The following day she went into action. She swept into FANY HQ and confronted Mr Cluff. Grace records "[Cluff] admitted that two rules of the four were absurd. Climbed down and said he wanted to work on with me."
After settling with him, she went straight along to see Janette Lean who, according to the entry in Grace's diary that day, agreed with everything Cluff had said, - adding that "they would see Grace got the money, the staff and the buildings etc"
Satisfied that she had quelled the opposition, she wrote in her diary: "Lean's game is so plain. She thinks if every unit has to report to her, & she is the only person with the authority to enrol people, she will make herself C.O. – she calls herself O.C Headquarters."
The next day she went to see Mr Illingsworth of the French Red Cross at their London HQ and showed him her plans for Binson. He was very welcoming and supportive. He told her about Janette Lean's letter to him, promised her all the help he could give. "Tell 'em to go to blazes" he is reported as saying, "only don't tell them I said so! I'll get your people out for you." She left that meeting happy and satisfied.
There was more trouble ahead. Grace returned to HQ and read the minutes of the Meeting held on 1st February, at which neither she nor Franklin were present. She came in for strong criticism from all the members of the Board for the cavalier manner in which she ignored previous resolutions and continued with the Binson project; and in spite of repeated requests failed to provide the Board with any information about it.
They all passed the Resolution that if full details of her plans were not submitted within 14 days, the Board would repudiate all liability for any Agreement she may have entered into.
That was pretty damning on its own, but not enough apparently for Lean. She campaigned forcefully for a resolution that Grace resign from the Corps immediately, 'since she had been repeatedly warned as to the folly of her actions'.
The rest of the Board, however, refused to support or accept that particular motion, settling for being opposed to anything which might land the Corps in legal difficulties.
After she had digested these resolutions and accusations, her reaction was much the same as when she got notice of the Board Meeting to discuss her position "D—d cheek!" She had already confronted Cluff and Lean, who, according to her, had backed down.
On the day she had been to French Red Cross HQ and spoken to Mr Illingsworth, she had received an urgent wire from Lean asking her to go and see Mr Cluff. She went along to the office to see him, but noted in her diary "he had nothing to say. I felt that Lean had been trying to get him to make me sign things – he hadn't the caddishness to do it." She added ominously "If I sign they sign, too!"
The following day she received a letter from Cluff which she described as 'rather rambling'. She goes on: "I'm sure Lean is trying to upset him and he doesn't know what to do." It was all a bit irritating and time wasting.
She was going through a busy time - Foreign Office to get her new Passport back; then on to French Red Cross HQ; interviewing possible recruits; looking for a good Matron for Binson.
Here she enrolled the help of the Chief Matron of the Anglo-French Hospital Committee in London, a Mrs Watson. She appeared to be very helpful, Grace was very impressed by her. In fact, more than impressed, became quite lyrical about her. Describes her as "a very beautiful woman – I admire her more each time I see her." Adding ' I would like to be like her. She is the only woman I have ever felt like that about." A quite astonishing admission from a strong-minded, independent woman like Grace!
Yet a few months later Irene Cowlin, who had taken over from Lean, was writing to Grace about Mrs Watson, saying she was the most disagreeable woman she had ever met, who kept delaying FANYs who wanted to get across the Channel. It would be interesting to know Grace's reaction to the strong criticism of someone she had obviously placed on a pedestal. Suffice to say, the log-jam of FANYs waiting to go was quickly cleared once Grace became involved.
Then, with a very hectic and rather disjointed programme ahead of her, and not very happy, Grace had some good news from her husband, - he was coming home on leave. It obviously set her heart racing, although she tried valiantly to keep her 'service' and married lives separate. She scribbled excitedly in her diary "Ronald is coming and should be here tomorrow. I dare not hope. I am going to Canterbury [for her God daughter's weekend christening] I am sure if I don't he won't come. Oh my darling, I am so excited.
Oh God, don't stop him, don't stop him."
The following day she writes with an almost tangible sense of disappointment. "Went to Canterbury Saturday night, Barbara's christening. I went to early Communion, morning service, and afternoon." One can guess what she was desperately praying for.
Then the disappointment: "I rushed up to Town to meet Rannie. – He didn't come,"
For Monday there was only one brief entry. "Letter from Ronald, - leave all off." That probably meant just one thing – back to the trenches.
