A Nurse at the Front: The Great War Diaries of Sister Edith Appleton

by Edith Appleton, Ruth Cowen (Editor), Michael Morpurgo (Foreword)

The second of four unique war diaries produced in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum, this book tells the story of the experiences of a nurse working close to the Western Front in the First World War.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Medicine, World War I, War, Research, Diary

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing account of nursing on the front lines during the Great War; it’s just a pity that parts of the diaries are long lost as it would have been fascinating to fill in the gaps. As it is, it’s always a pleasure to read of nursing in a different time and examine how the role has changed over the years. As a registered nurse myself, how attitudes and expectations of the profession change is particularly interesting.

The book features an introduction by the author of The War Horse, which offers some background to Edith and how she came to work in France in 1914. Much of the diaries look at the sheer volume of men needing care and the realisation that many simply would not survive. Edith describes secondhand accounts of what life was like in the trenches and how she cared for young men little more than sixteen with catastrophic injuries.

Edith was undoubtedly a remarkable lady; luckily for us some of her diaries survived to be made into this book as a reminder of the heroism of the Allies of the Great War.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I picked up on a whim from the library and found it interesting enough to carry on. Edith Appleton was a nurse who worked on the front lines during WWI. She wrote in a diary religiously throughout the years and then posted them back to her mother. However, not much was censored, she gave what appears to be an accurate description of what life was like for her during her time in France. There are diaries missing from the middle of the war, so we get her perspective at the beginning and the end of the war. It was a shame we missed out the middle, when she made several great friendships and when the fighting was at the worst (and when she apparently pissed off a matron so much that she was sent off elsewhere). 

This was interesting, more for the historical perspective than from what was actually written. Yes, I did like to hear about Edith's life, especially how she felt about the men she cared for, and how she handled being constantly on throughout the years, but it did get repetitive at the end. However, I really enjoyed the little footnotes that were scattered throughout the book, pointing out where Edith's facts were wrong and how propaganda and news could really affect someone's view of what was happening. A point stood out for me when she was talking about how Japan changed its mind about who to support throughout the war and was only supporting the Allies when it looked like they were going to win, but a footnote pointed out that Japan declared war on Germany in 1914, years before the Americans did. In historical fiction, something like that would be pulled up as the author not knowing their time periods but because these were diaries of a real person, it was good to see just how much the public could get wrong because what they saw was filtered through the media and their own prejudices. 

Edith was very unsympathetic to the Germans at the start of the war, unsurprisingly, but she softens in the last volume when it looked far more certain that the Allies were going to win. It was so easy to see, even through her view of a compassionate person, how suspicion and prejudice could lead to the very unbalanced Treaty of Versailles and thereafter, to Hitler and his Nazis. Also when the Allies used spies and tricks to get one up on the Germans, it was clever tactics and when the Germans did it, it was 'dirty tricks'. That was another thing you would not get in fiction, such a centred morality as Edith displayed here. She did remark that she wished both sides would stop using gas and by the end she wondered how the German nurses were doing with their patients and these were welcome insights into her as a person. 

This isn't to say that Edith was a bad person. She was, by all accounts, a very good nurse. Caring and compassionate, while being practical and pragmatic. She talked about the patients and about how she found the burden of correspondence with their families quite 'heavy' but she felt it was something she had to do. There was one patient who hung on near death for over a month and you could sense Edith's quickly stifled hope every time it looked like he was getting better and she could possibly write to his desperate mother and give her the good news. But while she was busy managing a ward of anything from five to two hundred patients, she wrote about the scenery around her and her days off where she and her friends would explore the surrounding countryside. Nothing particularly dramatic happened to Edith but the constant fear, danger and overwork were present throughout the four volumes. 

This book was interesting to give a historical perspective on part of the war we rarely see in media, mostly because while it could be exciting, it could be monotonous but it wasn't a particularly thrilling book.

 3.5 stars! 

[Saskia (Smitie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Edith, we can all get an insight from the First world war from a different perspective. Not the soldier on the battlefield, but the nurse who has to help hundreds upon hundreds of wounded with limited resources. Her accounts show how mankind can be at their worst. Killing or wounding people with explosives, bullets and toxic gas. Spreading hate to justify killing the enemy in cold blood. People dying slowly from horrific wounds or losing limbs. It was a shift from traditional war, running at each other with swords and arrows to mowing down everyone in your path with a machine gun or tank.

We should never forget the cruelty of this war.

[Sandra Ferrer Valero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un testimonio precioso de una enfermera en el frente durante la Primera Guerra Mundial. Me ha encantado

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read War Diaries: A Nurse at the Front - The First World War Diaries of Sister Edith Appleton in the lead up to ANZAC Day last month and it certainly was a meaningful preparation in the lead up to the centenary.

Reading Edith's diary entries gave me a glimpse into the life of a nurse at the Western front including her living conditions in France and the hospitals and medical centres she worked in.

Edith's accounts are filled with touching observations, intimate moments with patients, her efforts to honour the dead and write to the families of her patients as well as comments about the conflict and her thoughts about the enemy and German patients she was ordered to treat.

