Tim Gosling profiles the brave female adventurists known as the ‘automobilistes’, who undertook perilous driving jobs in World War One
Before the outbreak of World War One, driving motor vehicles was considered to be the preserve of men, while the very few women drivers, often referred to as ‘automobilistes’ in that time period, were considered to be thrill-seeking adventurers. A few years later this view would change wholesale, with women having driven in all three branches of the British Armed Forces, the Ministry of Munitions, in manufacturing and agriculture. Post-war, the once rare sight of a woman driver had become common, normalised, and no longer a preserve saved for men.
Nurses served with the British Army in the Crimean War and within the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service during the Boer War. In 1907, the Women’s First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) was formed, within which its members would wear a military-style uniform and ride horseback to administer first aid to injured soldiers. In 1914 FANY unsuccessfully offered their services to the War Office. Undeterred by this, six members of FANY, three nurses and a donated ambulance travelled to France where their skills were gratefully…
