#scru

Formed by Harriet Boyd Hawes, a pioneering American archaeologist, nurse, and relief worker, the Smith College Relief Unit was a group of alumnae of Smith College who sailed to the French countryside in order "to aid France in reconstruction after German occupation, and to create a tradition of humanitarian work done by women's colleges in general and Smith in particular".

17 Smith women were chosen based on their character and skills. Some of the skills among the group include driving, social service, carpentry, schooling, nursing, farming, cooking, domestic science, and two of them were doctors. Every member has at least fair French and several of them offered French classes for those who needed to brush up.

On July 29, 1917 the Unit, accompanied by Harriet Boyd Hawes, set sail for France aboard the S.S. Rochambeau. While on board, the ladies put on a concert in order to raise money pour les blesses, practiced their French and tried to find ways to beat the heat including sleeping out on the decks wearing their life vests.

The SCRU arrived in Paris on August 14, 1917 and immediately discovered that there weren't enough space in the hotel they had booked for all the women. They managed to convince the owner to let them set up their cots in the top floor of the hotel as a sort of dormitory.

The Unit stayed in Paris for the next month while they gathered their supplies and waited for their travel papers to go through. Mrs. Hawes traveled to review the sites they were to provide aid to while the chauffeurs picked up the vehicles (and found out that that they had to assemble the vehicles themselves before being able to drive them back to Paris) and the rest of the girls worked at various other relief aid sites.

Finally on September 11, 1917 the Unit was cleared to leave Paris and they began their journey to the Somme Valley. The Unit headquartered in a chateau owned by the Baron de Robecourt located in the village of Grecourt. Grecourt was situation in the center of the area they would be providing aid to. 11 villages were chosen (Douilly, Offoy, Sancourt, Hombleux, Brouchy, Esmery-Hallon, Verlaines, Miulle, Villette, and Buverchy) and each member was given one to be their focus.

When they arrived in Grecourt, the Unit found that not a single building was left intact. The Germans had bombed the villages to smithereens and had deported all the men and women leaving only the elderly and young behind.

The Unit quickly organized into departments: House, Farm, Nursing, Social Service, Supplies and Stores, Chauffeurs, Records, and Medical. Their first official act was a celebration of St. Matthew’s Day on September 21, 1917. They built a school, a library and hospital, planted fruit trees, wheat and vegetables, provided medical services, set up a store, taught classes to the children, and put together parties and celebrations.

In March 1918, A new German offensive force the SCRU to evacuate the area. Rather than following the evacuation orders, the women stayed behind to ensure the safe retreat of all of the villagers. They then set up a canteen and provided food and medical aid to both soldiers and refugees. They stayed and helped direct traffic, travelled back and forth evacuating refugees and worked day and night to provide aid to those who needed it.

When the offensive ended, the SCRU returned to the village of Grecourt and would remain for several more years.

To learn about the Smith College Relief Unit directly from those who were a part of it you can read their accounts in the Smith Alumnae Quarterly! Specifically the ones from November 1917, February 1918, April 1918, and July 1918. The quarterly published letters sent from the women of the SCRU and they contain a lot of great information. I also suggest reading the books "A Village in Picardy" and "Ladies of Grecourt" both by Ruth Gaines. Best of all you can find all this online!

Smith Alumnae Quarterly November 1917

Smith Alumnae Quarterly February 1918

Smith Alumnae Quarterly April 1918

Smith Alumnae Quarterly July 1918

A Village in Picardy by Ruth Gaines