Mairi Chisholm
Encyclopedia
Mairi Lambert Gooden-Chisholm of Chisholm (better known as Mairi Chisholm), OLII
, MM
, OStJ
, OEB
, (b. 26 Feb 1896 - d. 22 Aug 1981) was a Scottish
nurse and ambulance
driver in the First World War who, together with her friend Elsie Knocker
, won numerous medals for bravery and for saving the lives of thousands of soldiers in on the Western Front
in Belgium
. Dubbed "The Madonnas of Pervyse
" by the press the two became the most photographed women of the war, achieving recognition not only as women but for working on the front lines against official British regulations.
, Scotland
to Captain Roderick Gooden-Chisholm and Margaret Fraser. Her family was independently wealthy and even owned a plantation in Trinidad
. When Chisholm was a child, the family moved from Scotland to Dorset
. As a teen, she witnessed her older brother, Uailean, who owned a Royal Enfield
425cc, competing at rallies and at the Bournemouth
speed trials. Around this time, and against his wife's wishes, her father bought her a Douglas
motorbike. Chisholm spent hours in the family stables stripping down the bikes and repairing them. She was just 18-years-old when, while roaring round the Hampshire
and Dorset lanes, she met thirty-year-old Elsie Knocker, a divorcee and mother of a young son. They became fast friends and soon began competing in motorcycle and sidecar trials
together.
for the Women's Emergency Corps
. Chisholm rode her motorbike all the way from Dorset to the capital. It was while acting as a courier in this way that she was spotted making hairpin corners in the city by a Dr. Hector Munro. Munro was setting up a Flying Ambulance Corps to help the Belgians who had been caught unawares by the German invasion and invited her to join his team, as she describes in a June 1976 interview:
“[Munro] was deeply impressed with my ability to ride through the traffic. He traced me to the Women's Emergency Corps and... said, 'Would you like to go out to Flanders' and I said 'Yes, I'd love to'.”
Both she and Knocker ended up in Belgium as part of the corps which included Dorothie Feilding
and May Sinclair
. Initially quartered at Ghent
, the unit relocated to Furnes
at the end of October where the women worked tirelessly picking up wounded soldiers mid-way from the front and transporting them back to their field hospital at the rear. After the beds ran out, the wounded were laid on the floor or propped up against the wall. As the dead piled up, the two nurses were told to remove them to the mortuary. Chisholm wrote in her diary:
“No one can understand...unless one has seen the rows of dead men laid out. One sees men with their jaws blown off, arms and legs mutilated.”
Chisholm and Knocker soon came to the conclusion that they could save more lives by treating the wounded directly on the front lines. In November, they decided to leave the corps and set up their own dressing station
five miles east in a town named Pervyse
, north of Ypres
, just one hundred yards from the trenches
. Here, in a vacant cellar which they named "Poste de Secours Anglais" ("British First Aid
Post"), the two would spend the next three and a half years tending to the wounded. No longer affiliated with the Belgian Red Cross
, they began acting completely as free agents and had to support their work by raising their own funds. Through sheer perseverance Knocker was able to arrange for the two of them to be officially seconded to the Belgian garrison stationed there. In January 1915, they were both decorated by King Albert I of Belgium with the Order of Léopold II
, Knights Cross (with palm) for their courageous work on the front lines. They were also given the British Military Medal
and both made Officers, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
. Chisholm was also decorated with the Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
and the 1914 Star
. The two became instant celebrities earning the distinction of being the most photographed women of the war.
In 1916, Chisholm became engaged to a Royal Naval Air
pilot named Jack Petrie, who died a year later during flying practice. In 1918, both women were badly affected by a massive bombing raid and gas attack
on their makeshift field hospital. Chisholm recovered enough to return to the front, before being forced to abandon her post just months before the end of the war. She returned to Britain, where both she and Knocker saw out the rest of the war as members of the newly formed Women's Royal Air Force
. Chisholm became engaged for the second time in August 1918 to Royal Flying Corps
Second Lieutenant
William Thomas James Hall whom she had met while training in the WRAF, but the engagement was subsequently called off.
, and had a weak heart. She did, however, continue to live her life at a fast pace. After her brief stint in the WRAF, she took up auto racing
. On one occasion, she was scheduled to take part in a race at Brooklands
but had to withdraw because of a fainting episode the evening before.
. In her later years she spent much time corresponding with The Clan Chisholm
Society. Mairi Chilsholm died on 22 August 1981 of lung cancer aged 85 in the home she had shared with Davidson for almost 60 years. She never married.
Online text
Digital archives
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system...
, MM
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
, OStJ
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
, OEB
Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
The Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium was a campaign medal created by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium for humanitarian service in World War I.It was created on 15 September, 1915 and finalized by Royal Decree of 14 May, 1919...
, (b. 26 Feb 1896 - d. 22 Aug 1981) was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
nurse and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
driver in the First World War who, together with her friend Elsie Knocker
Elsie Knocker
Elsie Knocker was a British nurse and ambulance driver in World War I who, together with her friend Mairi Chisholm, won numerous medals for bravery and for saving the lives of thousands of soldiers on the Western Front in Belgium...
