British Nannies and the Great War: How Norland's Regiment of Nannies Coped with Conflict and Childcare in the Great War

In 1912, Norland children's nurse Kate Fox was traveling by train heading to the British military station at Nowshera on the Afghan border to care for the premature baby born to the base's commanding officer. Two years later, Kate was escaping from Germany in the first days of the Great War, leaving behind her adored German royal charges and all her personal possessions. Due to their prestige as the crème-de-la-crème of Edwardian children's nurses to Europe's royal and wealthy families, Kate was one among many Norland nannies who witnessed the early days of the War on the Continent with all its tumult and fear. Some fled for home; others managed to stay for a while. And yet others gave up their privileged way of life to undertake war work as nurses in Flanders and refugee camps. The stories in this book are the nannies' eyewitness accounts described in their correspondence with their beloved Norland Institute. These previously unpublished letters recount a version of women's Great War history that has remained untold until now. British Nannies and the Great War is the true story of a group of Edwardian, highly trained and opinionated women in the First World War. For the first time in a century, the Norland nannies' unique stories of escape from enemy territory, their experiences at home and the Front during the War, and their thoughts on how the conflict changed their role in post-Edwardian Britain are told in their own words. The true story of how highly-trained Edwardian women in the First World War “coped with their charges as the bombs rained down” (Daily Express).In 1912, Norland children's nurse Kate Fox was travelling by train heading to the British military station at Nowshera on the Afghan border to care for the premature baby born to the base's commanding officer. Two years later, Kate was escaping from Germany in the first days of the Great War, leaving behind her adored German royal charges and all her personal possessions.Due to their prestige as the crème-de-la-crème of Edwardian children's nurses to Europe's royal and wealthy families, Kate was one among many Norland nannies who witnessed the early days of the War on the Continent with all its tumult and fear. Some fled for home; others managed to stay for a while. And yet others gave up their privileged way of life to undertake war work as nurses in Flanders and refugee camps.The stories in British Nannies and the Great War are eye-witness accounts described in their correspondence with their beloved Norland Institute. These previously unpublished letters recount a version of women's World War I history that has remained untold until now.For the first time in a century, the Norland nannies'unique stories of escape from enemy territory, their experiences at home and the Front during the War, and their thoughts on how the conflict changed their role in post-Edwardian Britain are told in their own words. “The research has brought the fascinating lives of these spirited young women into a tangible existence once more.” —The Western Front Association In 1912, Norland children's nurse Kate Fox was travelling by train heading to the British military station at Nowshera on the Afghan border to care for the premature baby born to the base's commanding officer. Two years later, Kate was escaping from Germany in the first days of the Great War, leaving behind her adored German royal charges and all her personal possessions. Due to their prestige as the creme-de-la-creme of Edwardian children's nurses to Europe's royal and wealthy families, Kate was one among many Norland nannies who witnessed the early days of the War on the Continent with all its tumult and fear. Some fled for home; others managed to stay for a while. And yet others gave up their privileged way of life to undertake war work as nurses in Flanders and refugee camps. The stories in this book are the nannies' eye-witness accounts described in their correspondence with their beloved Norland Institute. These previously unpublished letters recount a version of women's Great War history that has remained untold until now. British Nannies and the Great War is the true story of a group of Edwardian, highly trained and opinionated women in the First World War. For the first time in a century, the Norland nannies' unique stories of escape from enemy territory, their experiences at home and the Front during the War, and their thoughts on how the conflict changed their role in post-Edwardian Britain are told in their own words In 1912, Norland childrens nurse Kate Fox was travelling by train heading to the British military station at Nowshera on the Afghan border to care for the premature baby born to the bases commanding officer. Two years later, Kate was escaping from Germany in the first days of the Great War, leaving behind her adored German royal charges and all her personal possessions. Due to their prestige as the crme-de-la-crme of Edwardian childrens nurses to Europes royal and wealthy families, Kate was one among many Norland nannies who witnessed the early days of the War on the Continent with all its tumult and fear. Some fled for home; others managed to stay for a while. And yet others gave up their privileged way of life to undertake war work as nurses in Flanders and refugee camps.The stories in this book are the nannies eye-witness accounts described in their correspondence with their beloved Norland Institute. These previously unpublished letters recount a version of womens Great War history that has remained untold until now. British Nannies and the Great War is the true story of a group of Edwardian, highly trained and opinionated women in the First World War. For the first time in a century, the Norland nannies unique stories of escape from enemy territory, their experiences at home and the Front during the War, and their thoughts on how the conflict changed their role in post-Edwardian Britain are told in their own words. [Elib] In 1912, Norland children’s nurse Kate Fox was travelling by train heading to the British military station at Nowshera on the Afghan border to care for the premature baby born to the base’s commanding officer. Two years later, Kate was escaping from Germany in the first days of the Great War, leaving behind her adored German royal charges and all her personal possessions. Due to their prestige as the crème-de-la-crème of Edwardian children’s nurses to Europe’s royal and wealthy families, Kate was one among many Norland nannies who witnessed the early days of the War on the Continent with all its tumult and fear. Some fled for home; others managed to stay for a while. And yet others gave up their privileged way of life to undertake war work as nurses in Flanders and refugee camps.The stories in this book are the nannies’ eye-witness accounts described in their correspondence with their beloved Norland Institute. These previously... Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Picture Credits; Foreword; Foreword; Introduction; Prologue: Nurse Kate Fox: The Making of a Royal Children's Nurse; Chapter 1: A New Century; Chapter 2: Declaration of War; Chapter 3: Relief and Refugees; Chapter 4: War Work; Chapter 5: War in the Nursery; Photo Gallery; Chapter 6: Missions and Mothercraft; Chapter 7: Further Afield; Chapter 8: Last Push to Armistice; Chapter 9: Peace in the Nursery; Epilogue: Nurse Kate Fox: The Return of a Royal Children's Nurse; Notes; Acknowledgements; Select Bibliography. Louise Heren has spent two years researching the lives of Norland nannies in the Norland College Archive. This book draws on previously unpublished material to provide a new insight into the wartime lives of a forgotten group of women.