offer comforts to officers at my hotel but I also travelled to where the troops were to offer them refreshments and sell all kinds of things they might need, anything from needles to an anchor would you believe? In my spare time I would roll up my sleeves and roll out pastry and help with the cooking, but when there was a battle I would take refreshments to sell to onlookers. However what I saw on the battlefields inspired me to go and tend to the wounded soldiers. Once I even went to help them under fire and managed to dislocate my thumb; it was a nasty injury that never healed properly, but I still kept going. Do you know the soldiers called me Mother Seacole? Bless them. I made sure I dressed in bright colours so I could be well seen. On the ninth of September the city of Sevastopol fell and I managed to win a bet when I became the first woman to enter the town.