, won numerous medals for bravery and for saving the lives of thousands of soldiers in on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Dubbed "The Madonnas of Pervyse
Pervijze
Pervijze is a small rural village in the Belgian province of West-Flanders, and a part of the municipality of Diksmuide. Pervijze has an area of 12.23 km² and almost 900 inhabitants...
" by the press the two became the most photographed women of the war, achieving recognition not only as women but for working on the front lines against official British regulations.
Early life
Chisholm was born on 26 February 1896 in NairnNairn
Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to Captain Roderick Gooden-Chisholm and Margaret Fraser. Her family was independently wealthy and even owned a plantation in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. When Chisholm was a child, the family moved from Scotland to Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. As a teen, she witnessed her older brother, Uailean, who owned a Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was...
425cc, competing at rallies and at the Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
speed trials. Around this time, and against his wife's wishes, her father bought her a Douglas
Douglas (motorcycles)
Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907–1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family, and especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined bikes and as manufacturers of speedway machines...
motorbike. Chisholm spent hours in the family stables stripping down the bikes and repairing them. She was just 18-years-old when, while roaring round the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and Dorset lanes, she met thirty-year-old Elsie Knocker, a divorcee and mother of a young son. They became fast friends and soon began competing in motorcycle and sidecar trials
Motorcycle trials
Motorcycle trials, also termed observed trials, is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participants around the globe....
together.
World War I
When war was declared in 1914, Knocker wrote to Chisholm that there was “work to be done”, and suggested they go to London to become dispatch ridersDespatch rider
A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...
for the Women's Emergency Corps
Women's Emergency Corps
The Women's Emergency Corps was a service organisation founded in 1914 by Evelina Haverfield, Decima Moore, and the Women's Social and Political Union to contribute to the war effort of the United Kingdom in World War I. The Corps later evolved into the Women's Volunteer Reserve.-References:* * at...
. Chisholm rode her motorbike all the way from Dorset to the capital. It was while acting as a courier in this way that she was spotted making hairpin corners in the city by a Dr. Hector Munro. Munro was setting up a Flying Ambulance Corps to help the Belgians who had been caught unawares by the German invasion and invited her to join his team, as she describes in a June 1976 interview:
“[Munro] was deeply impressed with my ability to ride through the traffic. He traced me to the Women's Emergency Corps and... said, 'Would you like to go out to Flanders' and I said 'Yes, I'd love to'.”
Both she and Knocker ended up in Belgium as part of the corps which included Dorothie Feilding
Dorothie Feilding
Lady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding-Moore , better known as Dorothie Feilding, MM, CdeG, OLII, was a British heiress who shunned her aristocratic background to become a highly decorated volunteer nurse and ambulance driver on the Western Front during World War I...
and May Sinclair
May Sinclair
May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair , a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' Suffrage League...
. Initially quartered at Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, the unit relocated to Furnes
Veurne
Veurne is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of Avekapelle, Booitshoeke, Bulskamp, De Moeren, Eggewaartskapelle, Houtem, Steenkerke, Vinkem, Wulveringem, and Zoutenaaie.-Origins in the 15th...
at the end of October where the women worked tirelessly picking up wounded soldiers mid-way from the front and transporting them back to their field hospital at the rear. After the beds ran out, the wounded were laid on the floor or propped up against the wall. As the dead piled up, the two nurses were told to remove them to the mortuary. Chisholm wrote in her diary:
“No one can understand...unless one has seen the rows of dead men laid out. One sees men with their jaws blown off, arms and legs mutilated.”
Chisholm and Knocker soon came to the conclusion that they could save more lives by treating the wounded directly on the front lines. In November, they decided to leave the corps and set up their own dressing station
Field hospital
A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...
five miles east in a town named Pervyse
Pervijze
Pervijze is a small rural village in the Belgian province of West-Flanders, and a part of the municipality of Diksmuide. Pervijze has an area of 12.23 km² and almost 900 inhabitants...
, north of Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, just one hundred yards from the trenches
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. Here, in a vacant cellar which they named "Poste de Secours Anglais" ("British First Aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
Post"), the two would spend the next three and a half years tending to the wounded. No longer affiliated with the Belgian Red Cross
Belgian Red Cross
The Belgian Red Cross was established in 1864 by Doctor Andrea Wegner and has its headquarters in Brussels.-External links:***...
, they began acting completely as free agents and had to support their work by raising their own funds. Through sheer perseverance Knocker was able to arrange for the two of them to be officially seconded to the Belgian garrison stationed there. In January 1915, they were both decorated by King Albert I of Belgium with the Order of Léopold II
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system...
, Knights Cross (with palm) for their courageous work on the front lines. They were also given the British Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
and both made Officers, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
. Chisholm was also decorated with the Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
The Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium was a campaign medal created by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium for humanitarian service in World War I.It was created on 15 September, 1915 and finalized by Royal Decree of 14 May, 1919...
and the 1914 Star
1914 Star
The 1914 Star was a British Empire campaign medal for service in World War I.The 1914 Star was approved in 1917, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914...
