Old Photograph Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurses In Ladybank Fife Scotland

Old photograph of Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurses during World War I in Ladybank near St Andrews and East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) referred to a voluntary unit providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals, in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units were during World War I and World War II.

Famous VAD nurses include:

Enid Bagnold, British author of the novel National Velvet, on which the 1944 film with Elizabeth Taylor was based. Her account of her experiences are related in her memoir A Diary Without Dates published in 1918.

Mary Borden an early 20th century, Anglo American novelist.

Vera Brittain, British author of the best selling 1933 memoir Testament of Youth, recounting her experiences during World War I.

Agatha Christie, British author who briefly details her VAD experiences in her posthumously published Autobiography.

Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer.

Violet Jessop, British ocean liner stewardess trained as a VAD nurse after the outbreak of World War I. She had been a stewardess aboard the RMS Titanic when it sank in 1912 and was also aboard the hospital ship HMHS Britannic, the Titanic's sister ship, as a Red Cross nurse when it sank in 1916.

Jessie Traill, Australian painter.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.