An English Governess in the Great War - The SEcret Brussels Diary of Mary Thorp (Paperback)

An Englishwoman of no particular fame living in World War I Brussels started a secret diary in September 1916. Aware that her thoughts could put her in danger with German authorities, she never wrote her name on the diary and ran to hide it every time the "Boches" came to inspect the house. The diary survived the war and ended up in a Belgian archive, forgotten for nearly a century until historians Sophie De Schaepdrijver and Tammy M. Proctor discovered it and the remarkable woman who wrote it: Mary Thorp, a middle-aged English governess working for a wealthy Belgian-Russian family in Brussels. As a foreigner and a woman, Mary Thorp offers a unique window into life under German occupation in Brussels (the largest occupied city of World War I) and in the uncertain early days of the peace. Her diary describes the roar of cannons in the middle of the night, queues for food and supplies in the shops, her work for a wartime charity, news from an interned godson in Germany, along with elegant dinners with powerful diplomats and the educational progress of her beloved charges. Mary Thorp's sharp and bittersweet reflections testify to the daily strains of living under enemy occupation, comment on the events of the war as they unfolded, and ultimately serve up a personal story of self-reliance and endurance. De Schaepdrijver and Proctor's in-depth commentary situate this extraordinary woman in her complex political, social, and cultural context, thus providing an unusual chance to engage with the Great War on an intimate and personal level.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	April 2021
Authors:	Sophie De Schaepdrijver (Professor of History) • Tammy M Proctor (Professor of History and Department Head)
Dimensions:	235 x 155 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	290
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-008761-6
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > General Books > Language & Literature > Literature: texts > Essays, journals, letters & other prose works > General Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > First World War Books > History > British & Irish history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > From 1900 > First World War Books > Biography > General
LSN:	0-19-008761-7
Barcode:	9780190087616

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