British Army Nurses - User contributions [en]

O?SHANAHAN, MA

2026-05-26T20:56:06Z

Keiron: Redirected page to O'SHANAHAN, M A

#REDIRECT [[O'SHANAHAN, M A]]

BIDMEAD, Martha Sarah

2026-05-26T20:17:56Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Martha Sarah '''BIDMEAD''' was born December 5, 1862 in Guernsey, Channel Islands. Her father was a Tobacconist. She trained at Adelaide Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia 1886-1887 and the was a charge nurse there 1887-1889. After nursing privately for eight years she then became a staff nurse at the Burra Burra District Hospital.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Martha Sarah '''BIDMEAD''' was sent by the Colony of South Australia to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p24 created at No2 General Hospital, Pretoria; dated August 27, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p97 created at No5 Stationary Hospital, Bloemfontein; dated August 28, 1901</ref><ref>The London Gazette, July 29, 1902; p4853</ref><ref>The London Gazette, September 27, 1901; p6324</ref><ref>Clark, R. (1979) Bidmead, Martha Sarah (1862-1940) IN Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 7, Melbourne University Press.</ref>

Sailed from Melbourne on the Australasian on February 21, 1900. She was MID (by Lord Kitchener). The King of England, Edward VII, presented her with her Royal Red Cross at St James' Palace on March 12, 1902. Martha Sarah Bidmead was the first South Australian and one of three Australian nurses who were awarded the Royal Red Cross (RRC) medal for service during the Boer War. After her war service she continued her nursing career in South Australia and assumed the position of superintendent of the District Trained Nursing Society of South Australia from 1912 until her retirement in 1926. She died in 1940.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]] [[Category:RRC]]

AUSTIN, Anne

2026-05-26T20:10:56Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Anne '''AUSTIN''' was sent by the Colony of New South Wales to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p87 created at No15 General Hospital, Elandsfontein; dated September 23, 1901.</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p178 created at No4 Hospital Train, Pretoria; July 16, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/289 QSA Medal Roll p198 created at Victoria Barracks, Sydney; dated September 16, 1901</ref><ref>Nursing Record & Hospital World, March 3, 1900, p174</ref><ref>WO 100/223 QSA Medal Roll p238 created at Brook House, East Grinstead.</ref><ref>WO 100/353 KSA Medal Roll p12 created at AMD5; dated March 6, 1903</ref>

She sailed in the Moravia with 13 nursing sisters on 17 January 1900.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

ARMSTRONG, Susannah

2026-05-26T19:54:00Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Susannah '''ARMSTRONG''' was sent by the Colony of Western Australia to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p227 created at AMD5; July 8, 1903</ref><ref>The Times, December 22, 1900 p10b</ref>

She sailed on the Salamis from Albany on March 21, 1900 The ''Orient'' left Cape Town for Australia and New Zealand December 13. ... The following were listed: ...

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2026-05-13T11:09:28Z

Keiron:

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Timeline of Army Nursing

2026-05-13T11:06:27Z

Keiron: Created page with "__NOTOC__ ==British military nursing services post-Crimean War== ''Reference summary compiled by Alison Spires, February 2015'' ==Contents== # Army nursing services # Royal Navy nursing services # Royal Air Force nursing services # Male nurses in the military # #Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces|Other organisation..."

__NOTOC__
==British military nursing services post-Crimean War==
''Reference summary compiled by Alison Spires, February 2015''

==Contents==
# [[#Army nursing services|Army nursing services]]
# [[#Royal Navy nursing services|Royal Navy nursing services]]
# [[#Royal Air Force nursing services|Royal Air Force nursing services]]
# [[#Male nurses in the military|Male nurses in the military]]
# [[#Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces|Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces]]

