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A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime
1939: eighteen-year-old trainee nurse Mry Mulry arrives in London from Ireland, hoping for adventure. Little did she know what the next seven years would bring.
In her extraordinary diary, Mary records in intimate detail her life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and on the frontline. From nursing children during bombing raids in London to treating Allied soldiers in Normandy, Mary's experiences gave her vivid and unforgettable stories for the private diary she was dedicated to keeping.
Filled with romance, glamour and inevitably sadness too, these are the rich memories of an irrepressible personality, living through the turbulent years of the Second World War.
In her extraordinary diary, Mary records in intimate detail her life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and on the frontline. From nursing children during bombing raids in London to treating Allied soldiers in Normandy, Mary's experiences gave her vivid and unforgettable stories for the private diary she was dedicated to keeping.
Filled with romance, glamour and inevitably sadness too, these are the rich memories of an irrepressible personality, living through the turbulent years of the Second World War.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2014
137 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Mary Morris
1 book1 followerMary Ellen Morris (née Mulry) was an Irish nurse and writer, known for her war diaries during the second world war. These are stored at the Imperial War Museum and in June 2014 were published under the title 'A Very Private Diary', edited by Carol Acton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 9, 2015
This is an excellent book - the diaries of an Irish nurse who trained in London in 1939 and nursed during the war, in England and in Normandy and Belgium. The entries are quite matter of fact but Mary has her own ideas, and she is an independent thinker. In an age where parents were discouraged from visiting hospitalised children, because it upset the children, and patients were told nothing about their illness or treatment, she believed that parents should be able to visit as much as they chose and that patients had the right to know what their treatment was. She empathises with the soldiers she treats, including those with shell shock who were often seen as skyving off. When she nurses German POWs who have obviously been starved and mistreated, she is emphatic that the only justification for war can be that "our" side is for decency, and that if we stoop to the level of the enemy we are as bad as they are.
December 18, 2021
Nursing the Fevers
A look at life as an army nurse in Europe during World War II. A rule breaker, the author survived breaking all sorts of rules quietly and trying to do the best for her patients. We forget that diseases, typhoid, dypthria, and measles took many lives and that soldiers did not die just of battle wounds. In this day of “any-backers” I would encourage any parent not getting their child the Dyptheria, tetanus, typhoid vaccines to read these descriptions of the effects snd killing power present in those illnesses.
A look at life as an army nurse in Europe during World War II. A rule breaker, the author survived breaking all sorts of rules quietly and trying to do the best for her patients. We forget that diseases, typhoid, dypthria, and measles took many lives and that soldiers did not die just of battle wounds. In this day of “any-backers” I would encourage any parent not getting their child the Dyptheria, tetanus, typhoid vaccines to read these descriptions of the effects snd killing power present in those illnesses.
March 8, 2015
really enjoyed this book, what these girls did and went through during the war was amazing yet they didn't see it as in anyway heroic.
November 13, 2016
Very good really loved this book.
September 23, 2021
Like many others, I am discovering this as one of the complete readings included in the ‘We Have Ways of Making You Talk’ podcast extras (exceptionally well performed).
It is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary woman. The candid insights and progressive views expressed through the pages of her diary probably stand apart from the typical views of the day.
Unlike many other memoirs, the diary covers the entire period from becoming a nurse in the lead up to the war (WW2), through to post-war Germany, and is as much about the her private thoughts, hopes and fears as it is about the external life and experiences. In doing so, it conveys a deep sense of what it was actually like to live through it all.
And lest I give the impression the book is all doom and gloom - yes, there is a dark side (it was a world war after all) but it is equally irreverent, feisty and full of humour.
It is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary woman. The candid insights and progressive views expressed through the pages of her diary probably stand apart from the typical views of the day.
Unlike many other memoirs, the diary covers the entire period from becoming a nurse in the lead up to the war (WW2), through to post-war Germany, and is as much about the her private thoughts, hopes and fears as it is about the external life and experiences. In doing so, it conveys a deep sense of what it was actually like to live through it all.
And lest I give the impression the book is all doom and gloom - yes, there is a dark side (it was a world war after all) but it is equally irreverent, feisty and full of humour.
February 1, 2018
Very well edited by Carol Acton, ‘A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime’ is the story of World War Two, Irish nurse Mary Mulry. It was of course, due to her being on active service, a secret diary. Mary Mulry was a gifted writer and each page is filled with her irrepressible personality. She brings, what to most readers today is the distant past, alive. Romance, glamour and inevitably sadness make for compelling reading.
From the back cover: ‘In her extraordinary diary, Mary records in intimate detail her life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and on the frontline’.
