A Very Private Diary: A Nurse in Wartime

‘A remarkable work’ - Irish Times

The newly discovered diary of a wartime nurse makes for a fascinating, dramatic and uniquely personal insight into the experience of being on the frontline of service during the Second World War.

As the war gets underway, eighteen-year-old trainee nurse Mary Mulry arrives in London from Ireland, hoping for adventure. Little does she know what the next seven years will bring.

In this extraordinary account, Mary records in intimate detail her day-to-day life as a nurse, both on the Home Front and abroad. From nursing children during bombing raids in London to treating Allied soldiers in Normandy, Mary’s experiences gave her vivid and unforgettable material for the private diary she was dedicated to keeping. We feel her strength of character during the risk of infection, the threat of shrapnel, and the ongoing hunger of rationing, but we also feel her warmth as she connects to her patients and, eventually, celebrates victory.

Filled with romance, action, and an inevitable sadness, A Very Private Diary records the rich memories of an irrepressible personality that shone during our darkest hour.