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A Canadian Nurse in the Great War: The Diaries of Ruth Loggie, 1915-1916
A fascinating collection of letters from a Maritime nurse who served overseas during the First World War from the author of 'In Their Own Words' and 'Letters Home.'
More than two thousand Canadian women served as army nurses overseas during the First World War. The opportunity to read a diary written by one of these women?a document which was, strictly speaking, not supposed to be kept in the first place-is a unique privilege.
A Canadian Nurse in the Great War grants a peek, through the diary of Ruth Loggie, into a little-known moment of our history. It also offers a glimpse into forbidden territory-women at war. Loggie’s diary provides a daily commentary on life as she experienced it and as the events of the Great War unfolded. How did she cope? What were her thoughts as she lived through what she knew were world-altering events?
Raw, fresh, unedited, and immediate, A Canadian Nurse in the Great War is a special document, and a welcome companion to Hebb’s earlier books, 'Letters Home: Maritimers and the Great War; 1914-1918' and 'In Their Own Words: Three Maritimers Experience the Great War.'
More than two thousand Canadian women served as army nurses overseas during the First World War. The opportunity to read a diary written by one of these women?a document which was, strictly speaking, not supposed to be kept in the first place-is a unique privilege.
A Canadian Nurse in the Great War grants a peek, through the diary of Ruth Loggie, into a little-known moment of our history. It also offers a glimpse into forbidden territory-women at war. Loggie’s diary provides a daily commentary on life as she experienced it and as the events of the Great War unfolded. How did she cope? What were her thoughts as she lived through what she knew were world-altering events?
Raw, fresh, unedited, and immediate, A Canadian Nurse in the Great War is a special document, and a welcome companion to Hebb’s earlier books, 'Letters Home: Maritimers and the Great War; 1914-1918' and 'In Their Own Words: Three Maritimers Experience the Great War.'
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 22, 2026
4.5 and I'm only taking off half a star because I'm shocked that the editor didn't mention the (in my option VERY) obvious opinion that Ruth and Clare never married because they were in a relationship with each other.
November 19, 2021
Having a R.N. grandmother who learned her nursing at the elbow of veterans freshly returned from WWI, I was interested in getting a glimpse into what the working environment was like in the first decades of the 20th century. In A Canadian Nurse in the Great War, the editor has interspersed the diary entries with numerous interpretive notes and references. A hundred years on, this would be an excellent read for a 21st century nursing student.
November 29, 2021
As the title states this is a book exploring the experiences of a Canadian nurse, Ruth Loggie, during WW1. Trained as a Registered Nurse, she and many of her fellow countrywomen travelled to England then France to nurse injured soldiers from the front.
I wanted to read this book as my great, great uncle fought with the Canadien Expeditionary Force during WW1 and as a nurse myself I am always interested in nursing history. I’ve read Vera Brittains books which describe her experiences as a VAD so wondered how much Ruth’s experiences would be similar or different. As the book is taken from Ruth’s diaries, you are taken directly into her world immediately, whilst Herb also provides context to some of her entries.
What struck me most was how little Ruth actually wrote about her work as a nurse, which I found quite disappointing as I was interested in seeing what she actually experienced on the ward and how treatments were provided under such difficult circumstances. Perhaps this was because her diary was more a place for her to write about other parts of her life. She does document the numbers of casualties the units received which was particularly eye opening.
It was also strange to read about the activities the nurses did like cycling, going for long rambles, shopping and going to the beach when only a few miles away men were fighting. Perhaps if they had been nearer to the battle their experiences would have been different.
Although I enjoyed reading Ruth’s diary, I did come away feeling that I had only learned about her quite superficially and that there was so much more to her experiences than what she had written in her diaries. Perhaps for her though, the reality of those experiences were not something she wanted to document for posterity.
I wanted to read this book as my great, great uncle fought with the Canadien Expeditionary Force during WW1 and as a nurse myself I am always interested in nursing history. I’ve read Vera Brittains books which describe her experiences as a VAD so wondered how much Ruth’s experiences would be similar or different. As the book is taken from Ruth’s diaries, you are taken directly into her world immediately, whilst Herb also provides context to some of her entries.
What struck me most was how little Ruth actually wrote about her work as a nurse, which I found quite disappointing as I was interested in seeing what she actually experienced on the ward and how treatments were provided under such difficult circumstances. Perhaps this was because her diary was more a place for her to write about other parts of her life. She does document the numbers of casualties the units received which was particularly eye opening.
