´óÏó´«Ã½

The story of how Dorothy Hughes came to be one of the first female Chelsea pensioners. Dorothy came from quite a strict, but comfortable home. Like many women, Dorothy was attracted by the thought of contributing to the war effort. She defied her parents’ wishes for her to become a teacher and decided to join the Army, becoming a gunner shooting down German planes over London. At first, she experienced suspicion and hostility from male gunners before she was accepted as an equal. Many years later, after her husband had died, she decided to challenge another male institution, deciding to live at the world famous Royal Hospital Chelsea for retired British soldiers.