. The two became instant celebrities earning the distinction of being the most photographed women of the war.
In 1916, Chisholm became engaged to a Royal Naval Air
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
pilot named Jack Petrie, who died a year later during flying practice. In 1918, both women were badly affected by a massive bombing raid and gas attack
Poison gas in World War I
The use of chemical weapons in World War I ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first global war and first total war of the 20th century. The killing capacity of...
on their makeshift field hospital. Chisholm recovered enough to return to the front, before being forced to abandon her post just months before the end of the war. She returned to Britain, where both she and Knocker saw out the rest of the war as members of the newly formed Women's Royal Air Force
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
. Chisholm became engaged for the second time in August 1918 to Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
William Thomas James Hall whom she had met while training in the WRAF, but the engagement was subsequently called off.
Post-war years
Following the end of the war, the two nurses continued to be mobbed by the public and the press. Eventually they went their separate ways when Chisholm learned the truth about Knocker's divorce to her first husband. The two barely spoke again. The war had taken its toll on Chisholm's health. She had been poisoned, contracted septicaemiaSepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
, and had a weak heart. She did, however, continue to live her life at a fast pace. After her brief stint in the WRAF, she took up auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
. On one occasion, she was scheduled to take part in a race at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
but had to withdraw because of a fainting episode the evening before.
Final years
Partly on doctors' advice, Chisholm returned to Nairn, where, it was hoped, she would lead a quieter life. There she became a successful poultry breeder with her childhood friend, May Davidson on the Davidson's family estate. In the 1930s they relocated their business to JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
. In her later years she spent much time corresponding with The Clan Chisholm
Clan Chisholm
Clan Chisholm is a Scottish clan. The clan had its origin outside Scotland. The first Chisholm to appear in the records of Scotland was Alexander de Chesholme, who witnessed a charter in 1248/49.-Origins of the Clan:...
Society. Mairi Chilsholm died on 22 August 1981 of lung cancer aged 85 in the home she had shared with Davidson for almost 60 years. She never married.
Awards and Decorations
| Knights Cross of the Order of Léopold II with palm Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system... |
| Military Medal Military Medal The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land.... |
_ribbon.png) Officer of the Order of St. John of JerusalemVenerable Order of Saint John The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and... |
| Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium The Order of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium was a campaign medal created by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium for humanitarian service in World War I.It was created on 15 September, 1915 and finalized by Royal Decree of 14 May, 1919... |
| 1914 Star 1914 Star The 1914 Star was a British Empire campaign medal for service in World War I.The 1914 Star was approved in 1917, for issue to officers and men of British forces who served in France or Belgium between 5 August and midnight 22/23 November 1914... |
See also
- Elsie KnockerElsie KnockerElsie Knocker was a British nurse and ambulance driver in World War I who, together with her friend Mairi Chisholm, won numerous medals for bravery and for saving the lives of thousands of soldiers on the Western Front in Belgium...
- Dorothie FeildingDorothie FeildingLady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding-Moore , better known as Dorothie Feilding, MM, CdeG, OLII, was a British heiress who shunned her aristocratic background to become a highly decorated volunteer nurse and ambulance driver on the Western Front during World War I...
- May SinclairMay SinclairMay Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair , a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' Suffrage League...
- Albert I of BelgiumAlbert I of BelgiumAlbert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
- Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
- Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of AthloneAlexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of AthloneMajor-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
- Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
External links
- Madonnas of the Western Front (2009) from The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
Online text
- Elsie And Mairi Go To War: Two Extraordinary Women On The Western Front (2009) by Diane Atkinson at KoboKoboKobo may refer to:* the subunit of the Nigerian currency naira* Kōbō Abe, a Japanese writer* Kōbō-Daishi, the posthumous title of Kūkai, a Japanese monk* Kobo, Ethiopia* Kobo , the district in which Kobo, Ethiopia is located...
- The Cellar-House of Pervyse (1917) at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Excerpt from: The Cellar-House of Pervijse (1917) from 'The War Budget' at greatwardifferent.com
- Women in the War 91914) from the magazine 'T.P.'s Great Deeds of the Great War' at greatwardifferent.com
- A Surgeon in Belgium (1915) by Henry Sessions Souttar at Google Books
- Young Hilda at the Wars (1915) by Arthur Gleason at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Golden Lads (1916) by Arthur Gleason & Helen Hayes Gleason at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- How War Seems to a Woman'; Excerpt from: The Golden Lads (1916) by Arthur Gleason & Helen Hayes Gleason at greatwardifferent.com
- Women and War Work (1918) by Helen Fraser; Chapter IV. at LexCycle Library
- Women and war: a historical encyclopedia from antiquity to the present, Volume 1 (2006) by Bernard A. Cook at Google Books
Digital archives
- 'The Nurses Story: Tending the Wounded at the Front' at National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
. - 'The Women of Pervyse' at the Imperial War MuseumImperial War MuseumImperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
- 'Women at War: The Two Women of Pervyse' at the BFI National ArchiveBFI National ArchiveThe BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...
.