Also in December, a hospital led by Dr Eleanor Soltau was dispatched to Serbia.
Other units quickly followed and Serbia soon had four primary hospitals working night and day.
The conditions in Serbia were dire.
The Serbian army had a mere 300 doctors to serve more than half a million men and as well as battle casualties the hospital had to deal with a typhus epidemic which ravaged the military and civilian populations.
Serbia had fought a surprisingly successful military campaign against the invading Austrians but the fight had exhausted the nation.
Both soldiers and civilians were half starved and worn out and in those conditions diseases thrived and hundreds of thousands perished.
Four SWH staff, Louisa Jordan, Madge Fraser, Augusta Minshull and Bessie Sutherland died during the epidemic.
By the winter of 1915 Serbia could hold out no more.
The Austrians had been joined by German and Bulgarian forces and again invaded and the Serbs were forced to retreat into Albania.

The SWH staff had a choice to make, stay and go into captivity (or worse) or go with the retreating army into Albania.
In the end some stayed and some went.
Elsie Inglis, Evelina Haverfield, Alice Hutchison, Helen MacDougal and others were taken prisoner and were eventually repatriated to Britain.
The others joined the Serbian army and government in its retreat and suffered the indescribable horrors of that retreat and shared the hardships endured by the Serbian army.
Also in December, a hospital led by Dr Eleanor Soltau was dispatched to Serbia. Other units quickly followed and Serbia soon had four primary hospitals working night and day. The conditions in Serbia were dire. The Serbian army had a mere 300 doctors to serve more than half a million men and as well as battle casualties the hospital had to deal with a typhus epidemic which ravaged the military and civilian populations. Serbia had fought a surprisingly successful military campaign against the invading Austrians but the fight had exhausted the nation. Both soldiers and civilians were half starved and worn out and in those conditions diseases thrived and hundreds of thousands perished. Four SWH staff, Louisa Jordan, Madge Fraser, Augusta Minshull and Bessie Sutherland died during the epidemic. By the winter of 1915 Serbia could hold out no more. The Austrians had been joined by German and Bulgarian forces and again invaded and the Serbs were forced to retreat into Albania.
The SWH staff had a choice to make, stay and go into captivity (or worse) or go with the retreating army into Albania. In the end some stayed and some went. Elsie Inglis, Evelina Haverfield, Alice Hutchison, Helen MacDougal and others were taken prisoner and were eventually repatriated to Britain. The others joined the Serbian army and government in its retreat and suffered the indescribable horrors of that retreat and shared the hardships endured by the Serbian army.
Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service