This Small Army of Women

This Small Army of Women restores a forgotten contingent of nursing volunteers to the historical record, showcasing their dedication amid the carnage of war and their sometimes uneasy relationship with nursing professionals.

Linda Quiney has written a carefully researched, lively, and accessible book. Both historians and general readers will value its compelling story of a group of courageous women whose accomplishments have been largely neglected in histories of the First World War.

Linda J Quiney’s This Small Army of Women documents the Canadian and Newfoundland volunteer nurses in WW1. The book is an interesting mix of facts, figures and analysis, interspersed with personal stories of these Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses – VADs. This Small Army of Women is another good addition to the recent scholarship on the role of medical women in the war.

Cynthia Toman, author of Sister Soldiers of the Great War: The Nurses of the Canadian Army Medical Corps:
Histories of the First World War focus predominantly on men’s activities and experiences. The lives, experiences, and work of women have remained relatively invisible largely because of the lack of “official” documents and records. Linda Quiney uses a unique set of sources to bring the stories of Canadian and Newfoundland women volunteers from the margins of history to the centre of the action, filling a significant gap on women, war, work, and volunteerism.

Christina Bates, curator (retired), Canadian Museum of History and author of A Cultural History of the Nurse’s Uniform:
It is generally understood that it is men who make history in wartime. This Small Army of Women uncovers the adventures and sacrifices of a special group of women volunteers. By thoroughly exploring these women’s backgrounds, Quiney offers a more nuanced portrait of the VADs, who have long been understood as “well-born ladies” wiping fevered brows, an image perpetuated by Vera Brittain’s enduring memoir.