Drawing on a range of material, the book demonstrates just how much death matters in wartime - not just to the individual, threatened with their own death, or the death of loved ones, but to the state, tasked with managing the deaths of its citizens in conflict. -- .
The book explores women's significant yet often contentious roles in warfare throughout history, particularly during the First and Second World Wars. Lucy Noakes delves into the struggle for acceptance within the British army and the emergence of female military organizations, highlighting how women challenged traditional gender roles and disrupted established identities in a male-dominated sphere. The study also addresses the tensions between the military's need for female labor and its efforts to maintain a predominantly male environment.