History of American Red Cross nurse

ATTICA --- March is "Women's History Month," celebrating the contributions women have made to the United States and recognizing the specific achievements women have made throughout American history. With the help of the Seneca County Historical Society, Mark Steinmetz, and Tim McKee, president of the Tiffin Historic Trust, we can tell their stories. Clara Edith Work (Ayres) was born on Sept. 16t 1880, near Attica in Venice Township. Her father served as the Venice Township Marshall and constable. Ayres received her education in Attica and graduated in 1903. Shortly after her graduation, she met her husband, Wayland Ayres, who owned a grocery store in Attica. Tragically, three years into their marriage he died from tetanus, which he contracted from an automobile accident. After running the store for a while, Ayres decided to move to Chicago to pursue her passion for nursing. In 1913, she graduated from nursing school and began working as an instructor at Cook County Hospital. As the United States entered World War I, the American Red Cross was in desperate need of nurses to aid in the war effort. Ayres enlisted to be a nurse for the Red Cross and was assigned to Base Hospital #12. In May 1917, her unit was ordered to go to France on the U.S.S. Mongolia. Based on Seneca County History, on May 20, 1917, the U.S.S. Mongolia had a gunnery practice, and one of the deck guns exploded 500 miles into its voyage out of New York Harbor. Some of the nurses were sitting on the deck behind the guns watching the gunnery display. Debris hit three nurses, and two were killed instantly, including Ayres and Helen Bennett Wood. Ayres's remains were returned to Attica and she was buried with full military honors at the Attica Venice Township Joint Cemetery. Members of the Red Cross Nurses Association from Chicago and Columbus carried the casket from the funeral home to the Attica Methodist Church.