It was also strange to read about the activities the nurses did like cycling, going for long rambles, shopping and going to the beach when only a few miles away men were fighting. Perhaps if they had been nearer to the battle their experiences would have been different.
Although I enjoyed reading Ruth’s diary, I did come away feeling that I had only learned about her quite superficially and that there was so much more to her experiences than what she had written in her diaries. Perhaps for her though, the reality of those experiences were not something she wanted to document for posterity.
May 22, 2022
You're not going to read this book and only learn about all the blood and gore that a nurse had to deal with during the war. This book more explores her personal life and all the activities she didn't do while being a nurse. I actually found it fascinating to show how normal a wartime nurse's life can be.
I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 13, 2021
This timely book by Ross Hebb attempts to give Canadian Army Nurses the credit they’ve been denied in history for their contribution during the Great War.
The Diaries of Ruth Loggie from 1915-1916 have short concise entries that give a tally of the injured, some details on day to day life and excursions, but very little about the war itself or what she saw. What we know of WW1 allows us to fill in those gaps, but the author also provides a thoughtful Introduction and summaries to give the reader context into what must have been going through Ruth’s head at the time of her entries. Canadian Nurses who volunteered were considered officially enlisted in the army so these women went from civilian life to overseas army life overnight. The horrific condition of the wounded soldiers coming out of the battles of Loos, Somme, etc, must have been overwhelming. Although always considered the “weaker sex”, the “ministering angels” did receive equal pay while serving and were highly regarded. Even though not much detail by Ruth is provided we do get a small sense of her personality and a glimpse of what life was like in France and England during the war which makes this book compelling to read.
We also get a unique insight into Canada’s contribution the Great War from a medical standpoint, teams from established facilities like McGill were put together to run hospitals in France and with them they brought cutting edge technology at the time, like x-ray. It made me proud, but also sad that while we celebrate veterans on Remembrance Day every year, the women who contributed barely get a mention as their role in the war was downplayed when they came home and they felt that they were just doing their duty and that their experience compared to what the men went through didn’t warrant mention. Ruth Lottie died in 1968 and her obituary failed to do her justice, her achievements barely acknowledged or fact-checked. I give this book credit with educating me on subject of nurses serving in the war and providing an important insight into Canadian history.
The Diaries of Ruth Loggie from 1915-1916 have short concise entries that give a tally of the injured, some details on day to day life and excursions, but very little about the war itself or what she saw. What we know of WW1 allows us to fill in those gaps, but the author also provides a thoughtful Introduction and summaries to give the reader context into what must have been going through Ruth’s head at the time of her entries. Canadian Nurses who volunteered were considered officially enlisted in the army so these women went from civilian life to overseas army life overnight. The horrific condition of the wounded soldiers coming out of the battles of Loos, Somme, etc, must have been overwhelming. Although always considered the “weaker sex”, the “ministering angels” did receive equal pay while serving and were highly regarded. Even though not much detail by Ruth is provided we do get a small sense of her personality and a glimpse of what life was like in France and England during the war which makes this book compelling to read.
We also get a unique insight into Canada’s contribution the Great War from a medical standpoint, teams from established facilities like McGill were put together to run hospitals in France and with them they brought cutting edge technology at the time, like x-ray. It made me proud, but also sad that while we celebrate veterans on Remembrance Day every year, the women who contributed barely get a mention as their role in the war was downplayed when they came home and they felt that they were just doing their duty and that their experience compared to what the men went through didn’t warrant mention. Ruth Lottie died in 1968 and her obituary failed to do her justice, her achievements barely acknowledged or fact-checked. I give this book credit with educating me on subject of nurses serving in the war and providing an important insight into Canadian history.
May 6, 2023
I stopped reading this Diary on page 76, and not because there anything wrong with the diary. The problem is I'm a freak for details and dairies by their nature tend to lack details, due to the fact that no one expects their diary to be published one day. However the dairy did have it's positive points that I found interesting, for example. A nurse that wasn't very good at her job was called Fishwife, and going out on a bicycle ride was known as wheeling. The hard work that the nurses had to do was insane, only the war itself was more insane than that. There was a black Jamaican women who was a nurse named Tate who I felt sorry for the most, due the discrimination that she must of had to put up with because the time period sadly. If you happen to be the type of person who doesn't need a lot of details to enjoy a book than you will more than likely enjoy reading this book. Again it's not a bad read, it's just not my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews