First World War: Then and Now
Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service was spearheaded by doctor Elsie Inglis, yet her work stands alongside the commitment and sacrifice of thousands of other women during the First World War, of whom little was known.
This project connects the beginnings of the Women’s Hospital movement to the European countries served by many of its doctors and nurses during the War. Volunteers researched the lives of the women, made contact with surviving relatives and visited hospital sites and memorials.
The project has raised the profile of the women’s work locally, through presentations and exhibitions with schools and universities. It also gained international recognition with an invite from the President of Serbia to show the film For the Love of Serbia at an international conference.
“The project has changed my life,” said Alan Cumming, Chairperson of the Scottish Women’s Hospital WW1 Memorial Group. “Not only have we promoted the story of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals to the world, we have supported many exhibitions in Scotland, France and Serbia and the project has become the go-to hub for anyone interested in this heritage.”