 Mary Jane Seacole ( née Grant ; 1805 – 14 May 1881 ) was a Jamaican woman of Scottish and African descent who set up a " British Hotel " behind the lines during the Crimean War . She described this as " a mess @-@ table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers " , and provided succour for wounded servicemen on both sides of the conflict. kwietnia 2016 ... In 1854, the Crimean War broke out. Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse, volunteered to help the sick and wounded.Mary Seacole was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on