A surfeit of socks? The impact of the First World War on women correspondents to daily newspapers.

Pedersen, Sarah

Abstract

This article is based on such material and shows how the predominant subject matter for ladies’ letters during the war years was that of voluntary fundraising for the many charities and associations connected with the war. Such charities were often suggested to the women through personal or local ties - family members at the front; local regiments or Scottish connections. As we shall see, these women perceived their war work in localised or provincialised terms, and were led by the local elite, in both the city and the surrounding countryside. Whilst this approach did eventually lead to inequalities in provision for the men at the front, the hospitals and the prisoners of war, this voluntary approach was at first the only one which existed - and such an approach was part of the government’s own approach to the war until late 1915. After this time, and with the growing power of Lloyd George, the government and local authorities began to impose a more centralised and less personalised approach to the voluntary organisations. While this approach was at first resented by many of the charitable ladies affected, as can be seen in their letters to the newspapers, it was necessary in order to provide a more uniform approach to the provision of comforts and necessary medical items to the ever-increasing number of men and women in need.

Citation

PEDERSEN, S. 2002. A surfeit of socks? The impact of the First World War on women correspondents to daily newspapers. Journal of Scottish historical studies [online], 22(1), pages 50-72. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3366/jshs.2002.22.1.50

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 1, 2002
• Online Publication Date: May 1, 2002
• Publication Date: May 1, 2002
• Deposit Date: Jan 20, 2009
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 20, 2009
• Journal: Journal of Scottish historical studies
• Print ISSN: 1748-538X
• Electronic ISSN: 1755-1749
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 50-72
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/jshs.2002.22.1.50
• Keywords: First World War; Daily newspapers; Women; Correspondents
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/294