Product Description

The amazing experiences of the Queen Alexandra nurses in the Second World War form one of the greatest adventure stories of modern times, and - incredibly - remain largely untold. Thousands of middle-class girls, barely out of school, were plucked from sheltered backgrounds, subjected to training regimes unimaginably tough by today's standards, and sent forth to share the harsh conditions of the fighting services. They had to deal with the most appalling suffering, yet most found reserves of inner strength that carried them through episodes of unrelieved horror. Over 200 nurses died, torpedoed in hospital ships, bombed in field hospitals or murdered in Japanese prison camps. Dozens won medals for gallantry. From the beaches of Dunkirk, to Singapore and D-Day, they saw it all. Whether tending burned pilots from the Battle of Britain or improvising medical treatment in Japanese death camps, their dedication was second to none. This is their story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40889 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Valerie Grove, The Times
"Tyrer's prose, tripped of purple passage or poetic flourish, reflects a brisk journalistic commitments to gathering the last testimonies in a tale well worth telling"

Review
'Written with sensitivity, with personal anecdotes and illustrations, this is entertaining and inspirational.' (TELEGRAPH & ARGUS )

Virginia Nicholson, Evening Standard
"anyone seeking a definition of the genuinely heroic should read Nicola Tyrer's moving account of Queen Alexandria's Imperial Military Nursing Service"

Customer Reviews

A story finally told....
Finally a book that tells the story of the remarkable women nurses in WW2. From the first page the reader is immediately transported to the world that these women were part of. From their nursing training to the weird and wonderful details of their uniform.

If you think you know what nurses such as these did in WW2, then think again. The horrors they endured and the terrible situations they found themselves in will shock the reader and leave you with nothing but admiration for their spirit and bravery.

The book has plenty of quotes and paragraphs from the women themselves, and/or diary entries from that time. A few of the women are featured throughout the book, and the reader will find themselves taken vividly back to that time and seeing it all through the nurses' eyes and feeling like you are really getting to know these characters.
A superb book, and a very important book that anyone with an interest in WW2 should read.

Sisters in arms
Very good book. As a retired nurse it was interesting to read how the nurses coped in sometimes dreadful conditions

Truly inspiring
I have just finished reading this amazing book and I am completely in awe of these women. The accounts of these women's experiences during WWII, in particular those in the east, and how each of them dealt with their situation, never leaving their patients and always putting others first, are truly inspiring and really makes you realise that these women are a breed apart.

To say this is a powerful, uplifting book is an understatement. It often moved me to tears, not because the content is upsetting (although there is no doubt that there are some truly hard hitting and deeply upsetting anecdotes) but because these women are true patriots and their courage, bravery and love for their country and their countrymen fill me with pride.

I recommend this book to anyone, not just females. This book reminds you how proud you should, and can, be to be British.