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Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1915
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205 people want to read
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 28, 2015
Many here seem to think that this is a dull book. All I can say is they must not have read the same one as myself. If you are looking for gory, prurient detail, then you will not find it here. What you will find are the descriptions of a plant-loving, military sister's day-to-day life close to the Western Front. An old campaigner, who had nursed during the South African campaign, what strikes you are the times when she cannot, refuses to, describe what she has seen. Given that some of the things she writes about are horrendous, this gives you pause. It is a very unsentimental book, and full of patiotic sentiment - unsurprising given the situation. This is far more immediate than many of the accounts I have read. You feel for the patients, one as young as fifteen, wince as you hear of the mud and water in the trenches, and generally wonder at how well they did - and all before antibiotics. The description of the fourteen year old boy scout who, after the first Battle of Ypres, walked the train with a pail of water and a cup, watering the patients on a night the nurse would prefer to forget, brought home how war affects not just those actively participating in it, but all those around it. The book ends abruptly, but is none the worse for that. A testament to human spirit and endeavour.
May 7, 2017
I read this book as a download on my phone from Free Books. The diary, believed to be written by Kate Luard, is a straightforward and stark look at World War I. As a nurse, I find it astounding that patients survived the conditions as described. She discusses not only battle wounds, but also illnesses caused by the conditions on the battlefields, and illnesses caused by communicable diseases. Sprinkled throughout her accounts are comments on pleasantries she observes in daily life, a black bird nest, flowers, fresh milk and honey, a pleasant stroll, a beautiful cathedral, a peaceful moment. I was particularly interested her descriptions of a physician's experimental attempts to cure two gangrene patients and several physicians working in a barn to figure out an approach to retrieving men who had been attacked with chlorine gas.
This book is definitely a diary and must be read with that in mind. It does not contain explanations or historical references. It is often just a daily accounting of went here, did this, moved on.
This book is definitely a diary and must be read with that in mind. It does not contain explanations or historical references. It is often just a daily accounting of went here, did this, moved on.
October 25, 2013
A rare and fascinating insight into the life of a nurse on the front line of WW1. I find it really sad how readers have the arrogance to call the diary of someone who has lived through the horrors of this war 'dull' or not 'descriptive'enough!
July 22, 2021
The horrors and literal hell of WW1 are brought forth once again
Into reality in this plain spoken nursing sisters account. It is devoid of fabrication and takes you to the scene .
Into reality in this plain spoken nursing sisters account. It is devoid of fabrication and takes you to the scene .
July 11, 2012
This was a free book on the Kindle, and since I love WWI things, I had to read it.
This is the diary of an unnamed nun who was a nurse during WWI in France. It was fascinating in that she served most of her time on a train hospital -- each section of the train held different patients, and operating theater, dorms, etc. As this was a discovered diary, it has a quick stop and no idea what happened to her. It was enjoyable, and she has to be the merriest war-time nurse I've ever read about, fictional or real, but it drags a little bit, and bits are nebulous as she references things we, the reader, aren't privy to. However, if you're a WWI buff, snag it. It's a quick read.
Lori Anderson
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This is the diary of an unnamed nun who was a nurse during WWI in France. It was fascinating in that she served most of her time on a train hospital -- each section of the train held different patients, and operating theater, dorms, etc. As this was a discovered diary, it has a quick stop and no idea what happened to her. It was enjoyable, and she has to be the merriest war-time nurse I've ever read about, fictional or real, but it drags a little bit, and bits are nebulous as she references things we, the reader, aren't privy to. However, if you're a WWI buff, snag it. It's a quick read.
Lori Anderson
Blog
Shop
Book Blog Page
September 20, 2020
I have read responses to this book all I can say is you missed what the book is about. I have researched most of the nursing sisters, looked into their military records and have done memorials for some. This book is attributed to one of the hundreds of brave nursing sisters from across the world who stood at the front, worked in the numerous Hospitals, General Hospitals, Trains, and Ships. Helped those that would never go home feel loved and made sure the didn't die alone. Read this book it will put you in the authors shoes and show how unselfish and caring these little ladies where and why they are respected as officers in the Military Forces.
