‘Women Doctors and the First World War’ with Dr Ann Roberston
08 Nov

Ann Robertson qualified from the University of Birmingham in 1975 and pursued a career in anaesthesia from July 1976. She became a Consultant Anaesthetist in 1987 working at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride before moving to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Her interest in WW1 came whilst working with Mr Tom Scotland, orthopaedic surgery. Ann wrote about anaesthesia in WW1 in his book War Surgery 1914-18 and a prequel to that book, Wars, Pestilence and the Surgeon’s Blade contains her chapter Development of Military Anaesthesia in the 19th century.

During the first 10 years of the twentieth century the right of women to vote began to be fought for. Some women felt that in order to gain this right, women should prove themselves in a theatre of war. Thus, the first medical women to go to war set off to Bulgaria in 1912 with the Women’s Sick and Wounded Convoy Corps.

Once WW1 broke out women doctors from across the Commonwealth were keen to work abroad with injured soldiers. They were refused by the British Authorities but the Red Crosses of Belgium, France and Serbia gladly accepted their offer of help. This talk aims to cover all their exploits initially in Belgium and then on both the Western and Eastern fronts and also Russia.

 

Link to Register for the talk is here: https://bit.ly/3HYmEnk

 

 

Registration is free but required. Link for webinar will be sent out one hour ahead of the start time.

https://bit.ly/3HYmEnk
08 Nov 2023 19:00