Main description:

On 3 September 1939 the Prime Minister declared that Britain was at war with Germany. Thousands of young women, many of them barely out of school, were sent headlong into grueling training regimes that would see them become wartime nurses. "Sisters" features over 150 previously unpublished interviews from the archives of the Royal College of Nursing. From the bombed-out wards of the Blitz to the harsh conditions of army field hospitals, and from the nurses' pioneering work in the treatment of burns to the challenges of delivering a baby in a blackout, these courageous individuals relate with candour, wit and compassion their memories of the war. The members of this sisterhood found reserves of inner strength and made friendships that carried them through episodes of unrelieved horror. For many, wartime nursing was a life-changing experience and, in telling their vivid, poignant and riveting stories, "Sisters" captures their pride, grief and joy. It is a fitting tribute to their spirit and bravery.