She also records important holidays and milestones and the ways in which the medical staff and soldiers celebrated them (Christmas) and kept up their morale with skits and concerts.

An overarching theme throughout Edith's diaries is an amazing appreciation for mother nature and the passing of the seasons. Amidst the death and destruction going on around her, it was surprising to learn that Edith enjoyed nothing more than 'tramping about the landscape' and was deeply in touch with her surroundings. While other nurses preferred to go into town and go shopping during their rare hours off, Edith always preferred to take tea somewhere quiet or go for a swim in the ocean.

Her writing is indicative of the time which I thoroughly enjoyed (our language and phraseology has changed so much in the last 100 years) and I was charmed by her delightful sense of humour and admired her strength of character.

Since the publication of these diaries, much work has been done by Edith's ancestors and fellow historians to formally identify as many of the patients mentioned in Edith's diaries as possible; an impressive feat of research in my opinion.

I thoroughly recommend reading Edith Appleton's war diaries, and for more information, you can visit the website created by Edith's great nephew here, http://anurseatthefront.org.uk/

[Gavin Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always interesting to read personal diaries that relate to great events. This one is not exactly Pepys, but is highly poignant as Sister Edith Appleton ("Edie") snatches moments between ghastly scenes of carnage to scribble observations of her life in France. What's amazing is that she kept her sanity in the face of such gore and death on an industrial scale. Maybe this diary was her saviour: by writing about it, she was able to purge her soul.
Edie has a wonderful Englishness about her. She goes for long sensible walks and swims in the sea when she's off duty. She makes friends with French gardeners and inn keepers, loves to watch the fishing boats come in at Etretat. The contrast between her bucolic spare time activities, and watching a "dear young boy" die of hideous wounds, is mesmerizing.

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose the very thing that makes this diary a little frustrating to read is the interesting thing about it - you don't end up with a sense of what Edith was like. She just went to the front and got on with it. And that is what she was like. End of. Classic example of British stiff upper lip - and the perfect illustration of why people developed that persona. One day of her work would probably give me nightmares for life. How else could you deal with such horrible circumstances?

It's good that there is a website where people can respond to the diary - patients' families had linked up with it, driving home the key point that this is well worth reading because it is real.

[Giuliana Fenwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a real, honest and brave book.
History so often lacks the voices of children and women.
This was such an insight into hearing them from the distance past of WW1.

What really struck me was their unquestionable bravery and determination to join the war effort and the immense difference that they made to that.
The unheard voices.
Battling away silently and uncomplainingly behind the lives.
Even treating German soldiers.

I couldn’t believe all the nurses did on top of caring for and mending so many endless train loads of casualties back from the front line.
They all seemed to go way over and beyond, sitting with soldiers writing letters home and celebrating every little bit of life that came their way in the middle of death. Decorating casualty tents and rooms for Christmas , having music evenings in the mess surrounded by the explosion of shells, really touched me.
The wounds, the terrible smells of gangrene and gas- gangrene wounds … sitting with soldiers who were breathing their last and listening to their stories, going finally to bed and worrying about each of these men and really feeling for their families as well as the men themselves … they were so so much more than nurses.

The nurses relished and treasured everything from the simple pleasures of walking on the very rare half day off, picnics and also writing letters, searching and asking after their brothers or fathers fighting on the front line.

These nurses sat with badly wounded “Tommies” who despite some horrific and horrendous life threatening injuries and wounds would ask that nurses to write upbeat and reassuring letters home to their families.
The humour, the incredible fortitude of the soldiers , their determination to return to the front line and their massive courage in facing death, all took my breath away.

Some of them and also some of the nurses had such humour, such spirit, such deep connections and lifelong friendships forged, all in that midst of the most terrifying death and dying.

I was thinking that the deep and lasting friendships the people forged then, seemed so much more substantial, so much less flimsy than the drive-through disposable relationships and friendships people of the 2020’s have. Mostly through screens.
It seems unthinkable just 110 years on.

The human spirit of this book will always touch me.

[Margaret Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, a great read and a great recommendation. This was recommended by a lady who had attended my talk on Women of WWI. Some of Edith Appleton's diary entries are missing but what is in this book gives an insight of what it was like in France to be a nursing sister caring for some seriously injured casualties. Some patients recovered and were able to make the journey home, others were not quite so lucky. Gas, used in warfare was new but the Germans made use of it and it caused a lot of slow and painful deaths. Sometimes, the only initial symptom was a headache, but more often than not this was followed by rapid deterioration and difficulty in breathing before the eventual end. I cried a lot reading some of the diary accounts but there were happier times too, when it was Edith's day off she and sometimes others of the staff would go for walks and picnics in the woods and pick flowers that were used to cheer up the wards, and for the Christmas celebrations the wards were decorated and mince pies eaten. The minutiae of each day recorded and kept, and also some photographs from the time.

