Memoirs Of A World War I Nurse

Nora's memoirs describe her time spent training during her tour of duty through WWI France. Nora dutifully recorded her experiences, emotions and her growing relationship with the man who would eventually become her husband.

Starring Oona Chaplin as a V.A.D. (Voluntary Aid Detachment), and Suranne Jones and Hermione Norris as trained nurses, The Crimson Field is a gripping drama set in a tented hospital on the coast of France, where plucky real-life V.A.D. Olive Dent served two years of the Great War, and kept this extraordinarily vivid diary of day-to-day life – ever cheerful through the bitter cold, the chilblains, hunger and exhaustion. Resilient, courageous and resourceful, nurses, doctors and patients alike do their best to support each other. A Christmas fancy-dress ball, a concert performed by a stoic orchestra covered in bandages, church services held in a marquee and letters from Blighty all keep spirits up in camp, as wounded soldiers suffer terribly with quiet dignity on the makeshift wards, and nurses rush round tirelessly to make them as comfortable as possible. With original illustrations throughout by fellow V.A.D.s, Olive’s memoir is a fascinating period piece, a rare first-hand account of this little-known story, which will resonate very strongly with viewers of The Crimson Field.

During 1945, the author found herself in the monsoon-drenched jungles of Assam, caring for soldiers in the China-Burma-India theater of war. Nothing in her training had prepared her for the tropical diseases or the thatched-roof hospital where men spat on the floor, rats were pervasive, and patients used handguns to chase gigantic cockroaches (and wereas likely to sell their medicine as swallow it). The experience was made tolerable by Nurse Camp's romance with one of the airmen who flew the Hump, supplying O.S.S. troops behind Japanese lines and carrying General Joseph Stilwell's Chinese troops to fight the battle of North Burma. She accompanied her future husband on some of his missions. Based in part on letters she wrote to her parents, this is the poignant story of one nurse's experience in World War II.

This book is the story of just one newly graduated nurse told in her own words in her letters home saved by her parents and friends. All these collected letters, repressed memories, and commentary, spell out the details and background for Letters Home. It is one of the few stories of nurses in the Pacific area. In the century’s greatest war, one nurse, one boxful of letters, photos, drawings and documents – and a broken leg at the age of 78, came together here in a warm, honest, sometimes graphic description about a time in history that is slipping from our collective memory. Battles are forever documented, troops heroism is scribed and caught on news clips and film, but the role of nurses has not until recently been well recorded. Nurses too are part of “The Greatest Generation” facing unknown places, unknown dangers, extreme physical discomfort and physical exhaustion. They served alongside America’s finest troops, cared for them when they were sick and injured. They mourned for those who could not make it home. Finally recognized by the opening of the Women’s Memorial in Washington DC, October 1997, are women who served and are serving in the uniform of the United States. They are being honored and remembered for their service in the many branches of the Armed Forces. This book gives a glimpse into the Southwest Pacific area in WWII through the eyes of one nurse who saw and recorded how it was.

Nurse Memoirs from the Great War in Britain, France, and Germany examines an understudied corpus of memoirs in English, French, and German stemming from the unprecedented involvement of women in the war effort. Jerry Palmer considers the memoirs in relationship to public opinion, collective memory and other women's writing about the war. Through close-readings of the memoirs and their contexts, the book identifies themes present in the texts and considers the nurse memoir as rhetoric-examining to what extent the texts are promoting or countering arguments in the public sphere about their involvement or more widely about women's position in society. Palmer explores the multiple contexts related to the nurse memoirs, including public response to volunteer wartime nursing, the organisation of the military health services of the three nations and their conduct in the war, and changes in the post-war organization of public health services and the professionalization of nursing.

Nurse Memoirs from the Great War in Britain, France, and Germany examines an understudied corpus of memoirs in English, French, and German stemming from the unprecedented involvement of women in the war effort. Jerry Palmer considers the memoirs in relationship to public opinion, collective memory and other women’s writing about the war. Through close-readings of the memoirs and their contexts, the book identifies themes present in the texts and considers the nurse memoir as rhetoric—examining to what extent the texts are promoting or countering arguments in the public sphere about their involvement or more widely about women’s position in society. Palmer explores the multiple contexts related to the nurse memoirs, including public response to volunteer wartime nursing, the organisation of the military health services of the three nations and their conduct in the war, and changes in the post-war organization of public health services and the professionalization of nursing.

Experience Vera Brittain's poignant memoir that captures the tumultuous times of war and the enduring spirit of resilience. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain; Mark Bostridge; et al.: Embark on a deeply personal and poignant journey through the tumultuous years of World War I with Vera Brittain's "Testament of Youth." This autobiographical account, expertly edited by Mark Bostridge and others, offers an intimate glimpse into the author's experiences as a nurse and her reflections on the devastating impact of war on individuals and society. Why This Book? "Testament of Youth" stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the horrors of war. Vera Brittain's eloquent prose and candid observations make this memoir a moving and relevant exploration of love, loss, and the enduring pursuit of peace.

This, the first in a series of four unique War Diaries produced in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum, will tell a story that is rarely heard: the experiences of a nurse working close to the Western Front in the First World War. Incredibly, Edith Appleton served in France for the whole of the conflict. Her bravery and dedication won her the Military OBE, the Royal Red Cross and the Belgian Queen Elizabeth medal among others. Her diary details with compassion all the horrors of the 'war to end wars', including the first use of poison gas and the terrible cost of battles such as Ypres, but she also records what life was like for nurses and how she spent her time off-duty. There are moments of humour amongst the tragedy, and even lyrical accounts of the natural beauty that still existed amidst all the destruction.