Description
Object description
British ambulance driver with Scottish Women's Hospital in France, 1914-1915; ambulance driver with First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in Belgium and France, 1915-1918; Commandant served with First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in GB, Middle East and India, 1940-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB and Canada, 1891-1914: family; memories of funeral of King Edward VIII; learning to drive; visits to Germany including sight of Kaiser Wilheim II; opinion of German Army personnel.
REEL 2 Continues: decision to become farmer; lack of farming opportunities for women; move to British Columbia in Canada to farm, 1913; return to GB via US; attitude towards outbreak of First World War, 8/1914. Aspects of period as ambulance driver with Scottish Women's Hospital in France, 1914-1915: background to going to France, 1914; converting abbey into hospital.
REEL 3 Continues: arranging first funeral for dead French soldier; role of abbey hospital; accommodation; mother's return home. Recollections of period as ambulance driver with First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in Belgium and France, 1915-1918: joining First Aid Nursing Yeomanry; description of ambulance; joining hospital in Belgium; bombardment by German long range gun; driving ambulance through bombardment.
REEL 4 Continues: attachment to British forces; story of discovery of unexploded shell, 1917; washing facilities; duties as ambulance driver; incident of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry driver backing into harbour; story of breaking arm whilst winding up ambulance ignition and evacuation to GB.
REEL 5 Continues: sight of ship sinking in English Channel; attitude towards Germans; transporting seriously wounded to barges; types of ambulances driven; story of argument between wounded Germans, walking wounded and British patient in ambulance.
REEL 6 Continues: incident when she knocked over Prince of Wales; discovery of Chinese Labour Corps suicides; methods of preventing ambulances from freezing during winter; degree of training received; off duty activities; responsibility for vehicle stores; transporting wounded and types of vehicles used; opinion of Fijians.
REEL 7 Continues: transporting drunken American troops; vehicle inspection and commanders; return to GB due to illness, 1918. Aspects of period as inspector with Inspection Department of Rolls-Royce Ltd in London, GB, 1918: inspection duties; pride in work; Armistice celebrations, 11/1918. Recollections of period as Corps Commander with First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in GB, Middle East and India, 1940-1946: outbreak of Second World War whilst in Tanganyika, 3/9/1939; recall to GB by First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, 1/1940.
REEL 8 Continues: reorganisation of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in GB; background to involvement of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry with Special Operations Executive; interviewing personnel selected by Special Operations Executive; memories of taking group of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry personnel who had served with Special Operations Executive to visit the Queen Mary after the war.
REEL 9 Continues: travelling overseas to visit First Aid Nursing Yeomanry units and recruit new members, 1943; difficulties of travelling to Dehli in India at time of Tehran Conference, 11/1943-12/1943; description of journey through Middle East including crossing desert in Iraq.
REEL 10 Continues: description of travelling through Persia by various means of transport; visit to Persian carpet factories; arrival in India.
REEL 11 Continues: recruitment of personnel for canteen unit to join British Fourteenth Army in Burma.