Female fighters Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from Antiquity to the New Millennium

by Julie Wheelwright 1URTG[ RCIGU 

In 1748, Hannah Snell enlisted aboard the Swallow, whose mission was to seize the island of Mauritius, disguised as cabin boy ‘James Gray’. Possibly to quieten teasing about his effeminacy – especially his ‘hairless chin’ – James often pursued relationships with other women when the marines reached port. Boasting of his love for one such woman soon provided an acceptable excuse to avoid further visits to harbour brothels.

Snell’s extraordinary story, recounted in her memoirs, is just one of many ‘passing’ women warriors in this fascinating book. With great skill, Julie Wheelwright surveys the presence of women in combat, from the Scythian warriors who inspired the Amazonian myth, to the ‘passing’ sailors and soldiers of the 18th century, and on to the re-emergence of women as members of the armed forces in the 20th century. In doing so she draws upon a range of sources, especially personal correspondence, journals, diaries and memoirs. As Wheelwright points out, the life histories of these women are often a challenge to interpret, especially since female warriors passing as men were often obliged to document their ‘accomplishments’ in order to secure a pension.

During the two world wars, many more women enlisted without subterfuge. Russian fighter Maria Bochkareva made global news in 1917 with her 2,000-strong, all-female ‘Women’s Battalion of Death’. Flora Sandes, an English nurse, joined the Serbian army in the First World War to fight for the British empire and her adopted country.

By the new millennium, women had entered the armed services in unprecedented numbers with a range of stories to tell. Their testimonies, plus those of earlier female warriors discussed in this engaging book, provoke us to think anew about the well-established relationship between masculinity and combat.

June Purvis is emeritus professor in women’s and gender history at the University of Portsmouth