Book Review: “Women are now doing men’s work” by Lawrence Taylor, Edited by Carole McEntee-Taylor

As those of you who follow my weblog and Facebook page Inspirational Women of World War One will know, I have been researching the women of WW1 seriously for over ten years now.   However, while I was familiar with some of the information in Lawrence Taylor’s wonderul book, which has been written to raise awareness of women in the Great War, I found quite a lot of information that was new to me.   

There are 21 chapters – covering The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Munitionettes, The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Voluntary Aid Detachments, Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service, Hospital Ships, The Australian and New Zealand Army Nursing Services, The Scottish Women’s Hospital, The Women’s Royal Naval Service and more.  The book has a delightful cover of a cartoon by Fred Spurgin (1882- 1968), a British comic illustrator.

"Women are now doing men's work" is a definite must read for anyone truly interested in the history of The First World War.  I very much hope that Lawrence plans more books about the women of WW1.

You can purchase a copy by following this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Are-Doing-Mens-Work/dp/B09ZCWSQ1K/ref=mp_s_a_1_29?crid=3D5PXINMXTN6Z&keywords=carole%20mcentee-taylor&pscroll=1&qid=1652387788&sprefix=%2Caps%2C441&sr=8-29&wIndexMainSlot=44&fbclid=IwAR2SPxda6nSI1n2QMfVeibI2QW3PqwSf4BRKzhHPdSsHgujqAG6WgEjN16w

Lawrence explains in the Further Reading Section at the end of the book that the Imperial War Museum, London has an excellent website where you can view photographs of the women of WW1. Agnes Conway, who chaired The Women's Work Subcommittee of the Imperial War Museum London (which was founded in 1917), collected a vast number of photographs of the women of WW1 for the nation. Lawrence Taylor finds many of those photographs and regularly researches and posts information about the women of WW1 on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lawrence.taylor.75

From 1917-1929, Agnes Conway – whose father was Martin Conway - the first honorary Director-General of the IWM - gathered information and photographs pertaining to the role of women during the First World War.   She was the curator of the Women's Work Section of the Imperial War Museum and was named Honorary Secretary of the Women's Committee between 1917 and 1920. Agnes was helped in her work by Lady Priscilla Norman, who ran a hospital in France during the first few months of the war, Lady Asquith, Lady Mond and Lady Haig.  https://inspirationalwomenofww1.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-spirit-of-british-womanhood-agnes.html

Annie Elizabeth Mistrick nee Brewer (1874 – 1921) - British nurse.

With thanks to Bryan Boots for suggesting I include Annie here and for his help 

Annie Elizabeth Brewer was born in Newport, South Wales, UK on 21st November 1874.  Her parents were John Brewer and his wife, Jessie M. Brewer, nee Pote.  

When she was twenty-four, Annie qualified as a nurse of 'insane persons' (psychiatric nurse) and worked in hospitals around Britain including in London and Chester, before travelling around Europe as a personal nurse and companion.

Annie, who was also known as Nancy, was in France with a lady from Cardiff when war broke out, and immediately joined the Anglo French Nursing Expedition and was behind the lines in the first battle of the Marne. With occasional "leaves" she remained in France, serving on the Somme and at Verdun. Annie assisted with 229 operations in 7 days during the battle of Verdun. Annie invariably accompanied the troops up the line and on one occasion the ambulance in which she was travelling was shelled and she was wounded in the head and struck with a piece of shrapnel in the leg.  She also came under shellfire while working in a French hospital.  The strain led to a period of serious illness, but she insisted on returning to duty once she recovered.

Annie in WW1

According to French Genealogical sources, Annie married French ambulance driver Daniel Mistrick, on the Verdun battlefield. After the war she remained in Europe, working at a feeding station in Germany with the French army of occupation. The French government awarded her the Legion d'Honneur and Croix de Guerre. Annie also received war and victory medals from the British government but was never recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

In 1921, Annie returned to Newport to nurse her ailing mother in the family home at 23 West Street, but she was also seriously ill and died of kidney disease, Bright's disease, on 30th January 1921 aged 46. Although she is buried at St. Woolos cemetery, Annie currently does not have a war grave. Gwent Western Front Association are campaigning for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to put her on their register. 

Ian Brewer, Annie's great nephew, has researched the life of Annie Brewer, published on BBC Cymru. She was also featured in BBC Wales television documentary entitled "Annie's War: A Welsh Nurse on the Western Front".   On 30th January 2018, The Western Front Association unveiled a blue plaque on West Street in Newport. Guests at the unveiling included members of Mrs. Mistrick's family, Health Minister Vaughan Gething and pupils from St. Woolos primary school.

The Blue Plaque in memory
of Annie

Sources: Find my Past, Free BMD< Information received from Bryan Boots, Lives of the First World War and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Brewer