During World War I thousands of nurses, from volunteers to those professionally trained, were called upon to care for the unprecedented number of casualties. They were deployed to the front lines and at home, often working in appalling conditions in tented hospitals, on ambulance trains and ships.

Christine Hallett, Professor of Nursing History and author of Veiled Warriors: Allied Nurses of the First World War, describes this huge endeavour and how Nightingale’s legacy inspired the call of duty for many.