Once again I am reviewing a history non-fiction book on here however, this one is quite different to the previous ones that I have reviewed on here and that is because this one focuses on The First World War and the involvement of women within it. Women’s history in general completely fascinates me and I love learning and gaining more knowledge on women throughout history. So, I would like to thank Alex at Pen and Sword for being so kind and sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Women in the Great War was written by husband and wife team Stephen and Tanya Wynn and was first published in 2017. The book centres on (Official Blurb): “The First World War was fought on two fronts. In a military sense it was men fighting on the battlefields throughout Europe, the Gallipoli peninsular and other such theatres of war, but on the Home Front it was the arduous efforts of women that kept the country running. Before the war women in the work place were employed in such jobs as domestic service, clerical work, shop assistants, teachers or as barmaids. These jobs were nearly all undertaken by single women, as once they were married their job swiftly became that a of a wife, mother and home maker. The outbreak of war changed all of that. Suddenly, women were catapulted into a whole new sphere of work that had previously been the sole domain of men. Women began to work in munitions factories, as nurses in military hospitals, bus drivers, mechanics, taxi drivers, as well as running homes and looking after children, all whilst worrying about their men folk who were away fighting a war in some foreign clime, not knowing if they were ever going to see them again. With the work came a wage, which provided women with financial freedom for the first time, as well as an element of independence and social integration, which they would have possibly never otherwise experienced. Women were not paid the same wages as men had been for doing the same work, but what they did earn was much more than they had ever earned before. This was also a time of the suffrage movement, who wanted more out of life for women. Some were reluctant to stop working after the war, whilst others were sacked so that returning soldiers could have their pre-war jobs back, and tens of thousands of women were left widowed, many with young children to bring up. Despite all of this, one thing for sure, for lots of women there was no going back to how things had been before the war. There was only going to be one way, and that was forward.
This book is a brilliant introduction and overview to the involvement and roles that women played within the First World War. Women in the Great War is divided into several different chapters that discuss the different organisations and roles of women during the war. Throughout this book there are chapters that are dedicated to the different roles that women had during the war such as Munitions Workers, Voluntary Air Detachments, The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Women’s Legion, Women’s Land Army, Women Police Volunteers, The Women’s Forage Corps, etc.
With each of the above sections within this book Stephen and Tanya Wynn also provide individual, fascinating and interesting stories of women of the Great War. This added extra makes the whole book even more enjoyable because you get to learn and read about women that gave everything in some cases even their lives for this country as well as other countries. This book shows that women did play a very important part and role within the First World War as well as history in general.
I have always be fascinated with the role women played in the war and women’s history so this book really fit these two areas really well. Overall, Women in the Great War is a well-written and well-researched book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this period of history and also women’s history.
The edition was published by Pen and Sword History (2017)
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