‘We are really here which seems too strange for words’

First World War poster "V.A.D." by Joyce Dennys (IWM PST 3268)

Eve and Kit Dodsworth’s papers are held by the Imperial War Museum.  Using examples from these and other sources available here, we have been able to investigate their nursing service in the First World War.  Theirs is a real story, but you can read through this and adopt the same approach to find out about your own ancestors.

The Dodsworth sisters, Evelyn (‘Eve’) and Christine Ellen (‘Kit’) lived in York and were members of the 38th West Riding of Yorkshire Voluntary Aid Detachment.  Eve’s diary for 1915 reveals that apart from their hospital commitment they were also involved with other philanthropic activities, common to middle class women of the day, such as fundraising for Belgians and YMCA work.

Voluntary Aid Detachments were the basic unit of organisation for the Joint War Committee of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.  The individual serving with it (both male and female) would be a V.A.D. Member, more commonly shortened to V.A.D.  They would perform a wide variety of tasks, and although best known for the Nursing Members (who would support the qualified nursing staff in hospitals), many worked as drivers, cooks, etc.  There was a continuous need for more recruits, as can be seen from the VAD poster.