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Anna L. Fisher played an important role in the Middle East after World War I (Image: Library of Congress)
By Betsy J. Green
The fighting in Europe was over, but the work of caring for the wounded and helping the people recover from the long years of conflict continued. And one Santa Barbara woman decided to stay as long as she was needed.
Anna L. Fisher was in the news in November 1919 when she was appointed captain in the Arabian cavalry to acknowledge her services as a Red Cross leader in Damascus, Syria.
“The appointment … is in recognition of her ability in organizing the work of the American Red Cross in Damascus. This brought her into constant touch with the Arabian officials, and when the Red Cross completed its work in Damascus, the Arab government asked that she be left behind” to continue her work there.
[Spoiler alert – Fisher stayed on in the Middle East until at least 1927 when she was appointed head of the school system in Iraq. It is not clear if she ever returned to Santa Barbara.]
Betsy’s Way Back When book — 1919 — is now available in local bookstores and at Amazon.com. This is the sixth book in her series of the history of Santa Barbara, one year at a time. Learn more at
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