When Wellington's Infamous Army took the field in Spain (1809-1814), nursing service was not a part of health care for the soldiers.  Such nurses as existed were the wives, mothers and other family or friends (including what most people now think of exclusively as camp followers, i.e., prostitutes) who followed the army to be near loved ones.  By the end of the Second World War, however, so far had the idea and practice of nursing the armies developed, that those who participated were actually commissioned as officers in the various services.  How was this change brought about?  This show is my answer to several years� research on the question of how an extraordinary group of women went from camp followers to commissioned officers.

The family used in this show is fictitious, but the adventures and most of the words are from real women who actually nursed their countries' armies in the periods covered.  The narratives were melded into a 'history' of one family because in order to take a clear view across 140 years, some unifying form was necessary.  This would allow the audience to direct attention to the exploits and discoveries.  In a sense, who had the adventure is less important than that the adventure happened.  And, having said that, let me add that my admiration and respect for the women whose stories and words I have read, and collected, and am using cannot be described.  They are heroes without compare, and I hope and believe that they would understand the decision to use Everywoman to make the story clear.

Not coincidentally, Elizabeth means "God is my oath".  When I was first working on the show, a Mother Goose riddle came into my head and would not go away until I named them all Elizabeth.  Now I know why.

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy and Bess Went all together to seek a bird's nest. They found a bird's nest with five eggs in it, And each took one, but left four in it. How can this be?

The Powder Keg's fuse is ignited by fiery Isabella Legion in defense of her husband Robert, the fuse burns with ever-increasing intensity through the 19th Century, and the keg's explosion in the 20th Century is manifested by Isabella's grand-daughters, nieces and cousins over a hundred years later.

Heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for help with the research for this show goes to:    

The Institute for Historical Study, San Francisco    

Captain Peter Starling and his excellent, generous staff at Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps Archives and the Royal Army Medical Corps Museum, Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Surrey

Major Diana Wilson, Secretary, and Colonel Ethel McCoombe, Historian, QARAMC Association, Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Surrey    

Alex Attewell and the staff at the Nightingale Museum, St Tomas Hospital, London    

Dr Paolo Vieirra, Gulbenkian Institute, Lisbon    

Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Brown, Nurse Historian of the Army, the Army Center for military History, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C., and her superb staff    

Judy Bellafaire and the staff at the Archives for women in Military Service of America in Falls church, VA    

Nancy McKelvey and Jeanne Waldaman at the American Red Cross, Falls Church, VA    

The National Archives and Library of Congress

To those without whose assistance, it could not have happened:

Louise Ira Collins for Memory’s cloak 
Claire Dudley for props 
Jill Zahner for sewing
Rodger D. Webster for direction in the darkest night
Colin Lewis for set construction
Christine Martens for music research, recording & performance 
Colleen O’Kane Block for sound assistance during performance