==Army nursing services==
Following the Crimean War, the British Army developed a succession of organised nursing services, culminating in the formally constituted Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) in 1949.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name of service !! Abbreviation !! Notes
|-
| Army Nursing Service || ANS || Officially established 1881–1902. No records held at TNA apart from medal rolls for the Boer War.
|-
| Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service (Reserve) || PCANS(R) || 1897 until final disbandment in 1907. No records held at TNA apart from medal rolls for the Boer War. Some transferred in 1902 to the new QAIMNS.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service || QAIMNS || 1902–1949. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) || QAIMNS(R) || 1908–1949. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s.
|-
| Territorial Force Nursing Service || TFNS || 1908–1921. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s.
|-
| Indian Army Nursing Service || IANS || 1893–1903. Records held at The British Library. Designated to nurse British troops in India.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Military Nursing Service for India || QAMNSI || 1903–1926. Designated to nurse British troops in India. Amalgamated with QAIMNS.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Military Families Nursing Service || QAMFNS || 1921–1926. Designated to nurse families of British soldiers. Amalgamated with QAIMNS.
|-
| Territorial Army Nursing Service || TANS || 1921–1949. Members became QARANC Territorial Army in 1949.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps || QARANC (Regular and Reserve) || 1949 — formally constituted Corps of the British Army, continues to present. Men admitted 1992.
|}

==Royal Navy nursing services==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name of service !! Abbreviation !! Notes
|-
| Naval Nursing Service || NNS || 1884–1902.
|-
| Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service || QARNNS (Regular and Reserve) || 1902 — continues. Reserve founded 1910. Early records held at TNA. Became officially part of the Royal Navy in 2000. Men admitted 1983.
|-
| Women's Royal Naval Service Nursing Branch || — || 1949–1960. Integrated into QARNNS in 1960.
|}

==Royal Air Force nursing services==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name of service !! Abbreviation !! Notes
|-
| Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service || RAFNS || Formed 1918 from QAIMNS volunteers. Became permanent 1921 and continues.
|-
| Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service || PMRAFNS (Regular and Reserve) || Royal Patronage 1923. Officially part of RAF 1949. Men admitted 1980.
|}

==Male nurses in the military==
Prior to integration into the tri-service nursing corps, male nurses served within the respective medical services before transfer.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Organisation !! Abbreviation !! Notes
|-
| Royal Army Medical Corps || RAMC || Instituted 1898. Male nurses were members until 1992, then transferred to QARANC.
|-
| Royal Navy Medical Service || RN || Male nurses were members until 1983, then transferred to QARNNS.
|-
| Royal Air Force Medical Service || RAF || Male nurses were members until 1980, then transferred to PMRAFNS.
|}

==Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces==
Several civilian and semi-official organisations provided nursing or medical support alongside the military services, particularly during the World Wars.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Organisation !! Abbreviation !! Notes
|-
| Voluntary Aid Detachments || VAD || Founded 1908. In WWI and WWII, VADs were volunteers from the St John Ambulance Brigade and British Red Cross Society, undertaking short training to assist military medical services. Not qualified nurses; included both men and women in roles such as nursing assistance, cooking, administration, and ambulance driving.
|-
| First Aid Nursing Yeomanry / Women's Transport Service / Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps || FANY / WTS / PRVC || Privately founded 1907 as a first aid link between field hospitals and the front line. Not an officially constituted part of the army; in WWI provided ambulance and hospital services to Belgian and French armies. In 1938 FANY became the motor driver companies (WTS) of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Parent organisation for some female SOE agents. Renamed PRVC 1999. Still not a military organisation, though run on military lines.
|-
| Scottish Women's Hospitals || SWH || Founded 1914 by Elsie Inglis, Edinburgh surgeon, after her offers of help were rejected by the War Office. By the end of WWI, 14 fully equipped and staffed medical units had mobilised to various European locations. Staffed mainly by women.
|-
| Women's Hospital Corps || WHC || Founded by Dr Flora Murray and Dr Louisa Garrett-Anderson. Provided two hospitals in France early in WWI, and later the Endell Street Military Hospital in London (1915–1919). Staffed entirely by women. Louisa Garrett-Anderson archive held at the London School of Economics. Associated with the Women's Social and Political Union.
|}

----
''Compiled by Alison Spires, February 2015''

ANDERSON, Julia B

2026-05-11T08:56:43Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Julia B '''ANDERSON''' was sent by the State of Victoria<ref>Australia was not yet a single country</ref> to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p203 created at Kimberley; March 25, 1900</ref>

