This is a great project, Sarah. Look forward to reading more about these women.
You just reminded me of the wonderful, funny book, Great Housewives of Art by Sally Swain. Pastiche paintings of the wives of artists. Mrs Magritte Tidies the Hat Rack and so on. Obviously, that's very much off on a tangent, but like you, I so often read about famous men and am curious to know more about the women who supported them.
A wonderful post and includes some of my mum's generation of women, many of whom I looked up to as a child born in 1946. My mum was a WAF ambulance driver for bomber command at 18 she drove a huge four axle truck as her Wellington base had large bomber crews. After the war she trained as a nurse and was a nurse for many years. She was stabbed by an imported French nurse, who had been sectioned in her own country, but was accepted by the NHS. She retired from nursing and went back to her prewar profession of chef and made a successful business. They were a good, brave, determined, and cheery bunch, those 20s women, and you will have fun researching and writing your book. I can't wait to read it when completed.
"Over the coming months, I plan to research as many of these women as I can and write about them on Substack. I am not sure it will turn into a book, but I still want to tell their stories." This is very exciting and I'm looking forward to reading about them, Sarah.
Great idea, at a time when women's hard-won rights could potentially be under threat, reminders of those who fought hard and blazed a trail need bringing to the fore. I look forward to reading about them!
Your exploration of the “Wilson Wives” and their groundbreaking influence is enlightening and beautifully written. The metaphor of dahlias as late-blooming, resilient women highlights their tenacity and vibrant contributions. I’m excited to follow your journey through these stories, celebrating the independent spirits who shaped modern Britain.
Sounds like a brilliant project. Good luck with it.
When I first retired I planned to write a book on influential nurses from the twentieth century. If you know anything about nursing, you'll know that no-one knows a 'famous' nurse other than Florence, or Mary Seacole, or maybe Edith Cavell. There are lots of unsung nurses out there. I started some research but I never really got into it, I'm ashamed to say. This post made me think about it again.
This is a great project, Sarah. Look forward to reading more about these women.
You just reminded me of the wonderful, funny book, Great Housewives of Art by Sally Swain. Pastiche paintings of the wives of artists. Mrs Magritte Tidies the Hat Rack and so on. Obviously, that's very much off on a tangent, but like you, I so often read about famous men and am curious to know more about the women who supported them.
It sounds brilliant...I'm off to Google Sally Swain right now!
What a great idea, Sarah! I am looking forward to the posts. And the dahlias are quite the symbol. I like “independence of dahlias”!
A wonderful post and includes some of my mum's generation of women, many of whom I looked up to as a child born in 1946. My mum was a WAF ambulance driver for bomber command at 18 she drove a huge four axle truck as her Wellington base had large bomber crews. After the war she trained as a nurse and was a nurse for many years. She was stabbed by an imported French nurse, who had been sectioned in her own country, but was accepted by the NHS. She retired from nursing and went back to her prewar profession of chef and made a successful business. They were a good, brave, determined, and cheery bunch, those 20s women, and you will have fun researching and writing your book. I can't wait to read it when completed.
It's my mum's generation as well, born in 1920, married in 1941...
Mine was born in 2025 and had me at 21, and married at 19.
Bring it on! Really looking forward to reading about these inspirational women. Lovely dahlias too! 😍
"Over the coming months, I plan to research as many of these women as I can and write about them on Substack. I am not sure it will turn into a book, but I still want to tell their stories." This is very exciting and I'm looking forward to reading about them, Sarah.
I think this sounds great! Looking forward to learning more.
Great idea, at a time when women's hard-won rights could potentially be under threat, reminders of those who fought hard and blazed a trail need bringing to the fore. I look forward to reading about them!
Once again you have piqued my interest!
I can’t wait to read more about these wonderful women & their full & active lives.
Thank goodness for you 👏
Your exploration of the “Wilson Wives” and their groundbreaking influence is enlightening and beautifully written. The metaphor of dahlias as late-blooming, resilient women highlights their tenacity and vibrant contributions. I’m excited to follow your journey through these stories, celebrating the independent spirits who shaped modern Britain.
Sounds like a brilliant project. Good luck with it.
When I first retired I planned to write a book on influential nurses from the twentieth century. If you know anything about nursing, you'll know that no-one knows a 'famous' nurse other than Florence, or Mary Seacole, or maybe Edith Cavell. There are lots of unsung nurses out there. I started some research but I never really got into it, I'm ashamed to say. This post made me think about it again.
Well i would be really interested! Get those notes out...
That's great Sarah - who couldn't love Dahlias?! They even come as 'Cafe au Lait' I learn.