Amabel Scharff Roberts (1891-1918) was an American

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

who was the first nurse from the U.S. to die in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Roberts was born in

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

. She graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

in 1913. Roberts then went on to work and study at Columbia University's Presbyterian Hospital, completing her coursework there in 1916. In 1917, Roberts traveled to Europe to join the war efforts as a reserve nurse under George Emerson Brewer's medical team from Presbyterian, along with 64 other nurses and 22 doctors. This position was, officially, part of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

. Roberts was stationed at the American Base Hospital Number 2 at

Étretat Étretat () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of Northwestern France. It is a tourist and farming town situated about northeast of Le Havre, at the junction of the D 940, D 11 and D 139 roads. It is located on ...

, on the coast of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, working as head of one of the wards for wounded soldiers. The hospital was responsible for caring for American and British casualties of the war. Roberts died in Étretat on January 17, 1918, from blood poisoning contracted in the course of her work on the surgery ward. Roberts died just one day before the American nurse

Helen Fairchild Helen Fairchild (November 21, 1885 – January 18, 1918) was an American nurse who served as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and who became known for her wartime letters to her family in the U.S., which vividly de ...

, stationed at Base Hospital No. 10. The

VFW The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as United States Armed Forces, military service members fought in wars, Military campaign, campaigns, ...

post #3662 in Madison was named in her honor on December 18, 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Amabel Scharff American women in World War I 1918 deaths American nurses 1891 births American women nurses Vassar College alumni Columbia University alumni American expatriates in France 20th-century American people