Edith Blake's War: The only Australian nurse killed in action during the First World War

Edith Blake was an Australian nurse who was assigned to the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service by the British government in 1915. She served in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and her great niece Krista Vane-Tempest traces her story from training in Sydney to her war service and her death in waters where Germany had promised the safe passage of hospital ships.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 01 October 2021
Publisher: NewSouth Publishing

In the early hours of February 26, 1918, the British hospital ship Glenart Castle sailed into the Bristol Channel, bound for France, to retrieve wounded soldiers from the bloody battlefields of the Western Front. Among the passengers was 32-year-old Australian nurse, Edith Blake. Tragically, the Glenart Castle was torpedoed by a German U-boat, and within minutes, it sank, claiming the lives of 182 individuals, including all eight nurses on board. Despite her initial disappointment of not being able to join the Australian Army, Edith Blake was one of 130 Australian nurses assigned to the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service by the British government in 1915. In heartfelt letters to her family back home, Edith openly expressed her homesickness, frustration with military regulations, and the cultural shock she experienced in Egypt.

In Edith Blake's War, her great-niece, Krista Vane-Tempest, meticulously chronicles Edith's journey from her training in Sydney to her wartime service in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The book delves into Edith's conflicted emotions as she nursed German prisoners of war while German aircraft relentlessly bombed England. It also sheds light on her tragic demise in waters where Germany had promised the safe passage of hospital ships.

Edith Blake's story serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by nurses during World War I, as well as the challenges they faced in the midst of conflict. Her unwavering dedication to her profession and her ability to adapt to different environments showcase her remarkable resilience and courage. Through her letters and the detailed account provided in Edith Blake's War, readers gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of nurses during wartime and the profound impact they had on the lives of those they cared for.

Weight: 604g
Dimension: 156 x 331 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781742237398