The extraordinary and moving story of two women whose courage and charisma made them the most famous women in the First World War.
Diane Atkinson was born in the North-East and educated in Cornwall and London, where she completed a PhD on the politics of women's sweated labour. At the Museum of London she worked as a lecturer and curator specializing in women's history. She has an MA from the University of East Anglia in Life-writing. She is the author of Suffragettes in Pictures, Funny Girls- Cartooning for Equality and Love and Dirt- The Marriage of Arthur Munby and Hannah Cullwick, which was published in 2003.
A compelling story of famous but forgotten heroines: two
exceptional Edwardian ladies in the front line mud and mayhem of
World War I
*Kate Adie*
Diane Atkinson has uncovered the lives of two extraordinary women
who brought medical comfort and relief to the wounded of World War
I. Her book is as absorbing as it is thorough, as entertaining as
it is warm-hearted. A terrific story
*Joan Bakewell*
The true story of best friends Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm
who, when the First World War broke out, set up a first aid post on
the Western Front. Their courage frequently made the headlines in
Britain and both were awarded medals for their bravery. This
biography is a fitting tribute to their role on the frontline
*Daily Express*
A terrific, true story, brought vividly to life
*Mail on Sunday*
Brilliantly readable
*Lancashire Evening Post*
The many women who played supporting roles to the troops in World War I are scarcely ever mentioned by name in the histories of that war. Atkinson, who has published many books in the UK on the suffragette movement, attempts to right this wrong in her portrayal of these two women, who met as part of a motorcycling club in 1912 and joined the Munro Flying Ambulance Corps when Britain entered the war. They set up an aid station on the Western Front, being among the first nurses to realize that the wounded would be better treated for shock before being shipped to a hospital. Atkinson shows that these two women's courage and dedication brought them fame in Britain, yet once the war ended, each tried to find a place back in traditional society and never quite succeeded. They retreated separately into obscurity and near poverty. VERDICT Because World War I histories that involve a true look at women's contributions are few and far between, this accessible work, acknowledging these important contributions, adds dimension to general readers' understanding of the war. Companion works include Margaret Higonnet's Nurses at the Front: Writing the Wounds of the Great War, which is far more rigorous and scholarly.-Maria Bagshaw, Ecolab, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
A compelling story of famous but forgotten heroines: two
exceptional Edwardian ladies in the front line mud and mayhem of
World War I -- Kate Adie
Diane Atkinson has uncovered the lives of two extraordinary women
who brought medical comfort and relief to the wounded of World War
I. Her book is as absorbing as it is thorough, as entertaining as
it is warm-hearted. A terrific story -- Joan Bakewell
The true story of best friends Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm
who, when the First World War broke out, set up a first aid post on
the Western Front. Their courage frequently made the headlines in
Britain and both were awarded medals for their bravery. This
biography is a fitting tribute to their role on the frontline --
Charlotte Vowden * Daily Express *
A terrific, true story, brought vividly to life * Mail on Sunday
*
Brilliantly readable * Lancashire Evening Post *
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