Sailed on the ''Euryalus'' on March 10, 1900

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

WILSON, Sarah

2026-05-11T08:51:44Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Lady Sarah '''WILSON''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p154 created at Victoria Civil Hospital, Mefeking (siege)</ref>, and was awarded the Royal Red Cross (RRC) for her services in South Africa.<ref>The London Gazette, September 27, 1901; p6324</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]] [[Category:RRC]]

SPEED,

2026-05-11T08:50:22Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Mrs '''SPEED''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p214 created at the War Office; August 5, 1902</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Medal specially granted for their services in connection with Hospital work in Northern Natal<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

O'HAGAN, Maud Mary

2026-05-11T08:48:48Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Lady Maud Mary '''O'HAGAN''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p155 created at Cottage Hospital, Naauport; July 21, 1901</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Lady O'Hagan with the approval of Lord Roberts and of Surgeon Gen Wilson, established a cottage hospital, eqipped and maintained at her own expese, at Naaupoort, Cape Colony, from 25th July, 1900 until June 1900, and, ably asisted by Miss Thomas rendered most valuable services in recieving and caring for sick and wounded officers. Her hospital was at first the only accomodation for officers.It was under the medical superintendance of the OC No.6 Gen Hosp who appointed Lady O'Hagan 'Lady Superintendent.<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

MILLS, Eliza

2026-05-11T08:48:02Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Miss Eliza '''MILLS''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p215 created at the War Office; June 26, 1901</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Miss Mills asisting Mrs Culley in Cape Colony. O.R.C. working in hospital Ladybrand during siege - and aftereards returning in charge of medical stores from Bloemfontein to Ladybrand.<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

LEATHER-CULLEY, J D

2026-05-11T08:47:17Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Civilian J D '''LEATHER-CULLEY''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p215 created at the War Office; June 26, 1901</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Mrs Culley in Cape Colony. Taking hospital stores to Wynberg Base Hospital August 1900 - O.R.C. Working in hospital Ladybrand During siege (see testimonials) taking hospital things Ficksbug<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

HYSLOP,

2026-05-11T08:03:43Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Mrs '''HYSLOP''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p214 created at the War Office; August 5, 1902</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Medal specially granted for their services in connection with Hospital work in Northern Natal<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

GUILLEMARD, Beatrice Elizabeth

2026-05-11T08:03:04Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Mrs Beatrice Elizabeth '''GUILLEMARD''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p213 created at Cape Town; January 9, 1903</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: "These two ladies residents of Aliwal North, Cape Colony organised a hospital on March 11, 1900 and nursed the wounded as well as provided soups, jellie etc for them for some three weeks until Hospital Orderlies arrived. This ultimately became a large hospital and was used for a great number of Imperial and Colonial troops".<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

GIFFORD, SC

2026-05-11T08:02:27Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Lady SC '''GIFFORD''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p121 created at No17 Stationary Hospital, Middleburg; August 8, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p149 created at The Kimberley Hospital</ref><ref>Defence of Kimberley Medal Roll AG2/M/2426 p147 created at Civil Hospital, Kimberley; January 3, 1928</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Joined hospital March 1, 1900<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

GELD, Gertrude

2026-05-11T08:01:44Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Miss Gertrude '''GELD''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p213 created at Cape Town; January 9, 1903</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: "These two ladies residents of Aliwal North, Cape Colony organised a hospital on March 11, 1900 and nursed the wounded as well as provided soups, jellie etc for them for some three weeks until Hospital Orderlies arrived. This ultimately became a large hospital and was used for a great number of Imperial and Colonial troops".<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

CHESHAM, Beatrice

2026-05-11T08:00:48Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Lady Beatrice '''CHESHAM''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p240 created at AMD; July 18, 1903</ref><ref>The London Gazette, September 27, 1901; p6324</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Lady Chesham, Imperial Yeomanry Hospital<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==Honours and Awards==
RRC for service at the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]] [[Category:RRC]]

BRIGGS, E C

2026-05-11T08:00:00Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Lady E C '''BRIGGS''' was recognised for her contribution to the care of the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p170 created at Base Hospital, Cape Town; August 2, 1901</ref>

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: Medal not to be awarded<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

Driver: August 1914

2026-05-11T07:57:39Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==August 1914==

===Monday 3rd===
Volunteered for foreign service at War Office.

