A GENEALOGY expert has embarked on a special mission to discover more about the women who cared for wounded soldiers during the First World War.

Members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) carried out vital work during the Great War, looking after injured troops in military hospitals at home and abroad. At first it was mainly middle and upper middle class women who volunteered, but as the war rumbled on, women and men of all classes joined up and worked together.

Kate Gill, of Crawleyside, near Stanhope in Weardale, is keen to shed light on the women from her area who supported the war effort in this way. By accessing Red Cross record cards for the nurses who volunteered at Etherley House VAD Hospital in Bishop Auckland, she has managed to identify 21 women from Weardale.

She is now trying to find out as much as she can about these women ahead of the Weardale Festival in August, when her research will form part of an exhibition commemorating the centenary of the end of the conflict. The festival, at St Thomas’ Church in Stanhope from August 4 to 12, will also feature talks on subjects such as trench art and prisoners of war, along with family history research support.

Mrs Gill said: “We want to emphasise the role played by women during the war and thought that the VAD would be a good way of doing this. Women and men served in this country and abroad in a range of roles but we are concentrating on women who served in military hospitals looking after the sick and wounded. Their contribution needs to be remembered and recognised.”

Of the 21 women Mrs Gill has identified the amount of information she has been able to uncover varies significantly. For Mary Backhouse, nee Mason, she has been able to find out quite a lot as Mrs Backhouse’s son, John, still lives in Weardale, and has provided photographs and further documentation. He also provided a photograph of his mother’s half-sister, Alice, who lived in Stanhope and joined the VAD.

But Mrs Gill’s knowledge of some of the women only extends to what is on their record cards so far. She is urging anyone who can help her to get in touch, and would especially like to speak to people with information about Elfrida Howard Sanders of Wolsingham, Aline Drusilla Graham of Frosterley, Daisy Briggs of Stanhope, Gladys Arnold of Wolsingham and Bessie Vickers Monkhouse nee Martindale of Stanhope.

Another woman Mrs Gill is intrigued by is Jessie B McLennan. Born in Scotland, Miss McLennan lived in Stanhope with her sister Mary and Mary’s husband Fred Paterson who was a dentist. Miss McLennan went on to serve in France and was mentioned in dispatches but Mrs Gill is yet to discover the reason why.

“The work these women undertook was so important but stories of their experiences do not seem to have been passed down through families in the same way as men’s stories,” said Mrs Gill , who runs a family history support service.

“Some of the soldiers suffered terrible injuries and it must have been very difficult for the nurses. But for women living in rural areas like Weardale, who would rarely have travelled outside of their communities, I imagine it must also have been a real adventure at times, especially for those like Jessie who travelled to France.”

  • Anyone who can help, can contact Mrs Gill on kategill31@gmail.com or on 07990786220