Endell Street: The Women Who Ran Britain’s Trailblazing Military Hospital
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By Wendy Moore
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1 review
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
When the First World War broke out, the suffragettes suspended their campaigning and joined the war effort. For pioneering suffragette doctors (and life partners) Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson that meant moving to France, where they set up two small military hospitals amidst fierce opposition.
Yet their medical and organisational skills were so impressive that in 1915 Flora and Louisa were asked by the War Ministry to return to London and establish a new military hospital in a vast and derelict old workhouse in Covent Garden’s Endell Street. That they did, creating a 573-bed hospital staffed from top to bottom by female surgeons, doctors and nurses, and developing entirely new techniques to deal with the horrific mortar and gas injuries suffered by British soldiers. Receiving 26,000 wounded men over the next four years, Flora and Louisa created such a caring atmosphere that soldiers begged to be sent to Endell Street. And then, following the end of the war and the Spanish Flu outbreak, the hospital was closed and Flora, Louisa and their staff were once again sidelined in the medical profession.
The story of Endell Street provides both a keyhole view into the horrors and thrills of wartime London and a long-overdue tribute to the brilliance and bravery of an extraordinary group of women.
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Macclesfield Library Reading Group
The Macclesfield Library Book Group received 10 copies of this book in exchange for reviews:
'Interesting to a degree but then began to be a bit repetitive with facts and figures. Obviously a lot of research went into the writing of the book, but couldn't finish it became a bit of a chore'
'Engaging and well researched account of Dr Murray and Dr Garrett and their journey in setting up a hospital for service men. The story tells us more than these women stories but gives us an insight into life pre-war and during the war for women. We are given an insight into the suffragette movement and how many women set this aside to help during WWI and put their politics aside for their country. The book was easy to read, engaging and an interesting read.'
'very detailed and informative read. I struggled with the small font and non-fiction is not my thing but well written for a suitable reader'
'this was obviously a very well researched book. However it felt repetitive at times and they were all ladies of a certain class who could afford to succeed or not. However i admired their determination against a world ran by men for men. We owe these women a great deal of gratitude for women getting into nursing and becoming doctors'
'a very well written history of how women broke through all the barriers to prove that they were capable of being in the medical profession. Very factual although very repetitive in parts.'