August 22, 2022
This was a very enjoyable listen; moving the wounded from the front to safer regions was particularly interesting. I was worried when she became stationed in a base hospital that the diary was going to end abruptly.
After just a few months of experience, this nurse was winning arguments with officers about if the lights in the sky were lightning or fighting.
After just a few months of experience, this nurse was winning arguments with officers about if the lights in the sky were lightning or fighting.
December 3, 2017
Una ventana al horror vivido en la I Guerra Mundial a través de una enfermera, en este caso una "Sister" (equivalente femenino a lugarteniente) en los hospitales de campaña, trenes que hacían de ambulancia y el cuidado de soldados británicos heridos en este período.
Hubo momentos en los que el corazón se me encogía al leer las descripciones de las heridas sufridas por los soldados. Nadie se salvaba de un ataque de bayonetas, un francotirador, un bombardeo por alguna aeronave (difícil de distinguir entre una francesa y una alemana, de ahí tantas casualidades en el bando aliado), y cuando digo nadie, incluyo a los alemanes.
Es interesante saber que muchos soldados hindúes tuvieron una gran participación en esta guerra cuando leemos las bajas sufridas en estos hospitales, y la dificultad de los médicos y enfermeras por la imposibilidad de comunicarse en su lengua materna.
Muchos canadienses sufrieron del "pie de trinchera", una enfermedad típica de los soldados que defendían sus trincheras llenas de lodo por meses. Las consecuencias después era la amputación de los pies debido a la gangrena.
Muchos soldados que se dedicaban a recoger a los heridos con camillas (camilleros) murieron en el frente y muchos heridos quedaron en esas trincheras llenas de fango heridos sin ayuda alguna. Muchos se ahogaron simplemente cuando el lodo les cubría hasta los hombros. Realmente la pérdida de vidas humanas en esta guerra fue menor que en la II GM, pero en cuanto a la gravedad de las heridas, me parece la más monstruosa si añadimos las armas químicas utilizas como el gas mostaza, lo cloroacetona, etc.
Es admirable por lo que esta enfermera "Sister" anónima vivió, pero sobre todo por su fortaleza y bondad a la hora de atender heridos tanto del bando aliado como de los alemanes.
No será un libro fuerte en el departamento literario, pero sí en la descripción real de los hechos que narra.
Como dato interesante hago una lista de las enfermedades típicas sufridas en este período:
.Tétano
.Sarampión
.Influenza
.Paperas
.Escarlatina
.Pie de trinchera
.Fiebre tifoidea
.Gas mostaza y gas cloroacetona
.Reumatismo
.Heridas de bala
.Shell Shock (a los pcientes se les consideraba lunáticos, incluso esta amable enfermera les llamaba así)
.Neumonía
.Tuberculosis
.Piojos y pulgas
.Fractura de fémur
.Gangrena
.Heridas de bombas (restos del explosivo en las heridas)
Y aunque no se menciona aquí, la gripe española se cobró miles de vidas, así como las enfermedades venéreas de las cuales no se hace mención en este diario seguramente por el puritanismo de la época.
Hubo momentos en los que el corazón se me encogía al leer las descripciones de las heridas sufridas por los soldados. Nadie se salvaba de un ataque de bayonetas, un francotirador, un bombardeo por alguna aeronave (difícil de distinguir entre una francesa y una alemana, de ahí tantas casualidades en el bando aliado), y cuando digo nadie, incluyo a los alemanes.
Es interesante saber que muchos soldados hindúes tuvieron una gran participación en esta guerra cuando leemos las bajas sufridas en estos hospitales, y la dificultad de los médicos y enfermeras por la imposibilidad de comunicarse en su lengua materna.
Muchos canadienses sufrieron del "pie de trinchera", una enfermedad típica de los soldados que defendían sus trincheras llenas de lodo por meses. Las consecuencias después era la amputación de los pies debido a la gangrena.
