Throughout the history of nursing, few names carry the weight of Florence Nightingale. Yet, alongside Nightingale’s extraordinary contributions stands Eliza Roberts, a remarkable woman whose unwavering dedication to the care of soldiers during the Crimean War helped shape the future of nursing. Her story, though often overshadowed, is one of resilience, grit, and sacrifice. A working-class woman, Roberts rose from obscurity to play a vital role in one of the most transformative moments in medical history. Her life and work speak to the unsung heroes who, without fanfare, changed the world.

A Life of Humble Beginnings

Eliza Roberts was born in 1802 in England, a time of great social and political change. Britain was emerging from the Napoleonic Wars and entering the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, with vast differences in wealth and opportunity across social classes. Eliza grew up in a working-class family, a background that would later define much of her adult life. Like many women of her generation, she had limited access to formal education, but it was her instinct for care and attention to detail that would later propel her into the world of nursing.

By the early 19th century, nursing was not the esteemed profession we know today. It was often regarded as menial work, assigned to women from lower social strata who had no other employment opportunities. The profession lacked formal training or organisation, but it was here, among the marginalised, that Eliza Roberts found her calling.

Early Career in Nursing

Eliza began her career in 1829 at St. Thomas’ Hospital, one of the few places where women could gain medical experience at the time. The hospital, known for treating the poor, gave her a first-hand glimpse of the harsh realities of health care in a society that often neglected its most vulnerable citizens. She developed a keen interest in surgical care, specifically in treating male patients with injuries, an area where few women were allowed to specialise.

Her reputation for competence, courage, and determination grew, and despite her working-class background, she earned the respect of doctors and colleagues alike. Her practical skills, honed through years of work in often harsh and under-resourced conditions, made her an invaluable asset to the medical field.

The Crimean War: A Turning Point

In 1853, at the age of 51, Eliza retired due to health concerns, expecting to live out her days quietly. However, when the Crimean War broke out in 1854, everything changed. The war, fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain, and Sardinia, exposed horrific conditions for soldiers and stark deficiencies in battlefield medical care. Thousands of soldiers were succumbing not only to their wounds but also to diseases such as cholera and dysentery, due to unsanitary conditions.

Florence Nightingale, the now-legendary “Lady with the Lamp,“ was called upon to organise and lead a group of nurses to aid in the effort. Eliza Roberts, despite her retirement, was inspired to join Nightingale’s mission and was recruited to be part of the team heading to the military hospital at Scutari in Turkey.

Nightingale’s team, which included many nurses from religious orders as well as laywomen like Eliza, was greeted with utter chaos upon their arrival. The hospital was filthy, with rats and insects swarming over the sick and dying. Supplies were scarce, and the medical staff was overwhelmed. It was in these dire conditions that Eliza Roberts’ skills and resilience were put to the ultimate test.

A Pillar of Strength in Scutari

Eliza quickly gained recognition for her ability to handle the most challenging cases. While others struggled with the shocking conditions, Roberts worked tirelessly, providing care for the wounded and setting up makeshift wards to organise the flow of patients. Her previous experience with men’s surgery at St. Thomas’ Hospital proved invaluable, as she applied wound care techniques that helped save many lives.

Though she excelled in her role, Eliza’s background made her an outlier in the eyes of many. Florence Nightingale herself recognised her as a capable nurse but remarked upon her “rough demeanour” and lack of refinement, a reflection of the rigid class structures that still pervaded even the most critical missions. Yet, for all the friction that might have existed, Eliza remained an indispensable figure in the war effort.

One of her most notable contributions came in the form of wound management and infection control, areas in which little was known at the time. Roberts was ahead of her era in her emphasis on cleanliness and proper care, practices that aligned with what Nightingale herself would later champion as part of her reform movement in nursing.

A Lasting Legacy

Eliza Roberts returned to England in 1856, after the conclusion of the Crimean War. Her health, already fragile when she joined the mission, had deteriorated further, and she lived out her final years quietly. She died in 1878, largely unknown to the broader public, despite her critical role in one of the most important episodes in the development of modern nursing.

While history has often focused on Nightingale’s leadership and reforms, Eliza Roberts represents the countless women whose labour and sacrifices formed the backbone of the profession. The rise of professional nursing in the late 19th century owes much to the work of women like Roberts, whose contributions laid the foundation for modern practices in hygiene, patient care, and surgical nursing.

The Role of Women in 19th-Century Health Care

To understand Eliza Roberts’ significance, we must place her within the broader context of women in 19th-century health care. At the time, women’s roles were generally confined to domestic duties or, at most, unskilled labour. Nursing was not yet professionalised, and women who entered the field were often seen as little more than servants, expected to perform physically and emotionally demanding work for little pay or recognition.

The Crimean War marked a turning point, both for the nursing profession and for the role of women in public life. Florence Nightingale’s success in organising a female nursing corps, which included women like Eliza Roberts, demonstrated that women could excel in roles that required intelligence, medical knowledge, and organisational skills. This shift helped pave the way for nursing to become a respected profession for women in the decades that followed.

The contributions of women like Eliza Roberts also highlight the intersections of class and gender during this time. While Nightingale came from a wealthy background and was able to leverage her social position to advocate for reforms, Roberts’ working-class roots meant that her contributions were more likely to be overlooked or minimised. Yet, it was women like Roberts who brought practical experience and sheer determination to the table, helping to save lives and alleviate suffering in the harshest of conditions.

A Forgotten Heroine?

Eliza Roberts may not have received the fame or accolades of some of her contemporaries, but her legacy endures in the countless lives she touched and the path she helped forge for future generations of nurses. In many ways, her story reflects that of countless women throughout history whose contributions, though critical, have often been overshadowed by those of more prominent figures.

Her life also underscores the challenges faced by working-class women in 19th-century Britain. Despite the obstacles posed by her background, Eliza made her mark on history through determination, skill, and an unshakeable sense of duty. She, like so many other women of her time, played a vital role in shaping the institutions and practices that would eventually give rise to modern health care.

The life of Eliza Roberts was one of quiet heroism. Born into a world where her opportunities were limited by both her gender and her social class, she defied expectations to become a pioneer in nursing. Her work during the Crimean War, alongside Florence Nightingale, helped transform the field of nursing and laid the groundwork for the professionalisation of the discipline in the years that followed. Though her name may not be widely known, her legacy lives on in the nurses who followed in her footsteps, carrying forward the values of compassion, care, and service that defined her life.

As we reflect on the history of nursing and the vital role of women in medicine, let us remember Eliza Roberts, whose contributions to the care of soldiers during one of the darkest chapters in British military history were as essential as they were unsung. She represents the countless individuals whose stories may not have made headlines but whose impact continues to reverberate through history.