Who Cared? Otago Nurses in WWI

By Otago Museum | Posted:

This immersive and interactive exhibition tells the story of three nurses as they care for wounded soldiers during the Great War. Watch the nurses at work, pick up and read their letters, touch their few possessions and discover their most private thoughts. 

Set in 1917, Who Cared? Otago Nurses in WWI is based on Dunedin author Dr Maxine Alterio’s historical novel Lives We Leave Behind.

The story in the exhibition follows three nurses serving in France as they care for wounded soldiers, illustrating the contribution of women from Otago and New Zealand during the Great War. 

Upon entering the exhibition at Otago Museum, visitors are transported to the No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital in Wisques, France, in the autumn of 1917. Here they can explore a temporary surgery, hospital ward and a Nissen hut where the nurses lived. In the Nissen hut visitors get an insight into the thoughts, feelings and lives of the nurses who left New Zealand for war. 

This exhibition uses audio-visual elements and touchable materials to tell the nurses’ stories. 

“We want to offer a different perspective on the war,” says Head of Design, Craig Scott. “Our focus is on the nurses who served, and even gave their lives, to care for soldiers fighting in World War One. This is a less well-known story, and one which we are honoured to share. We don’t want to take away from the soldiers that served, but rather provide a narrative that works alongside their stories.”

Developed by Bachelor of Design (Communication) students at Otago Polytechnic in collaboration with the Otago Museum.

FREE ENTRY
26 September 2015–31 January 2016
1877 Gallery, Otago Museum