Emily Mayhew

Some books are difficult to pick up, and then even more difficult to put down. This book fulfils both these criteria. Is it not an easy subject to read about, let along to write, but this author has sailed over these obstacles to produce a memorable book.

I was left humbled when I finished reading this book, which details the work of the renowned surgeon Archibald McINDOE, and his staff during the Second World War and beyond. We tend to focus on the deceased in remembrance events commemorating the two world wars and other conflicts, but this book reminds us that those who were wounded have a very real story to tell. Within the seven main chapters, there are so many stories of dedication, bravery and sheer doggedness from the doctors, nurses and patients.

All I can say about this book in conclusion is that it is one that everyone should read, whatever your views on war, military and social history. That there are two forewords, one from Prince Harry and the other by the Duke of Edinburgh should tell you everything you need to know about its contents. There are several photographs that tell their own story. Let me be honest, few books bring my emotions to the surface. This one did. I cried: as much for the uplifting narrative as the real horror of war. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.… (meer)

I have read many books, fiction and nonfiction, in search of information on medical practices in World War I. I have found some good books, but this--this is the volume I was seeking all along. Mayhew relies heavily on primary source material to describe the nurses, doctors, and personnel who labored among the injured in the trenches. It's brutal, ugly, and beautiful all at once. The true face of humanity emerges amidst the darkest, most dire of circumstances.

Chapters focus on different aspects of the journey: the point of view of those who were injured in various ways; the stretcher-bearers, so often ignored in chronicles of the war; regimental medical officers; surgeons; nurses; orderlies; chaplains; ambulance trains; railway stations where the wounded were piled; and the London Ambulance Column.

Mayhew's extensive citations will provide me with a great deal of additional research material as well.

If you have an interest in--and the stomach for--the evolution of medicine a century ago, do check out this book. It's a quick and engrossing read, and one that will enlighten you.… (meer)