one4review | On 26, Aug 2026

Inspired by writings held by the Surgeons’ Hall Museums from women who served in the Scottish Women’s Hospitals, In Her Hand is a moving and often harrowing portrait of courage amid the carnage of the First World War.

Writers Jordanna O’Neill and Christopher Silver have skilfully drawn on this remarkable archive to create a deeply moving play that gives voice to the women behind these historical accounts. Set in Serbia, it brings together Dr Edith, a rather strait-laced and seemingly formidable doctor, and Frances, a nurse whose wonderfully fruity turn of phrase provides welcome flashes of humour amid the surrounding horror. It is an inspired pairing of Joyce Falconer and Claire Yuille, who create two contrasting but equally compelling women.

The original writings are woven effectively into the drama. Extracts from Frances’s diary offer vivid glimpses of the daily turmoil faced by the women, while other moments bring home the grim practical realities of treating the wounded in wartime. Edith’s description of performing an amputation is particularly spine-chilling, conveying with uncomfortable clarity the brutal conditions faced by medical staff as well as their patients.

At the heart of In Her Hand is the evolving relationship between the two women. Initially separated by temperament, position and outlook, Edith and Frances gradually develop a deeper understanding of one another as their shared experiences break down the barriers between them. Falconer and Yuille handle this transformation beautifully, finding warmth and tenderness without diminishing the horrors surrounding their characters.

O’Neill and Silver have fashioned these historical writings into a compassionate tribute to remarkable women whose experiences thoroughly deserve to be remembered.

*****
Reviewed by Rona
Surgeons Hall Museum
Haldane Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
Until 29th August
3.05pm