To get her mind away from the immediate past, she opted to take lessons in basic car servicing. Never one to waste time, she went along to 'Mansions Motor Garage' where she booked a course of hands-on lectures starting next day. For the next few days she wore herself out "changing wheels, tyres, adjusting valves" the latter a "stiff job and was left dead beat." Maybe that was the point of the exercise, trying to forget her disappointment.
These courses were morning or afternoon, and she was also busy at HQ seeing Cluff and Lean; going off to inspect a Buick chassis, buying it. 'Mrs Allen" she writes "sending money and went to see about body at cheap [body] builders." She made time again. "Saw Lean at office." Lean was certainly paying the price for 'bombarding her with letters'. In between times she was recruiting and interviewing, once more back into 'full steam ahead' mode.
In spite of all that had happened, there was still a deal of ill feeling and worry at HQ about the costs involved in the Binson project. Grace decided to get the matter out of the way once and for all, using the same sort of barnstorming tactics that she had used so successfully in 1914, and to a lesser degree over Camp du Ruchard. This time, rather than a solo effort, she co-opted the willing help of another FANY stalwart, Mary Baxter-Ellis, who had strong connections in the North of England. Grace would cover Scotland.
Now the talking phase was over, Grace was itching to go. She had decisively evened the score with Cluff and Lean, now she was into the end game of her fight back against all those who had sought to bring her down, or at least harness her. It was to be a hard, wearying slog, but she was a tough Aberdonian shortly to be back among her own folk, and looking forward to it. Mary Baxter-Ellis was of the same mould.
Provided with tickets by the British Red Cross, the two girls met up at Kings Cross, and headed for Newcastle, the centre of Baxter-Ellis country. Next day they swung into action, starting at the top!
Grace remembers: "Went to the Lord Mayor he started our list with £!0. The Sheriff gave £10 and Sir Joseph Baxter-Ellis another £10. Mr Berry, Secretary of the Working Men's War Relief Fund (WMWRF) came to tea and promised heaps of bandages, and gave me some tips. Dick (?) and I had to go to the Committee Meeting – and I had to address them – Ye Gods! I got through it somehow & they seemed to like it. They were nice to talk to - one jolly old man with a very dirty face laughed and cheered and that helped me! They voted us £140 worth of things for the hospital, & and there is a chance of a car."
(Mary Baxter-Ellis was later presented with a fully equipped ambulance!)
They also visited three newspaper Editors, - The Journal. The Chronicle, and The Northern Mail all of whom promised their full support. "Lady Ellis came with us and helped."
It was a great start to the quest for money and equipment. Donations poured in. Both girls had tremendous pride in the Corps, and managed to convey the impression that what the FANY were doing in France was of vital importance to the war effort.
It didn't come without a lot of physical effort and exertion by the two trailblazers. Travelling long distances from place to place; attending meetings; and calling on likely donors personally. From Newcastle across to Cumbria where the Baxter-Ellis's were well known.
There they were taken to the Gosforth War Hospital by Mr Berry of the Working Men's Fund, and a charming Mr Young, where they got "£47 worth of tobacco and cigarettes."
At the hospital Grace recalls "the poor old wounded doing lovely embroidery –Regimental badges in silks etc"
In between this frantic fund-raising, they somehow found time to write innumerable letters asking for help. They both had good social connections which they exploited unashamedly, and donations kept arriving. For instance, Baxter-Ellis wrote personally to Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter, who sent her a cheque for £5. Grace used her for a bit of judicious name-dropping soon after in Edinburgh, with good results. A Lady Allandale sent £10 and another gift arrived from Lady Londonderry. These sums may not seem a lot today, but in those days were sizeable offerings indeed.
When the first FANY convoy, for instance, – The Band of Hope - landed at Calais and set up 'shop' at Lamarck hospital, they had a total of £12 in the Bank to see them through those first weeks. Binson was going to do very much better.
Following their joint successes in Newcastle and Cumbria, Grace and Mary Baxter-Ellis split up, each to cover their own familiar areas. It was nearing the end of February, a year since she had been home after the death of Billy. Her mood was one of excitement tinged with sadness.
The constant pressure on her since coming back to England, to face recrimination and accusation from her colleagues; rushing about in London trying to sort out recruitment problems; and this latest load on her shoulders raising enough money to justify her acceptance of Binson, were beginning to take their toll once again, inducing a depressed introspection unusual for her. In her diary at the end of February, she wrote:
"I wonder if this is my last time home? I feel uncanny. I am so loth to leave it all I do love it all, the rivers & the hills & the brown leaves & fields – if only I could live in Scotland again – just in the country with a nice little property & Ronald – the boy – is it to be?
