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y separately published work icon Vera Deakin and the Red Cross single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Vera Deakin and the Red Cross
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A beautiful hardcover book with a dust jacket and 66 images.

'Vera Deakin, daughter of Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, was motivated by imperial fervour during World War I to sidestep the Australian government’s restrictions on women’s service. On the eve of WWI she was studying music in Budapest but later joined the fledgling Australian Red Cross and sailed to Cairo. There she became founding secretary of the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau, an organisation devoted to finding information on behalf of the relatives of Australian soldiers who had gone missing or been wounded or killed during the war, then focused at Gallipoli.

'She was 23 and formidable. A self-styled despot, she welded a disparate group of women into a committed team. Scientist Sir David Rivett said Vera brought ‘an infinity of consolation to so many people’. In 1916 she moved the bureau to London. In 1918, at just 26, she was awarded an OBE for her service to the bureau. She led similar work for the Red Cross in Melbourne during World War II.

'In 1920 after a whirlwind romance, Vera married Captain Thomas White, an Australian pilot who had served in the Mesopotamian campaign before being captured by the Turks. She undertook varied welfare work together with lifelong service to the Red Cross.

'Vera was honoured during her lifetime but later largely forgotten. The centenary of World War l revived interest in her and the Enquiry Bureau’s 32,000 case files on missing soldiers. Now Carole Woods has captured this significant figure in Australian history through her perceptive and poignant biography. Carole explores Vera’s humanitarian activism within the defining events of the 20th century and shines a light on a woman who defied society’s expectations in order to help those in need.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

[Review] Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Nicola Ritchie , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Lilith , December no. 28 2022; (p. 159 - 161)

— Review of Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Carole Woods , 2020 single work biography
'In Carole Woods’s biography, Vera Deakin and the Red Cross, there is no room for speculation on the internal life and thoughts of its subject, Vera1. This readable and fast-paced biography is a welcome addition to the limited scholarship on Vera and will hopefully lead to a wider interest in her life and legacy that, until now, has mostly been confined to the work of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.2 The work focuses primarily on Vera’s experiences during World War I (WWI) as she established the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Bureau (RCWMB), but glosses over her post-war life and work in World War II (WWII). This book provides an important foundational text for further research, although is stretched a bit far in trying to provide a comprehensive biography of both Vera Deakin and the Red Cross in Australia, as implied by the title.' (Introduction)
'At the Cannon's Mouth' : Alfred Deakin's Enterprising Daughter Judith Brett , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 431 2021; (p. 14-15)

— Review of Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Carole Woods , 2020 single work biography

'Vera Deakin was Alfred and Pattie Deakin’s third and youngest daughter. Born on Christmas Day 1891 as Melbourne slid into depression, she grew up in a political household, well aware of her father’s dedication to the service of the Australian nation, not only in the Federation movement but later as attorney-general and three times as prime minister.' (Introduction)

'At the Cannon's Mouth' : Alfred Deakin's Enterprising Daughter Judith Brett , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 431 2021; (p. 14-15)

— Review of Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Carole Woods , 2020 single work biography

'Vera Deakin was Alfred and Pattie Deakin’s third and youngest daughter. Born on Christmas Day 1891 as Melbourne slid into depression, she grew up in a political household, well aware of her father’s dedication to the service of the Australian nation, not only in the Federation movement but later as attorney-general and three times as prime minister.' (Introduction)

[Review] Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Nicola Ritchie , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Lilith , December no. 28 2022; (p. 159 - 161)

— Review of Vera Deakin and the Red Cross Carole Woods , 2020 single work biography
'In Carole Woods’s biography, Vera Deakin and the Red Cross, there is no room for speculation on the internal life and thoughts of its subject, Vera1. This readable and fast-paced biography is a welcome addition to the limited scholarship on Vera and will hopefully lead to a wider interest in her life and legacy that, until now, has mostly been confined to the work of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.2 The work focuses primarily on Vera’s experiences during World War I (WWI) as she established the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Bureau (RCWMB), but glosses over her post-war life and work in World War II (WWII). This book provides an important foundational text for further research, although is stretched a bit far in trying to provide a comprehensive biography of both Vera Deakin and the Red Cross in Australia, as implied by the title.' (Introduction)
Last amended 13 May 2021 12:52:09
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