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Argonauts of the Eastern Mediterranean

Military Nurses on Hospital and Transport Ships, 1914–18

Bibliographic Data

ID12914909
AuthorsChristine E Hallett (0000-0002-5916-4785, University of Manchester, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume10
Issue3
Pages198-210
Publication date2017-04-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of War and Culture Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1752-6272 • E-ISSN: 1752-6280
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17526272.2017.1315698
OpenAlexW2608070982
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited12

Fully-trained professional nurses worked on hospital ships during the First World War, caring for the wounded during their transfer from the Gallipoli Peninsula to military hospitals on the Island of Lemnos and in Egypt. Many wrote accounts of their experiences, including diaries, official narratives for inclusion in Arthur Butlers ‘Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918’, and published memoirs. The paper explores the mythical prism through which they interpreted their experiences. Following an analysis of the ‘romance trope' upon which they drew, the paper identifies themes of ‘ordeal’ and ‘struggle’ which formed the central elements of their writings. It also identifies the ambivalence inherent in these writings, which focus on both the ‘heroism’ of soldier-patients and the pressures nurses appear to have felt to behave ‘heroically’ themselves. It concludes that behind the lines of nurses’ narratives there is a sense that, in doing such extraordinary work, these women believed they were both carving out an identity for themselves as female professionals on a world stage, and discovering their own strength and power as individuals

Aesthetics · Ambivalence · Art · Art history · Identity (music · Literature · Memoir · Narrative · Political science · Power (physics · Psychoanalysis · Romance · Sociology · Trial by ordeal · Australian History and Society · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · History · Law · Psychology · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact

  • Mutual Friends

    Kathryn Montgomery Hunter•Journal of War and Culture Studies•2019

  • Behind the lines

    Margaret R Higonnet•Behind the lines•1987

  • Writing disenchantment

    Andrew Frayn•Writing Disenchantment•2014

  • Journey into war

    Janet Butler•Australian Historical Studies•2006

  • The Great War and Modern Memory

    Paul Fussell•The SHAFR Guide Online•2017

  • Heroes and happy endings

    Hilde Van Den Bulck•Historical Journal Of Film Radio…•2015

  • Guns and Brooches

    Open Access•Judith Smart, Jan Bassett•Labour History•1993

Unique citing works1
Citations per year0,14
Citation span2019 - 2019 (1)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 1

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Open DOISci-HubOpen Access
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae