LAWRENCE, Dorothy.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Sapper Dorothy Lawrence. The Only English Woman Soldier. First edition of this rare and intriguing First World War narrative, in the well-preserved photographic dust jacket illustrating the author in her soldier's uniform.Before the war, Lawrence (1887-1964) published several articles in The Times and other papers, but in 1915, when she applied to report on the Western Front, the Fleet Street papers rejected her on principle. Lawrence therefore travelled as a tourist to France, where she disguised herself as "Private Denis Smith". With the help of the Lancashire sapper Tom Dunn, she spent ten days at the front in the district of Albert, Somme. Upon blowing her cover, the British military incarcerated the aspiring journalist in a convent until she signed an affidavit that obstructed her from publishing her narrative. On the ferry home to England, Lawrence had a chance meeting with Emmeline Pankhurst, who encouraged her to publish the work. However, the War Office thwarted the attempt by invoking the Defence of the Realm Act. It was eventually published one year after the war, albeit in heavily censored form.Lawrence was institutionalized for the remainder of her life from 1925. Her story has only recently been rediscovered and on 5 November 2025 the Royal Engineers Association unveiled a headstone to her near the site of her previously unmarked pauper's grave. The memorial event was filmed by BBC Breakfast News and broadcast on Tuesday 11 November 2025 as part of its 2025 Reme

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