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Record
< 1 of 1 > Back Scottish Women's Hospitals - A field hospital on the frontline during the First World WarAt the outbreak of the Great War one of the founders of the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation, Doctor Elsie Inglis helped set up the Scottish Women's Hospitals for the Foreign Service Committee to help support the war effort. This organisation which was staffed almost entirely by women set up fourteen field hospitals to treat the wounded in France, Serbia and Russia. This is one of the earliest true documentaries to be made and shows daily life in a field hospital in Benevole, France (the front line hospital at Villers, Cotterets, France). Dr Elsie Inglis is one of the surgeons shown removing shrapnel from the leg of a wounded soldier, which is then coated with 'German creosote' that was used as an antiseptic. Dr Elsie Inglis contracted cancer in 1916 and died the day after she returned to the UK. As one of the first women surgeons trained in Scotland, Dr Inglis' funeral service was held at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on 29 November 1917. Dr Inglis' heroism is commemorated on the £50 bank note issued by the Clydesdale Bank.
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Activities:English / Creative Writing: Vera Britten was a nurse in WWI and wrote a book called 'Testament of Youth'. Earnest Hemingway was a soldier in WW1 and wrote 'Farewell to Arms' about recovering in hospital. There are also many contemporary poems and paintings about the horrors of WWI like John Singer Sergeant's painting 'Gassed' and Wilfred Owen's poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est'. Use these texts as a starting point to research and write a story about a soldier recovering in hospital or a nurse treating a patient. Think about the different conflicting emotions they might feel about being there, for instance relief and guilt at having survived. Drama / Creative Writing: Have different groups write letters to and from the hospital and develop role play around the reading of those letters and the reactions they create. Gender Studies / Social History: A great deal is known about the role of women in WWII but less is known about the role of women in WWI. Research the life of Elsie Inglis and the role of women more generally in WWI. How were these hospitals set up and where did the staff come from? How does this compare to modern army field hospitals and the role of women in the army today? History / Health and Wellbeing: Research the medical conditions and prevalence of anaesthetic and rates of mortality in WWI field hospitals. Compare this film with medical films and photographs from WWI depicting injuries or the clip in the film 'The Face of Scotland' showing the piper in the trenches. What does this tell you about the reasons a film like this was made. History / Social History / Community Involvement: Research whether you have any family members who fought or served in WWI, or see if you can trace the families of men mentioned on your local war memorial and prepare a group project on the subject. English / Creative Writing: Write a letter home in reply to the letter you received at the end of this clip, writing as prisoner of war or wounded soldier or nurse. Moving Image Education: Add an appropriate soundtrack to the film. Or show the film while reading WW1 poetry - German poet Tomas Stramm? Resource: For further study of the Suffragette Movement go to the National Library of Scotland learning resource A Guide Cause Record detailsTo search for related items, click any highlighted text below.
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