Breakfast

Following the outbreak of war in 1914, thousands of young Australian and New Zealand men volunteered their services to aid the "mother country", Britain. But it wasn't only young men who were infected with a sense of patriotism and the need for adventure, but also young women. Australian and Kiwi nurses eagerly volunteered their services, even though they had no real sense of what they might be getting into.

Serving often under the most appalling conditions, shockingly under resourced, under-staffed and over-worked, these women were there to nurse soldiers following the horrors of Gallipoli, working on troopships converted into floating hospitals, in Lemnos, and on the Western Front. And often when the fighting came too close, they had less protection than the soldiers.

Guests

Peter Rees
journalist and author

Publications

Title: "The Other Anzacs: Nurses at War, 1914-1918"
Author: Peter Rees
Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Reporter

Gail Boserio

Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.