I have been part of the Nurses in Red Wikipedia project for about 4 years, drawn to researching nurses with Scottish connections. I have been astonished about how little I knew about them – not even names never mind what they did. Given that there are over 7 million pages in English on wiki, creating links from different wiki pages to the amazing work of some nurses means their wiki pages are more likely to be found. 

One of my starting points was Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI), established in 1794. The Wikipedia page lacked acknowledgement of matrons and other notable nurses who either trained or worked there.  One of these nurses was Williamina Barclay, a district nurse based on St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides. She instigated the evacuation of the population of St Kilda in 1930 when it was no longer viable for the population to survive on the islands. The St Kilda Wikipedia page contains detailed information about the history and geography of the islands but did not include information on the district nurses who worked in such a challenging isolated environment, cut off from supplies and medical support over the long winter months. Since adding a section on the district nurses there have been over 19,000 views to the St Kilda wiki page.

Another way to raise the visibility of the nurses is to include links on their pages to places they worked or places they are from. I searched for nurses who had existing pages on Wikipedia that mentioned GRI. This led me to Màiri Mhòr nan Òran from Skye, also known as Great Mary of the Songs, who trained at GRI in the 1870s. She was also active in campaigns relating to Highland land rights. I added her name to the list of notable nurses on the GRI page. It is fascinating to see the range of experiences that nurses had beyond the hospital including campaigning on social issues.  

A surprising way one page got more traction relates to the page I wrote on Eliza Mackenzie, a Scottish superintendent of nurses with the Navy during the Crimean War. Her work led to the formation of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) in 1902. In December 2025 one of her relatives appeared on the BBC Antiques Roadshow with a photo of her and shared some of her story. On the day the show was aired over 350 people viewed her Wiki page. 

The experience has been fascinating, and I would like to showcase more nurses who worked in their communities to highlight the diverse opportunities where nurses can make a difference to population health beyond the hospital setting.   

Nurses in Red Project Wikipedia learning event

If you would like to share the work of amazing nurses with a wide audience then please join our Teams History of Nursing Forum 'Nurses in Red' Project Wikipedia learning event on Monday 2 March 2026, 1-3pm to find out more about the HONF wiki project. Email: honf@rcn.org.uk for more information.