In 2012 the Florence Nightingale Museum (FNM) became aware of the exceptional paintings of Victor Tardieu (1870-1937) that illustrated the role of nurses and women in the First World War.

This grant was used to purchase 10 paintings by Tardieu, which were showcased in an exhibition about the work of volunteer nurse Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland (1867 – 1937) and life in the field hospital in Bourbourg near Dunkirk.

Tardieu served as an auxiliary with Millicent in 1915 and made the paintings to record their life in the volunteer field hospital. The paintings show both the British volunteer nurses, including Sutherland, and the French, Belgian and North African soldiers treated by her medical staff. 

The exhibition also included objects borrowed from the British Red Cross Museum and Archives and St Bartholomew's Museum. The FNM also researched and contacted the descendants of some of the people in the paintings.

Staff worked with a variety of community-based organisations and individuals to develop new interpretation for the exhibition.  This included working with local families to develop a trail and interpretation package for other visitors, as well as a blog and events programme.