NAOTMAA - Their Contributions to Russia

[tian79]

What exactly did Olga and Tatiana do in their meetings and committees during WWI?

[BobAtchison]

For some trivia - a group of Americans paid for a squad of ambulances for Tatiana's medical service.  They all drove up to the palace during the war along with an American delegation and Tatiana inspected them and spoke at length with the American visitors.

[Sarai_Porretta]

I recall reading somewhere that at some point during her nursing service, Olga became so distraught that she had a kind of breakdown and could not continue nursing. Does anyone know if a particular incident triggered this, or was it just a product of the sensitive young woman having had her full share of the blood, amputations, and general horrors of a military hospital? I wonder as well if her mother and sister were disappointed in this, as they were able to continue their efforts without her. I have a feeling that they were sympathetic towards her, as she was never made to return.

[Janet Whitcomb]

I cannot remember the exact source material--it's all blending right now, and I'm away from my bookshelves--but I believe Olga was found vomiting into a towel in the linen room, and was subsequently given a desk job. This would tally with her sensitive nature, in comparison with the matter-of-fact and more efficient personalities of her mother and Tatiana. I also have read that sometimes the bandages and so forth applied by the royal ladies had to be done over again. Somehow this doesn't seem to jive with the competent personalities of Alexandra and Tatiana. But I can imagine that Olga, though undeniably bright, was not a natural nurse and found it difficult to separate her feelings from what was going on in front of her.

[LisaDavidson]

The Grand Duchess Tatiana Committee was dedicated to helping those who were made refugees by the war. So successful was this committee that the Provisional Government continued its work.

[tian79]

I’d like to know if the girls had any useful ideas or did they just sit at the meetings bored and hoping to be somewhere else.
Are there any minutes from the meetings?

Also is there ever going to be a proper book about OTMA?
Or weren’t their lives interesting enough to sell books?

[Jackswife]

 I've only heard varying opinions on the quality of their nursing work: some saying they were fairly skillful, others that it was more of a case of  good intentions but not so gifted hands. Again, just a sampling of reports I've read elsewhere. I personally think it was very much in character for both Alix and her daughters to do this kind of work.  The Tsarina seemed very much interested in useful charity work, and I'm sure she wanted her daughters to be the same. I had never read that about Olga's uniform being preserved, and I'd love to see a picture of it if anyone has one available.

[BobAtchison]

Alix's nursing uniform was preserved at Pavlovsk.  I never have seen or heard of any Red Cross uniforms of the Grand Duchesses being preserved.

Bob

[RealAnastasia]

I think (but there are only my thoughts) that Tatiana and Alix had more skills as nurses than poor Olga. She was very sensitive and romantic and she was shocked when she must see the war infected wounds, blood, etc. I 'm a little like her and I understand her. Of course it's a good thing to help wounded people, warriors of your country, but I know that Olga must have been shocked when she saw these people in poor situation, dying, suffering, with worms...I understand why once she must hide to vomite in a towel.

  I suppose that Tatiana and Alix were, by far, more self-controlled and skillful. What do you think about that?

RealAnastasia.

[Michelle]

I've seen that picture of the uniform in Kurth's book.  It's very tiny (as far as fitting one's figure goes).  Does anyone have any guesses as to whose it is? (O or T's)

[Laura Mabee]

The picture from Kurth's book can be found:

Here

Two formal pictures of the Tatiana and Alix can be found
Here and Here

I am not sure whose dress it is, since we really can't see the length, to judge hight..  :-/

[ferngully]

any of olga?
selina                xxxxxxxxxx

[RealAnastasia]

I can't tell if the dress is tiny or not, but if it is, remember that the thinner GD was Tatiana...Maybee it's hers?  

RealAnastasia.

[aleksandra]

any more photos of them in there unforms?

[Michelle]

I can't tell if the dress is tiny or not, but if it is, remember that the thinner GD was Tatiana...Maybee it's hers?  

RealAnastasia.

No matter who was thinner, the dress could still be Olga's because Olga also had a dainty figure.