Lois Marie Anderson was born on January 22nd, 1890 to Peter Anderson and Louise Marie Anderson (Nee Blackwell). She was born in a workhouse village (her parents the same), and she is the eldest of seven children. She had a very hard childhood, often being on the receiving end of corporal punishment in both the school and the workhouse itself, often being known as a ‘dizzy lizzy’ in school and ‘a persistent disruptor to work’ in the workhouse. Her parents weren’t particularly nice either, with her father being conditioned to just work and work, he was often angry and violent to her mother. Due to the pressure from Peter, Louise often neglected the children and was stone cold. Lois ran away on the eve of her 16th birthday, successfully escaping the workhouse, due to pregnancy. However, she ended up miscarrying about a month later due to the harshness of the late winter conditions. After this, from the ages of 16 to 20, she jostled around both work and accommodation, trying to make ends meet. She was eventually taken in by a lady called Mary Sue out of pity, who after letting her work in her manor for a year and a half, recommended to Lois in 1912 that she join up with the rebranded “British Red Cross”. Lois was nervous at first due to the mentions of war but Mary Sue convinced her after saying that it’ll “make her feel worth something as nursing can be incredibly rewarding”. Lois went to get her education at The London Hospital in the East End, and after completing her nursing education, got sent out to work on hospital ships in December 1915. She has been in correspondence with Mary Sue since 1912, and is loving her time as a nurse!.