Stop #2
Linda Shenton Matchett
World War II is my favorite era in which to set my stories. It was a difficult time across the globe, and stories abound about people who stepped out of their comfort zone to support the war effort. My inspiration for A Doctor in the House came together out of two events. The first involves “Foyle’s War,” a BBC mystery drama that ran from 2002-2008. I own the DVDs and periodically binge the show.
One of the episodes took place at a manor home that was requisitioned by the British government for use as a hospital. I was intrigued and after the show ended did some research. It turns out that thousands of mansions and countries were requisitioned, acquired by, or lent to the government for uses such as command centers, barracks, hospitals, schools, orphanages, training centers, prisoner of war camps, airfields, homes for evacuees, billeting centers, listening and monitoring centers, and storage facilities for the nation’s art collections. Bletchley Park, the SOE’s training center is perhaps the most famous of these homes.
The premise behind the episode is that the owner was not happy with having to give up his home and performs pranks and acts of sabotage in an effort to run off the hospital. One of the characters is killed, and all clues point to the owner. I got to thinking about what it would be like to be forced from my home “for the greater good.” I wondered if I wouldn’t be a bit resentful myself and how I would react. Hence, one of my main characters was born.
Now, to come up with the other part of the premise. I’d been researching the many “firsts” associated with women and the war. Dr. Margaret Craighill came to mind. After receiving her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1924 from Johns Hopkins, she was an instructor at Yale University, then opened her own gynecology practice and was assistant surgeon at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. By 1940, she was Dean of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Craighill came from a family of army officers, so when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Sparkman-Johnson bill, giving women physicians commissioned status in the Army Medical Corps, she jumped at the opportunity. Not everyone was happy with the change that allowed women to be officers in the military. Just the conflict I was looking for to round out my story.
It is my hope that A Doctor in the House honors all the men and women who served during the “Second War to End All Wars.”
One of the episodes took place at a manor home that was requisitioned by the British government for use as a hospital. I was intrigued and after the show ended did some research. It turns out that thousands of mansions and countries were requisitioned, acquired by, or lent to the government for uses such as command centers, barracks, hospitals, schools, orphanages, training centers, prisoner of war camps, airfields, homes for evacuees, billeting centers, listening and monitoring centers, and storage facilities for the nation’s art collections. Bletchley Park, the SOE’s training center is perhaps the most famous of these homes.
The premise behind the episode is that the owner was not happy with having to give up his home and performs pranks and acts of sabotage in an effort to run off the hospital. One of the characters is killed, and all clues point to the owner. I got to thinking about what it would be like to be forced from my home “for the greater good.” I wondered if I wouldn’t be a bit resentful myself and how I would react. Hence, one of my main characters was born.
Now, to come up with the other part of the premise. I’d been researching the many “firsts” associated with women and the war. Dr. Margaret Craighill came to mind. After receiving her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1924 from Johns Hopkins, she was an instructor at Yale University, then opened her own gynecology practice and was assistant surgeon at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. By 1940, she was Dean of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Craighill came from a family of army officers, so when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Sparkman-Johnson bill, giving women physicians commissioned status in the Army Medical Corps, she jumped at the opportunity. Not everyone was happy with the change that allowed women to be officers in the military. Just the conflict I was looking for to round out my story.
It is my hope that A Doctor in the House honors all the men and women who served during the “Second War to End All Wars.”
A Doctor in the House
Emma O’Sullivan is one of the first female doctors to enlist after President Franklin Roosevelt signs the order allowing women in the Army and Navy medical corps. Within weeks, Emma is assigned to England to set up a convalescent hospital, and she leaves behind everything that is familiar. When the handsome widower of the requisitioned property claims she’s incompetent and tries to get her transferred, she must prove to her superiors she’s more than capable. But she’s soon drawn to the good-looking, grieving owner. Will she have to choose between her job and her heart?
Archibald “Archie” Heron is the last survivor of the Heron dynasty, his two older brothers having been lost at Dunkirk and Trondheim and his parents in the Blitz. After his wife is killed in a bombing raid while visiting Brighton, he begins to feel like a modern-day Job. To add insult to injury, the British government requisitions his country estate, Heron Hall, for the U.S. Army to use as a hospital. The last straw is when the hospital administrator turns out to be a fiery, ginger-haired American woman. She’s got to go. Or does she?
Archibald “Archie” Heron is the last survivor of the Heron dynasty, his two older brothers having been lost at Dunkirk and Trondheim and his parents in the Blitz. After his wife is killed in a bombing raid while visiting Brighton, he begins to feel like a modern-day Job. To add insult to injury, the British government requisitions his country estate, Heron Hall, for the U.S. Army to use as a hospital. The last straw is when the hospital administrator turns out to be a fiery, ginger-haired American woman. She’s got to go. Or does she?
 Linda Shenton Matchett | The author of over thirty books, Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry of Star-Spangled Banner fame and has lived in historical places all her life. Linda is a volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of World War II and coordinates the library at her church. She currently lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the great outdoors and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors. Learn more about Linda and her books at http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com. |
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