Description
Object description
British civilian despatch rider with Women's Emergency Corps in London, GB, 8/1914-9/1914; driver with Flying Ambulance Corps in Belgium, 9/1914-11/1914; nurse and ambulance driver with Poste de Secours Anglais at Pervyse in Belgium, 11/1914-3/1918
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1896-1914: childhood restrictions; treatment of girls; father's attitude towards her education and her interest in motorbikes; initial contact with Elsie Knocker; character of Elsie Knocker; further details of childhood; question of speed of motorcycles and vehicles. Aspects of period as despatch rider with Women's Emergency Corps in London, GB, 8/1914-9/1914: receiving letter from Elsie Knocker, 8/1914; background to volunteering as despatch rider; story of receiving invitation to go to Belgium with Dr Hector Munro's Flying Ambulance Corps. Aspects of period as driver with Flying Ambulance Corps in Belgium, 9/1914-11/1914: background to Dr Hector Munro's formation of corps; question of qualities of four women he took on; composition of corps; reaction of public at Victoria Station to her and Elsie Knocker wearing breeches; effect of newspaper publicity about her supposed fate; father's visit to her at Ghent; attitude towards going to Belgium; reaction to witnessing bayonet charge at Melle; story of discovery of two German wounded at Melle.
REEL 2 Continues: reactions to their rescue of two German wounded at Melle; obtaining accommodation in Furnes; dealing with large numbers of wounded at makeshift field hospital at Furnes; disposal of dead at Furnes; sight of Belgian refugees; German shooting of Belgian civilians; transporting German prisoners of war in ambulance; incident of taking walk towards German lines, 9/1914; Belgian flooding of coastal land to impede German advance; background to Elsie Knocker's decision to set up dressing station at Pervyse, 11/1914; lack of opportunity to change clothes and fatigue. Recollections of period as nurse and ambulance driver with Poste de Secours Anglais at Pervyse in Belgium, 11/1914-5/1918: reiteration of Elsie Knocker's decision to set up dressing station at Pervyse, 11/1914; opinion of Belgian forces continuing to fight; initial use of house cellar as dressing station; destruction of 'second storey house' aid post by shellfire; state of wounded on arrival at dressing station; initial lack of medical equipment.
REEL 3 Continues: description of trenches and Belgian Army uniforms, winter 1914/1915; picking up wounded from trenches at night; behaviour of Germans towards their operating in no-man's land; conditions, 1915-1917; initial medical assessment of wounded at dressing station; nature of medical duties including dealing with boils and cases of venereal disease; treatment of wounded Belgian financier serving as private soldier, early 1915; recognition of medical work; contact with members of Belgian penal battalion; opinion of Belgian troops; wounding by shellfire; medical treatment received from officer of Royal Army Medical Corps.
REEL 4 Continues: opinion of Elsie Knocker; story of Elsie Knocker dealing with Belgian sentry who had accidentally shot his officer; speed with which Elsie Knocker carried out duties; stories illustrating strain of work on Elsie Knocker; move of aid post to second unsuitable location in 'second storey' house; destruction of 'second storey house' aid post by shellfire; description of Villa Espanol; question of supernatural experience in Villa Espanol; attitude to being under fire; character of Belgian orderly Lamer; advice from Belgian orderly Lamer on driving ambulance under German observation.
REEL 5 Continues: teaching English to Belgian orderly Lamer; memories of Belgian orderlies Joseph and Gabriel; description of driving ambulance near front-line; scarcity of water supply; story of encounter with Belgian orderly Gabriel whilst washing naked; amusing story of visit by King Albert I; cutting hair; Elsie Knocker's marriage to Belgian Baron Harold de T'Serclaes, 1/1916; advice received from Royal Navy officer on construction of third aid post in bombed house; description of third aid post 'the cottage'; financial support for work; petrol supply for ambulances; week long fund raising tour in GB.
REEL 6 Continues: fund raising rally organised by D C Thompson in Dundee, GB; attitude to how London society hostesses vied to host them; setting up see-saw at back of aid post; construction of observation post on top of third aid post, 'the cottage'; story of scouting for observation posts with Colonel Jennings of Royal Artillery; contact with Royal Naval Air Service pilots; sight of von Richtofen's Flying Circus attacking aircraft; story of rescue of pilot shot down in no-man's land; carrying wounded on back; offer of monetary reward to Belgian troops for recovery of dead Royal Naval Air Service pilots; artillery bombardment at start of German offensive, 3/1918; gassing in pillbox, 3/1918; treatment for gassing and psychological breakdown of Elsie Knocker in GB; decision to close aid post.
REEL 7 Continues: arrival of Royal Artillery in Nieuport Sector, 1917; Elsie Knocker's dealing with psychological case of officer serving with Royal Artillery; opinion of how Elsie Knocker dealt with psychological cases; question of role played in furthering cause of women's suffrage; attitude to service in First World War; poem received from French soldier with bad case of boils.