I feel there must be a Charles Ronald [the son she yearned for, names already chosen] and yet I feel I haven't much longer to live.
And after all I've had a lot out of life & wouldn't mind going now if it weren't for Ronald."
Things really must have been piling up in her mind for her to think like that. Almost certainly the charges and complaints made against her, or supported, by fellow FANYs must have hurt her much more deeply than she ever let on. After all she had done, striven for, to build her beloved Corps into a group admired by all, it was akin to a stab in the back .In spite of her tough, no nonsense exterior, inside, she was a sensitive woman.
Again, it was clear she was missing Ronald. Possibly as a result of her inward feelings, back again in Aberdeen, the following night she had a shocking dream, nightmare almost, writing about it in stark detail:
"Awful dream about Ronald that someone shouted 'here's your husband' and I flew out with a yell of joy. He stood quite still on the stairs & never spoke nor moved.
Oh my God, keep my Rannie safe for me."
Millions of wives were going through the same trauma of separation and fear for loved ones. Still obviously upset, a few days later she scribbled into her diary: "More collecting. Got fed up with it and left it". She had been pretty successful, it was the weekend, and she headed for Broughty Ferry to stay with Billy's widow, Bea, and their children. The visit brought back to her the pain and grief of Billy's death, and knowing how much he adored the children, she wrote: "Oh my God. My Billy is gone – never to see them & play with them & love them."
She was experiencing an agonizing time, and memories tore at her heart. She still had that inner strength and humour with which she could and would bounce back. Bea showed her the pitifully few possessions of Bill's which were sent back to her from France. One large item eventually had both of them in fits of laughter, a welcome release from the tight grip of grief. Grace tells the story:
"Very little. Only his 'jerry', a big china one carefully packed! We laughed with tears rolling over our faces – for Billy would have laughed so at that. No diary, no letters, no revolver, hardly any clothes. Poor Billy."
Grace spent another day with Bea and the children, then tore herself away to get back to fundraising. Aberdeen had produced substantial donations, including a fully equipped ambulance!
She headed for Edinburgh. Again going straight to the top. The Lord Provost had a niece in the FANY, and that was enough for Grace, but she had already met him. When he was a JP, she had had to get some papers signed at Colinton after Charlie's death. She remembered the occasion, "he was awfully nice to me."
She went to the City Chambers to beard him in his den, and records how she got round him.
"Saw Lord Provost. He was very nice but afraid to do anything without the City Chamberlain, a dry old stick.
It was great fun manoeuvring around him. I broke down all the barriers one by one and at last he read my letter to the Scotsman, & the mention of Princess Louise's donation did it. He gave in - & even offered to accept donations. I went straight to The Scotsman office to have it put in. [A letter she had quickly written about the Lord Provost accepting donations ]
"Lord McLeod, the Provost, is such a nice man – not a bit dusty & pompous."
The next day she returned to London, where her mother was alone, Isabel and the boys having gone down to Eastbourne while Bertie was recovering from his bout of pneumonia. In a mood of constantly changing feelings, she writes, "Am fed up with collecting." Then right after this statement, she goes on "My letter in Scotsman this morning. I hope will have some effect." In fact, it had very considerable effect, raising a lot more money and much needed supplies of every sort.
The fund raising trip was virtually over. Grace and Baxter-Ellis had spent 17 days 'on the road'. Between them they had produced an incredible amount of money and hospital equipment of every sort, from scissors to ambulances – three of them! – beds, mattresses, sheets, blankets, medical instruments, bandages, dressings.
Grace, with Baxter-Ellis' help, had saved the day for Binson, and paved the way for a successful setting up of the hospital.
Once again she had won through with her energy, scorn for red tape and 'office-wallah' officialdom, and single-minded determination.
Janette Lean resigned shortly after, not waiting for the final scenes in the drama of Binson. In the same issue of the Gazette which published Lean's resignation in the back pages, the front page expressed appreciation of the transfer of the title FANY Unit 1 from the successful Lamarck Hospital to their new L'Hopital Auxiliaire 76, FANY Unit 1, Port a Binson.
It stated: "Mrs McDougall must be congratulated on this achievement as it is particularly difficult for women to get into this area, and the French Red Cross own that it is a very important piece of work."
Another battle won, but the war still went on. There was a lot of 1917 left, and ahead lay successes and disappointments.
Grace had a busy time in front of her, shortly to be faced with yet another confrontation, this one putting not only Grace's future at risk, but the FANY Corps as a whole.