Mother of the Regiment

May Furlong, Elise Holloway, Lydia Campbell, Armine Gosling, and Georgina Campbell are five remarkable women who fought against social norms to make a huge impact in Newfoundland at the turn of the twentieth century.

In Mother of the Regiment author Susan Browne explores the lives of these women, fleshing out their stories with well-researched details and providing an insightful look into the times and places in which they lived.

For example, when exploring the story of Furlong, a renowned supporter of the soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment, Browne writes: “In 1918 she sent a gift of rhubarb to the Girls’ Department of the George V Seaman’s Institute.”

The seemingly odd choice of rhubarb as a gift cleverly points to the dietary significance the vegetable had in the early twentieth century.

It is tiny details like these that really bring the book to life and show that, much like the women in the novel, Browne is remarkable in her own right. Mother of the Regiment gives much more than just an overview of lives of five remarkable women; rather, it details the challenges they faced, the battles they won, and their incredible achievements.