Sisters in Arms: Female warriors from antiquity to the new millennium

(Hardback)

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Women who have dressed as men and joined the army or the navy to embark on a grand adventure, to search for a lost husband or simply to escape the dull confines of domestic life, have enjoyed a long and popular tradition in Western culture. In this fascinating book, Julie Wheelwright recreates and explains the fascination of the female warrior which captivated young women and even inspired some to undertake similar exploits. Drawing on memoirs, letters, diaries and historical archives, and illustrating her examples with rare sketches and photographs, she traces the career of dozens of women who lived and fought as men. Christian Davies, Irelands most famous eighteenth-century soldier, received poems from adoring women who claimed that the Amazonian race begins again. Emma Edmonds, left her fianc and native Canada to fight in the American Civil War; Hannah Snell, a sailor in the Royal Navy; Maria Bockkareva, a private in the Tsars Army; and Captain Flora Sandes, hero of the Serbian Army who toured Australia, thrilling her audiences with tales of bravery and patriotism, are some of the intriguing and rebellious women of history that Military Women brings to light. The book follows the evolution of the woman in breeches from the height of her popularity in the 1700s to her re-emergence as the nations pride and joy during the First World War. The later chapters of the book explore the formalisation of the role of women in military roles and whether true equality is ever possible in a military set-up.

Reviews

A long overdue assertion on the role of women on the battlefield. This book is going straight on my daughters bookshelf. * Dan Snow, historian, TV presenter and broadcaster *
Julie Wheelwright discovers and recounts the lives of extraordinary women with a historians craft and a storytellers flair. Sisters in Arms shows the many faces of women in combat from the myths of the ancient world to the headline-grabbing conflicts of today with a scrupulous attention to their different contexts, but a common compassion for their struggles and achievements. Her fascinating subjects cease to be freaks, marvels or outliers but become part of our shared history of war, peace and change. * Boyd Tonkin, journalist and author *
It is always a treat to read Julie Wheelwright. She not only uncovers neglected female warriors, but she brings their temperaments, talents, fancies, and foibles to life. While Wheelwright is sensitive to each of these womens unique circumstances, she also shows that they shared hopes and dreams for less gender-constrained worlds. * Professor Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London *
Julie Wheelwright removes the shackles of gender in this powerful feminist history revealing an army of fearless unforgettable warrior women in an inspiring and passionate history of their lives. * Lisa ODonnell, author of 'The Death of Bees' and winner of The Commonwealth book prize 2013 *
Sisters in Arms is an important 21st-century revision of a pioneering 20th-century work of women's history. Julie Wheelwright's lively, entertaining, and scholarly book combines elements of gender studies, popular culture, and military history in a manner that brings fresh insights to the stories of women who lived as men. * Professor George Robb, author of 'British Culture and the First World War' *
A superb survey. From the Silk Roads to the trenches, Sisters in Arms brings to light a trove of fascinating and hidden histories. * Peter Moore, author of 'Endeavour' and 'The Weather Experiment' *

Author Bio

Julie Wheelwright was born in England and raised in Canada. She is the author of a biography of Mata Hari, The Fatal Lover, as well as Amazons and Military Maids which is the basis for this new book. A prolific journalist, she has also produced documentaries for radio and television. Wheelwright lives with her two daughters in London where she runs an MA in non-fiction writing at City University London.