How WWI鈥檚 Armistice news sounded to a young woman serving in France 鈥� and the tragedy that meant she never made it home
8 November 2018
Elizabeth Johnston was stationed in Rouen, northern France, when news of the Armistice broke.
A prolific writer, and detailed the outpouring of joy and relief among the men and women in the town.
How news of the Armistice was received in France
An actor voices Elizabeth Johnston鈥檚 account of the Armistice.
The only woman on the war memorial
Elizabeth, from Anstruther in Fife, served as a telephonist with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC).
According to her journals, she had enjoyed her time in France and struck up an intense friendship with a young Canadian soldier.
But on Christmas Day 1918, just weeks after the guns fell silent, Elizabeth suffered a tragic death.
Still in France and awaiting return to Britain, she fell from the tower of a local church.
Efforts to save her life were fruitless and she was buried in France.
While she never made it home to Fife, Elizabeth is remembered on Anstruther’s war memorial — the only woman to be listed there.
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Elizabeth Johnston鈥檚 story
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Elizabeth鈥檚 account of the Armistice
Elizabeth wrote in France.
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