Hospital Blues: Nursing in Dorset During the First World War

Luke Mouland is a freelance genealogist, researcher and speaker and during the last 15 years, he has undertaken research projects for a range of clients, including the BBC’s hit TV series, ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

During the First World War, an estimated 60,000 volunteers served with the British Red Cross Society in auxiliary hospitals across the United Kingdom, providing much-needed care for sick and wounded servicemen returning from the Front. Using hospitals in Dorset as a case study, this talk explores the pivotal role played by the VADs during the Great War and highlights how this remarkable contribution was largely sustained through the efforts of female voluntary labour.

This event is being held in support of Dorset Archives Trust, a charity that works to preserve and promote Dorset’s rich archival heritage. Its strapline is ‘Saving Dorset’s disappearing history’ and it undertakes this work by fundraising, holding events, supporting projects and promoting the value of archives. DAT works closely with the Dorset History Centre in Dorchester which holds archive collections dating back over 1000 years from across Bournemouth, Poole and wider Dorset.