Edith Blake’s War

The only Australian nurse killed in action during the First World War

By: Krista Vane-Tempest

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Paperback | 1 October 2021

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Paperback
368 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23 x 15 x 3.5

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In the early hours of 26 February 1918, the British hospital ship Glenart Castle steamed into the Bristol Channel, heading for France to pick up wounded men from the killing fields of the Western Front. Onboard was 32-year-old Australian nurse, Edith Blake. After being torpedoed by a German U-boat, the Glenart Castle took minutes to sink. Of the 182 onboard, 153 perished including all eight nurses.

After missing out on joining the Australian Army, in 1915 Edith Blake was one of 130 Australian nurses allocated to the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service by the British government. In very personal letters to her family back home Edith shares her homesickness, frustration with military rules, and the culture shock of Egypt. In Edith Blake’s War, her great niece Krista Vane-Tempest traces Edith’s story from training in Sydney to her war service in the Middle East and the Mediterranean; her conflicted feelings about nursing German prisoners of war as German aircraft bombed England, to her death in waters where Germany had promised the safe passage of hospital ships.

Industry Reviews

‘Beautifully written and an engaging read, Edith Blake’s War opens a window on unsung areas of Australian nurses’ service at war. Krista Vane-Tempest’s meticulous research enhances understanding but never intrudes, as Sister Blake’s own voice brings her wartime experiences vibrantly to life. An ultimately moving book born of connection to family across generations.’
Janet Butler

‘Edith Blake’s story powerfully evokes the horrors and dangers of nursing during the Great War while capturing the poignant and special bond Australian nurses forged with Anzac soldiers. Krista Vane-Tempest deftly weaves the larger context of the war throughout Edie’s remarkable letters home and gives her the long overdue recognition her courage warrants.’
Peter Rees

‘More than a biography, Krista Vane-Tempest has penned a tribute to the contribution and sacrifice of Australian women during the First World War. In doing so, she has rediscovered the evocative story of Edith Blake, nurse to the Anzacs and British troops and whose life was tragically lost in that terrible conflict.’
Karl James

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