Muchos soldados que se dedicaban a recoger a los heridos con camillas (camilleros) murieron en el frente y muchos heridos quedaron en esas trincheras llenas de fango heridos sin ayuda alguna. Muchos se ahogaron simplemente cuando el lodo les cubría hasta los hombros. Realmente la pérdida de vidas humanas en esta guerra fue menor que en la II GM, pero en cuanto a la gravedad de las heridas, me parece la más monstruosa si añadimos las armas químicas utilizas como el gas mostaza, lo cloroacetona, etc.
Es admirable por lo que esta enfermera "Sister" anónima vivió, pero sobre todo por su fortaleza y bondad a la hora de atender heridos tanto del bando aliado como de los alemanes.
No será un libro fuerte en el departamento literario, pero sí en la descripción real de los hechos que narra.
Como dato interesante hago una lista de las enfermedades típicas sufridas en este período:
.Tétano
.Sarampión
.Influenza
.Paperas
.Escarlatina
.Pie de trinchera
.Fiebre tifoidea
.Gas mostaza y gas cloroacetona
.Reumatismo
.Heridas de bala
.Shell Shock (a los pcientes se les consideraba lunáticos, incluso esta amable enfermera les llamaba así)
.Neumonía
.Tuberculosis
.Piojos y pulgas
.Fractura de fémur
.Gangrena
.Heridas de bombas (restos del explosivo en las heridas)
Y aunque no se menciona aquí, la gripe española se cobró miles de vidas, así como las enfermedades venéreas de las cuales no se hace mención en este diario seguramente por el puritanismo de la época.
January 31, 2019
As a nurse myself, I would recommend every student should read this. It makes you appreciate the system we work in today.
February 16, 2019
This book, or diary, was interesting to read. However, I did not catch the name of the author, and there were no notes referencing that.
January 15, 2018
This journal entry book is a log. It was not written to engage the readers' emotions. It was written as a chronical timeline of activities and observations.
As a retired military nurse, I connected with this book which deals with the logistics of caring for the wounded transported in the Great War. It is not written from an emotional perspective, rather it is a description of what a front line nurse assigned to a train transport detail observes.
It is beyond comprehension today that war participants would be so massively wounded in the hundreds and thousands and quietly bear their pain for hours or days without the comfort of medication or continuous attention en route.
One insight from a wounded soldier is that every man entrenched knew the road ahead was either death, capture or injury. It was merely a matter of time and in which order it would happen. Injury was not a ticket home, it was what they endured when engaging the enemy.
Those taken off the front line for medical care were dying or expected to die or were fighting against odds to live. Injuries such as loss of limbs with systemic gangrene and tetanus, mouth/nose/eyes destroyed, or chests/intestines laid open. Anything less was treated in the field while continuing to fight.
Straw laid on train floors was a common bed. No sheets, rare pillows. Blankets were in good supply. Sometimes the train's kitchen was able to offer soup or tea. It was dependant of gas, water and supplies. Water was so scarce that thirst never left anyone, caregiver or patient. Living with infestations of lice and fleas was the norm.
Readers with an interest in battlefield first responder care and logistics of procuring supplies in the care of the wounded being transported would appreciate the author's general descriptions of this time period. This book is freely available in the public domain.
As a retired military nurse, I connected with this book which deals with the logistics of caring for the wounded transported in the Great War. It is not written from an emotional perspective, rather it is a description of what a front line nurse assigned to a train transport detail observes.
It is beyond comprehension today that war participants would be so massively wounded in the hundreds and thousands and quietly bear their pain for hours or days without the comfort of medication or continuous attention en route.
One insight from a wounded soldier is that every man entrenched knew the road ahead was either death, capture or injury. It was merely a matter of time and in which order it would happen. Injury was not a ticket home, it was what they endured when engaging the enemy.
Those taken off the front line for medical care were dying or expected to die or were fighting against odds to live. Injuries such as loss of limbs with systemic gangrene and tetanus, mouth/nose/eyes destroyed, or chests/intestines laid open. Anything less was treated in the field while continuing to fight.
