Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria

Florence Nightingale arrived with forty nurses at Scutari barrack hospital in November 1854. Queen Victoria was anxious to hear of the state of the soldiers and requested details from Miss Nightingale’s reports. After the war was over the Queen invited Miss Nightingale to Balmoral so that she could hear a first-hand account of all that she had experienced. The Queen and Prince Albert were persuaded by her of the need for reform of the military hospital system and on 5 May 1857 a Royal Warrant was issued for a commission to enquire into the health of the army.