[Karen Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to rate this as it was someone's personal diaries.
This was part of my historical true story category.
What an amazing person Edith was. Daily accounts of what she felt and saw on a daily basis. It makes you think and realise how truly horrific it all was and the sheer numbers of men that came on a daily basis. So hard to imagine. She continued throughout just getting on with things and when she did manage to get time off it was just simple walks and appreciating the surrounding countryside and sunsets etc.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight to nursing during the First World War especially being a nurse myself. What horrors they faced and the atrocious loss of life was really brought to reality. My Grandfather was gassed during the war but survived and lived till he was 82, I never appreciated what he’d gone through.
Edith’s account was for her own pleasure therefore can be boring but this makes it authentic and you can see how her attitudes change over the years despite the missing diaries.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with Karen . This had the potential to be really interesting but in fact was lacking real substance until near the end . she had quite a good time in between duties ( nothing wrong with that ) and lacked the heroism of someone such as Edith Cavell. Having said that I'm sure she was very brave and it was a very worthy wartime career under conditions that must have been horrendous .

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book Iv read this a few times over the years. WW1 nurse on the front line. Gripping true accounts of bravery under fire in the 1914_1918 War. Highly recommended if you are into nursing and WW1.

[Erin Devitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good insight into what nursing was like during ww1 as not masses of information coming from a primary source on this topic. Lost interest a few times as was often quite repetitive but that’s the life of a nurse sometimes (coming from a STN) 😂

[David Flin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good insight into one person's experiences of the Trenches in WWI.

[Rachel]

Amazingly gripping tales from a nurse working in France during the first world war.
Her capacity for enjoying the scenery, landscapes and country walks amid all the horror is truly inspiring.

[Suzanne Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work as a nurse with the military and currently doing some research. This book although not complete diaries provides a useful view into the day to day life of a nurse working in WW1.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

De dagboeken van een verpleegster aan het front in de eerste wereldoorlog. Een nuchter verslag van het dagelijkse leven. Indrukwekkend.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book from the aspect of a nurse during world war 1. I hope the family is able to find the missing volumes of the nurses diary to add to the story.

[Amy James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read, joyful in some places and heartbreaking in others. It's so strange to see both how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.

[Tamara Epps · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also published on

[Kat Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

A transcription of Appleton’s diaries gives a snapshot of what it was like for nurses at the casualty stations on the front lines in France and at the hospitals on the French coast where they prepared the men for evacuation back to England.

Appleton writes candidly and honestly about the wounded and dying men she helps to nurse and the stressful and terrifying conditions that they are living under with the threats of shelling and bombing from above.

She finds comfort and solace in exploring the natural world around her and in her faith. She describes the horrific wounds the men suffered and some of their last words, emphasising their kindness and spirit. She and her fellow nurses also attend local and military entertainments, have picnics, collect flowers and go sea bathing when they can.

The sheer number of men they have to look after and the regime of the nursing organisation for cleaning leads Appleton to work long nights and days with little respite. She is a professional and loves the work and is willing to do what it takes to help. There is a sense of purpose, and it is interesting to see an independent and skilled woman making her own choices at a time when many women were expected to marry and be in the home. The war allowed new choices and experiences for her, and she grabbed them when she could.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this in a charity shop. Well worth a read; as it's a first hand account it beats reading any historical account of WW1. Apart from the incredible suffering described in almost reserved terms, she describes the times of relaxation such as bathing in the sea. Some may think the constant descriptions of caring for the wounded and dying repetitive but you can always skim a few entries. I wish this sort of human response to war had been available in my school days. I think pupils are better informed these days and have access to first-hand accounts and oral-histories.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was about to begin filming on The Ark (later retitled The Crimson Field), I wanted to know more about the everyday lives of the nurses who were right in the thick of things on the front lines.

I've always been interested in the lives of those forced into service during wartime, and Nurse Appleton's diaries are a marvel to read. I can only imagine the sort of horrors they would have seen day in, day out in their makeshift hospitals.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a brilliant book. Shame parts of the diary are missing. The more I read about the subject the more I'm convinced what a pointless war it was. For example, on the first day of the battle of Somme there were 60,000 British casualties. Pure murder. The diary is full of graphic detail of the men's wounds. It also mentions how nurses and civilians were victims of the war. A great book to read if you want a different perspective of the war.

[Winifred · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting book. when edith was working abroad during the war you wouldn't have thought there was a war going on, because she use to go out for walks and go to different places for meals. when she was working she also thought and said some of the things nurses do today. if you like history this is definitely a book to read.

[Linda Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this after leaving it for lots of other books!
Interesting & thought provoking.
What these nurses went through & experienced....
Thank God they were as sometimes the last comfort dieing men had.
I hope that someone like Edie treated my Grandfather.

[Eleanor Crook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great historical insight and a likeable diarist, but I came seeking medical history detail and was disappointed that she spares us much of what I as a medical historian would have liked to know.

[Natalie Print · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming book, which provides an insight into life as a nurse in World War One.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Felt like I was there with edi while she talked to people and went for walks x