Personal information

Ruth W. Breckenridge was House Mother for American Red Cross Nurses. She drowned having abandoned the sinking ship.

Maasdam left Halifax on 11 June 1941 with a crew of 48, plus 32 passengers, including 17 American Red Cross nurses and 11 US Marine Corps personnel. The two casualties were both being sent to the Harvard Field Hospital Unit, who provided and staffed a pre-fabricated hospital in Salisbury, England, in the summer of 1941 to deal with the potential outbreaks of communicable diseases. This unit was taken over by the US Army in July 1942.

Sources

David L. Baatenburg, SS Maasdam: The Battle of the Atlantic and a Dutch Sailor’s Diary”, Origins, Nov 2, 2007, p. 8.

American Red Cross – Harvard Field Unit historical marker at the American Red Cross Headquarters, 17th Street between D Street & E Street, NY, Washington DC.

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