British Soldiers Fallen 1854 Cholera

This rather tragic memorial to those British troops who died chiefly of cholera in June 1854 is located in the tiny city garden near Varna National School of Arts, on the junction of “Knyaz Boris I” Blvd. and “Naiden Gerov” Str., next to the Hotel Rosslyn Dimyat.

At this location, there is a military-style gravestone that serves as a memorial for around 700+ English men who were accommodated and subsequently perished in large numbers from cholera in the nearby areas.

The role of nurses became particularly vital during this period. Florence Nightingale and her team of nurses arrived in Scutari (modern-day Istanbul) in November 1854, after the cholera outbreak. While they did not directly serve in Varna, their impact on improving conditions in Scutari indirectly influenced the situation in Varna. Nightingale’s contribution to nursing, hygiene, and sanitary conditions had a profound and lasting effect on the British military medical system and overall military health, and her efforts in the Crimean War were pivotal in highlighting the importance of trained nurses in war.