Violet’s War

Production by Ciara O’Donoghue
This is just one of the many stories of my great grandmother, Violet Lilly Hartig. A feisty women with a sharp tongue and even sharper mind, growing up she was always an inspiration to me. During World War II when she was just 23 years old, Violet joined the South African Military Nursing service, working on the ambulance trains that carried soldiers from Durban to Pretoria. Just like the strong, powerful woman I knew, she did her best to save the lives and lift the spirits of the wounded soldiers aboard her train.