Helen Snow came to talk at our ‘Third Thursday’ meeting about the role of nurses in WW1. She came dressed as a VAD and took on the personna of an actual VAD from our area. Helen is a former head of history at a local school and takes the research into her characters very seriously.
To a large audience she told the story of this particular VAD’s experiences in France close to the front line. Other fascinating facts were also revealed such as the hospital staffed solely by Scottish women including doctors. This group’s offer of help was turned down by the British authorities but was accepted by the French. Helen also told of local connections with WW1 including local sites where hospitals for wounded soldiers were situated.
After the talk Helen answered a number of questions and people were invited to look at a number of interesting photographs and objects that she had brought along.
Wenches in Trenches is a small dedicated group of people dedicated to researching and getting recognition for these women who served their country in the war.