Straw laid on train floors was a common bed. No sheets, rare pillows. Blankets were in good supply. Sometimes the train's kitchen was able to offer soup or tea. It was dependant of gas, water and supplies. Water was so scarce that thirst never left anyone, caregiver or patient. Living with infestations of lice and fleas was the norm.
Readers with an interest in battlefield first responder care and logistics of procuring supplies in the care of the wounded being transported would appreciate the author's general descriptions of this time period. This book is freely available in the public domain.
February 21, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. It is the diary of a nurse/nun during WWI in Europe. She tells where she started and takes you through her days and nights of waiting for instructions and not knowing where she would be sent next. While it is diary entries and they are short excerpts of her life, you can get a good feel of what it was like for her and her fellow sisters who cared for so many soldiers in really harsh conditions. Field hospitals then were so very different than they are now and they had to make do with primitive supplies and amputation was a very common and widely used remedy when a soldier had a serious wound.
It made me very grateful to be living where and when I do now. I admire this woman's bravery and dedication to follow her calling and care for these men. Great story that made me remember that there are lots of heroes in this world, not just the ones we hear about all the time.
It made me very grateful to be living where and when I do now. I admire this woman's bravery and dedication to follow her calling and care for these men. Great story that made me remember that there are lots of heroes in this world, not just the ones we hear about all the time.
June 24, 2014
Available free online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18910/...
The most interesting thing to me was her description of army bathing/laundry facility:
May 1915
-Laundry: "There are three field ambulances up here, and only work for two ( —th and —th), so the —th is established in a huge school for 500 boys, where it runs a great laundry and bathing establishment. A thousand men a day come in for bath, disinfection, and clean clothes; 100 French women do the laundry work in huge tubs, and there are big disinfectors and drying and ironing rooms. The men of the F.A. do the sorting and all the work except the washing and ironing. And the beautifully-cared-for English cart-horses that belong to the F.A., and the waggons and the motor ambulances and the equipment, are all kept ready to move at a moment's notice. Colonel —— showed me all over it this evening. It is done at a cost to the Government of 7d. per man, washed and clothed."
The most interesting thing to me was her description of army bathing/laundry facility:
May 1915
-Laundry: "There are three field ambulances up here, and only work for two ( —th and —th), so the —th is established in a huge school for 500 boys, where it runs a great laundry and bathing establishment. A thousand men a day come in for bath, disinfection, and clean clothes; 100 French women do the laundry work in huge tubs, and there are big disinfectors and drying and ironing rooms. The men of the F.A. do the sorting and all the work except the washing and ironing. And the beautifully-cared-for English cart-horses that belong to the F.A., and the waggons and the motor ambulances and the equipment, are all kept ready to move at a moment's notice. Colonel —— showed me all over it this evening. It is done at a cost to the Government of 7d. per man, washed and clothed."
February 3, 2014
This was an emotive book, basically the diary of a nursing sister during the first year or so of World War 1. In places it is cheerful, describing the scenery and the surroundings, the stoic determination of the poor soldiers of the trenches but at the same time moving as the war unfolds. As the accounts progress it gets darker, the wounded are more frequent and far worse. Sometimes the unnamed sister questions the war and its outcomes but even when called on to nurse the enemy she does so with pity and sensitivity.
This was a fascinating account of one woman's view of the war and the effects it had on soldier and civilian alike. At no point does she complain and makes it clear neither do the Tommies. Sad, moving, in places funny and descriptive and, although it ends abruptly, a good, informative read.
This was a fascinating account of one woman's view of the war and the effects it had on soldier and civilian alike. At no point does she complain and makes it clear neither do the Tommies. Sad, moving, in places funny and descriptive and, although it ends abruptly, a good, informative read.
October 16, 2014
I found this book informative but as it was written as someone's diary it was repetitive at times although that is only to be expected with this kind of genre.