Highly recommended.
From the back cover: ‘In her extraordinary diary, Mary records in intimate detail her life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and on the frontline’.
Highly recommended.
November 3, 2014
Loved this first-hand account of life before and during the war. Mary gives a wonderful insight into daily life with views well ahead of her time.
August 29, 2018
This is my #Readharder pick for "A Book Written Posthumously." It is the account of a young Irish woman who leaves home to be a nurse during WWII. The book is extra special because it is the actual diary of a someone who lived through such horrific events and saw the terror firsthand and because it indeed was very private (diaries were not permitted to be kept by staff). Her book is a good mixture of the humorous to the atrocious. She talks a lot about the children on her ward as well as the soldiers she treated for mental disturbances and PTSD related to the war. She also explains her challenges of having to share a bedroom, having minimal time off, have to say goodbye to people "whom she might have loved if there had been more time" and getting married to a soldier but not being permitted married quarters because he was underage. Mary exclaims "how ironic that he [her husband] would have been considered old enough to die for his country but not to get married." Her diary spans right from the pre-war years all the way up to its aftermath and ends with the birth of her first child, a son, just a little while after WWII had ended. It is an excellent read for anyone who wants a first hand account of the war in a more personal rather than scholarly way.
June 19, 2021
Through Irish Eyes
"A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime" was the most fascinating book of true life experience I have read. As a fellow nurse (RN), I was fascinated to read if Mary's experiences.
The diary was written during WWII. Places, events, situations recorded as facts. Mary, the writer is Irish and underwent nursing training.
Nursing anytime is busy and often difficult. During this time frame, I cannot imagine how difficult. To care for 31 patients, at one point, assure they remain stable, pass medication, carry out treatments, and then chart on each patient is a horrendous undertaking. I can only admire this lady. She served in a difficult time. Most of her descriptions of the horrors of the patients did not bother me, except, a baby eaten by a rat. That was so horrible. Mary's diary is a treasure for history. I thank the author and producers of this book for making it available. For anyone wishing to know a real time was experience, this book is it. I will well remember it for a long time to come.
"A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime" was the most fascinating book of true life experience I have read. As a fellow nurse (RN), I was fascinated to read if Mary's experiences.
The diary was written during WWII. Places, events, situations recorded as facts. Mary, the writer is Irish and underwent nursing training.
Nursing anytime is busy and often difficult. During this time frame, I cannot imagine how difficult. To care for 31 patients, at one point, assure they remain stable, pass medication, carry out treatments, and then chart on each patient is a horrendous undertaking. I can only admire this lady. She served in a difficult time. Most of her descriptions of the horrors of the patients did not bother me, except, a baby eaten by a rat. That was so horrible. Mary's diary is a treasure for history. I thank the author and producers of this book for making it available. For anyone wishing to know a real time was experience, this book is it. I will well remember it for a long time to come.
December 29, 2021
This was an incredibly moving story truthfully detailing the life of Mary Morris, a wartime nurse. Her somewhat rebellious nature and blunt honesty made her the perfect author. Diary entries are very personal and intimate stories that allow us to understand the day-to-day troubles and joys of all kinds of people. Through reading Mary's entries, we can empathise with the little daily struggles that make life interesting. She also tells us about the impact that war had on not just soldiers, but civilians. Nurses like her and other medical professionals helped the injured and battle-weary fight a whole other war. Mary listened to her patients' stories, not just of experiences on the battlefield, but also about their families back home. She helped them struggle through long and painful treatments, and stood by them when they had few hours left to live. Mary Morris' story is a heartwarming and very honest recount of events that both shaped and broke many nations.
September 19, 2020
The book as a rather interesting read, Mary trained as a nurse in London in 1939. Throughout the book Mary travels between England, Ireland, France, Germany and Belgium depending on where she was sent. After training as nurse Mary worked n a number of hospitals before joining the military to help with the war effort.
Mary nurses people with many different illnesses but mental health is a major factor when she is working within the military hospitals. The book finishes in 1947 after the end of the war and after Mary is demobbed from the army
I normally love things in a diary format, and while I did enjoy this it was clear the diary wasn't written to be read by anyone. There isn't always a flow as you would normally find in a diary that written to be published while it was enjoyable it was rather hard to follow the flow of the people (who was from where and where they had gone)
Mary nurses people with many different illnesses but mental health is a major factor when she is working within the military hospitals. The book finishes in 1947 after the end of the war and after Mary is demobbed from the army
I normally love things in a diary format, and while I did enjoy this it was clear the diary wasn't written to be read by anyone. There isn't always a flow as you would normally find in a diary that written to be published while it was enjoyable it was rather hard to follow the flow of the people (who was from where and where they had gone)
June 26, 2021
Wonderfully written and edited!
This was a very enjoyable read and I am so glad that it was found at the Imperial war museum and published. What a story! Nursing in Normandy right after D-Day, working long hours under primitive and dangerous wartime conditions, blood and gore, amputations, and through it all maintaining her empathy, kindness and sense of humor. What strength of character and physical stamina. I loved her lyrical descriptions of the countryside, sunrises, mornings, moonlit nights, etc. She was obviously intelligent, well read and a good observer and writer. An excellent inside look at the medical side of things during the WWII and the personalities, policies and procedures. Fascinating and down to earth by a plucky Irish lass.
This was a very enjoyable read and I am so glad that it was found at the Imperial war museum and published. What a story! Nursing in Normandy right after D-Day, working long hours under primitive and dangerous wartime conditions, blood and gore, amputations, and through it all maintaining her empathy, kindness and sense of humor. What strength of character and physical stamina. I loved her lyrical descriptions of the countryside, sunrises, mornings, moonlit nights, etc. She was obviously intelligent, well read and a good observer and writer. An excellent inside look at the medical side of things during the WWII and the personalities, policies and procedures. Fascinating and down to earth by a plucky Irish lass.
June 25, 2021
Mary Morris provides a penetrating view into family and those of the major institutions of war, centering in the nursing profession and ending with love and family. There are close calls aplenty, and witty as well as sobering commentary on the failings of rules and procedures, as well as a few zingers on the pitfalls and quirks of authority. The professional and personal side of nursing insights as an Irish Catholic woman in WWII just as penicillin & antibiotics started to arrive on the scene will likely remain with readers a long time, and we will be better for it. It's a treasure! Highly recommend.
August 23, 2021
What a fantastic book! I began it, then was sorry to leave it behind during a trip to see family. ‘Luckily’ I’ve hurt my back and was able to have time to finish it today. 😉
A wonderful view of the horrors of war and of the hospitals and diseases of ‘39-‘47, told by an extremely optimistic and upbeat woman. There are events, told by Mary, even though she was warned against telling because it would be too difficult for civilians to hear. Probably true…
If anyone is interested in WWII historical fiction I definitely recommend this book as some true background even more interesting than the novels I’ve read.
A wonderful view of the horrors of war and of the hospitals and diseases of ‘39-‘47, told by an extremely optimistic and upbeat woman. There are events, told by Mary, even though she was warned against telling because it would be too difficult for civilians to hear. Probably true…
If anyone is interested in WWII historical fiction I definitely recommend this book as some true background even more interesting than the novels I’ve read.
September 13, 2021
I listened to this book on the ‘We Have Ways of Making You Talk’ podcast. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The reading was done by the daughter of one of the podcast hosts and she did an excellent job.
This book is a diary of a nurse during WW2 and a few years after; it really captures the essence of life behind the scenes of the battles from a first person perspective. She also includes entries about her personal life which is equally fascinating - as I get older I enjoy memoirs, diaries and autobiographies more than any other reading genre. The editing is tight and spare - gets right to the point without a lot of extraneous text.
Highly recommended.
This book is a diary of a nurse during WW2 and a few years after; it really captures the essence of life behind the scenes of the battles from a first person perspective. She also includes entries about her personal life which is equally fascinating - as I get older I enjoy memoirs, diaries and autobiographies more than any other reading genre. The editing is tight and spare - gets right to the point without a lot of extraneous text.
Highly recommended.
August 26, 2022
A truly interesting story...perseverence in very challenging circumstances is the suscinct description that I can give this book...a behind the scenes description of the horror of war from a medical point of view...the crime of lack in support for those caring for the wounded and dying, not only in scarcity of medical equipment and medicine, but also food for basic nourishment...Mary was a very unique individual, and her careful secretive diary revealed much that I am certain would have been punished if it had been discovered...what an amazing life she lived and was not rewarded appropriately, except for the loving relationship she finally had with her faithful husband.
July 1, 2021
Another wonderful member of the “greatest generation”
Those of us who followed have forgotten or never really knew what the WWII generation endured and from which they emerged mostly whole. Part of that is that those who lived it the fullest moved on from it and didn’t want to relive it.
But thanks to war diaries like these, from which this book was possible, we can get a taste of that reality and then salute those, including my own parents, who survived it.
This is a uplifting and worthy read.
Those of us who followed have forgotten or never really knew what the WWII generation endured and from which they emerged mostly whole. Part of that is that those who lived it the fullest moved on from it and didn’t want to relive it.
But thanks to war diaries like these, from which this book was possible, we can get a taste of that reality and then salute those, including my own parents, who survived it.
This is a uplifting and worthy read.
April 25, 2022
A memoir from the Second World War, but from the perspective of a Nurse in the British Army. Being Irish she made her own decision to join at 18 in 1939 to join the British who the Irish don’t always agree with at times. The story goes from the start until a few years after the war concluded. It’s a great rare personal memoir of a Nurse (weren’t allowed to keep diaries) of the exploits from the medical side of the war in Europe.
I listened to this off the We Have Ways podcast Patreon feed from their WWII books where they cover all aspects of the war including audiobooks.
I listened to this off the We Have Ways podcast Patreon feed from their WWII books where they cover all aspects of the war including audiobooks.
April 3, 2021
A moving record of a young Irish nurses life during WW2 and her experiences both in the UK and Europe. Whilst she describes in some detail her experiences in various hospitals and coping with living in wartime this is also a personal diary of her loves and romances trying to have some fun in contrast to the often bleak experiences on the wards. Enlightening read for anyone interested in a life lived during wartime on the front line.
June 22, 2021
Memoir
A great eye witness view to WWIi by a nurse who was in the thick of it, . Mary was a student nurse and specialist during the Blitz, later going ashore on Day +14 and nursing through the wars ÷nd and into the occupation. A nurse's duties in the days before antibiotics were vastly different than they are today. I shuddered as she wrote of children dying from diptheria. I appreciate vaccines all the more.
A great eye witness view to WWIi by a nurse who was in the thick of it, . Mary was a student nurse and specialist during the Blitz, later going ashore on Day +14 and nursing through the wars ÷nd and into the occupation. A nurse's duties in the days before antibiotics were vastly different than they are today. I shuddered as she wrote of children dying from diptheria. I appreciate vaccines all the more.
December 6, 2021
Fascinating first hand account of nursing and life during WWII
So glad I stumbled across this edited diary. Mary was a dedicated, thoughtful nurse who wrote insightful diary entries - first as a nurse in Ireland during WWII, joining the service in time to land in Normandy a few scant weeks after D-Day. She continued nursing in Europe for more than a year after victory in Europe. Really brings the personal side to life.
So glad I stumbled across this edited diary. Mary was a dedicated, thoughtful nurse who wrote insightful diary entries - first as a nurse in Ireland during WWII, joining the service in time to land in Normandy a few scant weeks after D-Day. She continued nursing in Europe for more than a year after victory in Europe. Really brings the personal side to life.
January 6, 2019
Really enjoyed this especially as it was from the viewpoint of a young Irish woman who served in WWII in the British Forces. Very readable and interesting and some key moments are covered. Also the difficult relationship between Ireland and Britain is no left out the choices of two succeeding generations are discussed but in context.
December 16, 2019
Absolutely amazing memoir. Mary Morris is a heroine in her own right. Works very long hours but she also has a rebellious streak in her as well. Her work as a nurse was gruelling and never ending sometimes. She felt for her patients conditions as they were truly horrific. One of the best memoirs I have read.
August 7, 2021
Loved this diary
Mary was a brave young woman to leave Ireland and train in England to be a nurse in WWII. What a life- she and her fellow nurses worked so hard. At the same time they lived “in the moment” and grabbed joy and friends where they could. FYI- She is also excellent at writing.
Mary was a brave young woman to leave Ireland and train in England to be a nurse in WWII. What a life- she and her fellow nurses worked so hard. At the same time they lived “in the moment” and grabbed joy and friends where they could. FYI- She is also excellent at writing.
October 20, 2023
This book exceeded all my expectations. It was like reading a novel when you absolutely love the protagonist. Mary is funny and joyful and thoughtful, despite being a nurse in the throes of WWII. I loved this book!
November 4, 2017
Mary Morris was a delightfully funny writer and this book provides an interesting viewpoint on World War 2.
February 4, 2019
Great tead
Moving sad funny fantastically written. This first hand account keeps yu turning the pages, curious and impatient to know the next chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed this book
Moving sad funny fantastically written. This first hand account keeps yu turning the pages, curious and impatient to know the next chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed this book
May 25, 2019
Thoroughly charming diary from a QA nurse during the Second World War. Mary does not hold her punches as she laments army bureaucracy and how it impacts lives - especially the sick.
August 26, 2019
This is a such a good read explaining the true situation during the war , especially the appalling lose of
life at Arnham , don't think our top brass were brought to book especially Montgomery.
life at Arnham , don't think our top brass were brought to book especially Montgomery.
September 21, 2019
A good biographical style book about a nurse in training during the second world war. Very interesting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews