A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War

by Alexandra Kitty

Railroads played an integral role in the Second World War. Trains brought food, munitions, and essential supplies. They transported troops. They were a means of escape for those fleeing persecution. At the same, they were used to transport innocent people to their deaths. Yet there was one kind of train that improved the chances of survival every time they rolled through the battle-worn towns and cities of the European theatre of war. Hospital trains were not a new concept in the Second World War, but their use was instrumental in this most deadly conflict of the twentieth century. Regular passenger trains were converted into mobile emergency wards tending to the critically wounded. It was an elegant solution, as train cars could be refitted with tier beds, and supplies could be easily transported along with medical staff. A Different Track introduces readers to the world of hospital trains of the Second World War. From the nurses who ran them to the factories that manufactured them, this book looks at how these trains quietly altered the fortunes of the world. From Canada’s contributions to the role of women who both healed the sick and built the trains, this is a fascinating look at one of the hidden nuggets of history.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Alexandra Kitty is an award-winning author of twenty books, including The Art of Kintsugi, The Dramatic Moment of Fate: The Life of Sherlock Holmes in the Theatre, The Mind Under Siege: Mechanisms of War Propaganda, A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War, and The Sport of Presidents..

Reviews

[Kenzie Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War by Alexandra Kitty

“Hospital train nurses had to be the most versatile and cognitively agile: they were the ones closest to combat and were always on the move, traveling from place to place, picking up the fallen and healing them en route to a larger and more stable hospital, all amid air raids and gunfire.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, thank you @heritagehousepublishing for the #gifted copy of this fantastic book!

When Heritage House reached out to me to do a review of this work, the history nerd in me was beyond excited.

So did it live up to my high expectations? It sure did.

Here’s what I liked:

1. The readability of this non-fiction is very high. Divided up into 12 short chapters I set out to read one chapter a day. But found myself unable to put it down & ended up finishing it in 4 days instead.

2. The research conducted by Kitty was extensive, which is impressive given how poor record keeping was in regard to hospital trains & even more so when it came to the doctors & nurses who operated them.

3. Kitty’s grandmother was a nurse on one of these trains so it was nice to see pictures & accounts, from her, included in the book. The personal details allow the reader to connect to the material in a way that a lot of historic, non-fiction, works are not able to do.

4. The topics that were touched on were fascinating. We have everything from when they were first developed, the nurses & doctors who operated them, how they ran through battles & war zones, the impacted they had on roles of women, & even media depiction.

Now for what I didn’t like:
1. I would have preferred more paraphrasing to the long quotes used & a different sourcing method when it came to using quotes. Just source the work under the quote instead of constantly saying “as so and so says in “blah blah blah”.

2. Sometimes the information conveyed was repetitive.

Overall I did enjoyed this one & would recommend it to those who like learning about these forgotten aspects of history. Especially when it comes to important roles held by women.

[Richard New · Rating 5 out of 5]

The historical reference, A Different Track, Hospital Trains of the Second World War, by Alexandra Kitty, is a documentary look back at hospital trains of the twentieth century. A brief history of such trains starting with the American Civil War, and progress since, is presented early on. The core information are reminiscences from her grandmother, Stanka Ugrenovic, a WWII nurse who served on such trains.

Literal passenger trains were retrofitted to accommodate vertically tiered beds and essential equipment, staffed by nurses and doctors who risked their lives to travel across borders and through battlefields, treating and transporting wounded and sick soldiers and civilians, and often performing risky surgeries while speeding through dangerous territory. This book sheds new light on those who worked on these trains, from engineers and factory workers to the women and men who saved untold numbers of lives to the patients from all sides of the conflict who they treated.

For the hardcore rail fan, this softcover book is a slight disappointment because no floor plans of the cars are included. Otherwise, the book is an interesting look back at a dark time in human history—yet lit brightly by brave volunteers who saved thousands of lives.

[Sheila Soprovich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read this if you want to glean a bit of information and skim through a lot of poorly written text. Lots of quotes, some of which do not prove a point (if there was one); a few that were interesting in context of Canadian or medical content. She really should have had a stronger editor!

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author’s grandmother worked on a hospital train. Too bad the book wasn’t about her experiences.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. I liked the personal accounts. Read it for work.