The book allowed me to see the first year of WW1 from the perspective of a female which is something I had not read about before. It was interesting to see her personal contact with the wounded and dying soldiers, how treatment was carried out and what her duties were and how life was outside of the trench.
I enjoyed the personal stories of the soldiers she met, and how she grew as a person coming in to contact with people of different class and culture.
At times it can be hard to read but it really is worth a look to pull out little nuggets of information that are interesting and poignant.
The book allowed me to see the first year of WW1 from the perspective of a female which is something I had not read about before. It was interesting to see her personal contact with the wounded and dying soldiers, how treatment was carried out and what her duties were and how life was outside of the trench.
I enjoyed the personal stories of the soldiers she met, and how she grew as a person coming in to contact with people of different class and culture.
At times it can be hard to read but it really is worth a look to pull out little nuggets of information that are interesting and poignant.
September 23, 2012
Chose this thinking it would be interesting to read about nurses during the First World War. Unfortunately it wasn’t very descriptive, mostly just a diary with “what I did today” sort of entries. For the most part it didn’t sound too bad – mostly transporting the wounded on trains. And while the injuries sometimes sounded like they could be severe the men were described as more or less taking it all in stride. In the final 15 pages there was more description that sounded more war like. Disappointing book.
November 20, 2013
This is an anonymous account by a nurse in WW1 France as she travels on the medical train up and down to the front lines.
The beauty of this book is in its simplicity and the way it so casually describes the horrors of war.
With little time off she still notices the beauty of simple things around her and is constantly amazed at the resiliance of her patients who are suffering quite indescribeable injuries.
Anyone interested in this period will find this an interesting and moving read.
The beauty of this book is in its simplicity and the way it so casually describes the horrors of war.
With little time off she still notices the beauty of simple things around her and is constantly amazed at the resiliance of her patients who are suffering quite indescribeable injuries.
Anyone interested in this period will find this an interesting and moving read.
August 28, 2012
A rather wrenching book
Excellently read (Librivox), and terrible at one remove. That is, it doesn;t wuite hit you until you think afterwards about what you've just heard. The nurses are so into the situation that their descriptions almost shield you in understatement. "It was a bad night tonight" acutally means she's been up to her elbows in people's innards for six hours.
Excellently read (Librivox), and terrible at one remove. That is, it doesn;t wuite hit you until you think afterwards about what you've just heard. The nurses are so into the situation that their descriptions almost shield you in understatement. "It was a bad night tonight" acutally means she's been up to her elbows in people's innards for six hours.
June 19, 2018
Absolutely amazing and chilling.
Absolutely amazing. It really does bring to life some of the brutalities of the war. I do find myself wondering what happened to the Sister that was writing this diary? Why did it stop so abruptly? An epilogue would be nice so we know exactly what happened.
Absolutely amazing. It really does bring to life some of the brutalities of the war. I do find myself wondering what happened to the Sister that was writing this diary? Why did it stop so abruptly? An epilogue would be nice so we know exactly what happened.
March 8, 2015
Interesting, but repetitive and not enough detail for me. I tried to picture myself as the writer and what I might have seen versus what I would have written about in my journal. A must read for any nurse who enjoys the history of the profession.
May 26, 2015
Wonderful account of a nurse primarily stationed on an ambulance train. It was interesting to read her impressions of the war in France after her experiences in South Africa. Some of the acronyms she uses are a little difficult to decipher but the story is well written and easy to read.
October 14, 2015
Very interesting but not surprisingly written in the unemotional style of the day.
Amazing historical record . Also very poignant , they were all terribly brave - I wonder what happened to the Sister .
Amazing historical record . Also very poignant , they were all terribly brave - I wonder what happened to the Sister .
June 1, 2013
not and enjoyable read . obviously written as a diary with bad disjointed grammer but also they content was dull .. gave up on it so it may have improved but didnt want to waste my time finding out
October 14, 2013
It gave a real insight into what WW1 was like for a nurse, living conditions etc. Easy to read, not so easy to forget.
August 25, 2012
This was a good book about a nurse from England who worked during world war one.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews