Elsie Inglis and the work of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals (SWH) are captivating. Elsie and the other women did not conform to the stereotype of women in war. They were operating close to the fighting on both the Western Front and in the Balkans. Also, the SWH’s were run entirely and predominantly staffed by women. This meant that there were not only women doctors, rare enough in the early twentieth century but like Elsie, women surgeons.
The SWH movement came out of the struggle for the enfranchisement of women with many of its members being active Suffragettes and Suffragists. Elsie operated in the Balkans, a theatre of the War that appears to have received little attention when compared to the Western Front. This was a major reason we were motivated to tell the story.
Elsie and her colleagues refused to accept the roles society had assigned to them. If this was not enough they placed themselves in situations, despite objections from the British government, resulting in great hardships and considerable dangers. Such courage and resolve are inspirational.