The excellent service rendered during the Boxer trouble by two nursing sisters from the Government Civil Hospital, Hongkong, is also referred to in the local Naval records, which mention that a request had been made to the Government by the Naval authorities that nurses from the Government Civil Hospital might be sent to Taku to attend to the sick and wounded. Accordingly, two nurses who had volunteered and whose services could be spared were sent from the G.C.H., these being Miss Barr and Miss Batchelor. They only went for a period of four months. In fact, in August that year Sir Henry Blake wrote to the Commodore asking whether the services of these two nursing sisters could be spared from their temporary duties under the Naval authorities.
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A further letter in September states that their services were urgently required at the G.C.H., but on October 1 the Commodore informed the Governor that he had been informed that the nursing sisters could not be spared from Weihaiwei as there were over 90 cases in the hospital and the services rendered by the two ladies were invaluable, but they would be sent back to Hongkong as soon as they could be spared. On October 5, Miss Batchelor was released from her work at Weihaiwei and returned to Hongkong. On October 6, Sir Henry Blake requested the return of both nurses, as they were urgently required, and Miss Barr was consequently permitted to come back to Hongkong.
Subsequently, a letter from the Naval authorities was sent expressing their thanks for the splendid work done by these two nurses in attending to the sick and wounded during their period of service at Weihaiwei.