This is the story of the wartime experiences of a group of women who ran a field hospital near the trenches during World War I often under conditions of great hardship. The text draws on the women's diaries & letters home. The Scottish Women's Hospitals unit offered their services to France & opened a hospital in the ancient Abbey of Royaumont near Paris. The hospital operated from 1915 to 1919 & became famous for its nursing care cleanliness & efficiency recognised by the French authorities as a key wartime hospital.