The story of Florence Nightingale - Reading for kids

Have you ever heard about Florence Nightingale or 'the lady with the lamp' as some called her? Let me tell you the story about a women that was an angel to many soldiers and people....

Florence was a nurse that save many lives. She was born into a rich family and was named after the city 'Florence' where her parents moved after they got married. She could have just stayed in her big house and live a life of luxury, but she wanted to do more to help people.

She was a very special women - she did not want to just socialize and get married, she wanted to become a nurse,

Her parents were not happy because the hospitals were dirty and dangerous and a lot of people died there

In 1851 she packed her stuff and went to Germany to train to become a nurse.

When the war broke out and lots of soldiers were in hospital, Florence saw that many of them died. She realized that part of the problem was the dirty hospitals and bandages they used. She started cleaning and using new and clean bandages. She worked 20 hours a day and soon there was a huge change where more soldiers got better.

She would also walk around at night and talk to the soldiers or help them write letters to their loved ones. She cared for them and cheered them up and this is where she got the name 'the lady with the lamp' since she would always carry a lamp with her while moving around during the night.

When Florence returned to England, people called her a heroine because of her amazing work in the
Crimean War. Queen Victoria wrote her a letter to say thank you. She continued to work hard in
Britain to improve hospitals and she was given a medal called the Order of Merit. She was the first
woman to receive this honour.

You can watch the video to find out more about this amazing women.