===Saturday 8th===
I joined the Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. & was called up for active service at once with instructions to collect a Camping Kit & Uniform within the next seven days, for which I was allowed £23 by the War Office, and to present myself with my baggage at Charing X Hotel at 6 p.m. on Sunday the 16th.

===Sunday 16th===
My colleagues & I arrived at Charing X Hotel where we were interviewed by the Matron of the No. 8 General Hospital, Expeditionary Forces, to which division we found that we had become attached. We were told that we were being billeted at the Hotel Victoria, Northumberland Ave. to await further orders & that we were allowed 13/- per day for mess & we were to report ourselves 4 hrly to Miss Lang<ref>Miss Lang:</ref> the Sister in Charge.

===Monday 17th===
We report ourselves at stated hours but glean no news.

===Tuesday 18th===
Still nothing doing.

===Wednesday 19th===
A slight rise in temperature in the Camp owing to the fact that we may go tomorrow & rumour says that our destination may be the Continent. Told to get knapsacks in which to carry two days provisions.

===Thursday 20th===
12 o/c noon sent to Charing X Hotel for provisions - each has the care of a package of stores en route - my lot proved to be 4 pkts of table jelly. 7 p.m. all collect on Charing X Station with baggage (43 nurses in all, 13 regular and 30 civil reserve). 7.15 GWatkins[ref]Gladys Watkins QAIMNS WO 399/ 8743[/ref], Easby<ref>Nora Easby QAIMNS WO 399/ 2447</ref>, & I have our last dinner together in Charing X Restaurant - Chicken & Tongue & Salad, Claret cup.8 p.m. Entrain for Woolwich & on arrival are taken by motor busses to the Arsenal. Here we found light refreshments awaiting us in Mess Room. The 44 of us all slept in one large ward & it was a funny sight indeed. Lights had just been put out when word was sent in that unless we each wanted to carry our own holdalls we must put them outside the ward then. So we all jumped out of bed with one accord & a great chattering & commotion of packing & running down the ward with our holdalls [?]. Then once more to bed as we were to be called at 2.30 a.m. for breakfast at 3 a.m. Silence reigned but nobody slept as the turning over & over of one's neighbours proved - probably the beds were none too soft or comfortable for each had only one sheet & the pillow was as hard as Mother Earth in the heat of Summer - or was it the excitement? Anyway, sure it was we were wide awake when the Night Sister switched on the light & shouted 2.30.

===Friday 21st===
3 a.m. Breakfast & then after waiting about for 3/4 of an hour we went by special car to Dockyard station where a special train was waiting. In we got & again waited until at last the Army Medical Corps of the No. 8 General Hospital joined us & at 5 a.m. Finally left Woolwich. 9.40 Arrived at Southampton and embarked on "City of Edinburgh" with 900 troops, horses etc. 1.30 Sailed, cheered by the inhabitants of surrounding vessels. Saw a waterplane fly above us just as we started. 2 p.m. Hear that we are making for Havre but know nothing further - sealed orders. 4.30 Tea. Served by Lascars.5 p.m. GWatkins<ref>Miss Watkins - Miss Gladys Minn WATKINS (Staff Nurse QAIMNS)</ref>, Adam<ref>Adam:</ref> & I who are sharing a cabin decide to get to bed as we hear we are to breakfast at 4 a.m. Glad to say I'm in the top berth, near the port hole. 8 p.m. Sister looks in to say breakfast will not be until 7 a.m. All three wide awake so borrow Easby's spirit lamp & make bovril which we have with biscuits. We are sailing under muffled lights.1 o/c Midnight, awaken to find we have come to a stand still in mid-ocean. Peeping through porthole we find that search lights are playing all around.

===Saturday 22nd===
8 a.m. Still standing still - no land in sight anywhere - Man O'War to right of us. Just had breakfast - a very good one too - porridge, fried sole, Onions & Steak, Tomatoe, Omelette, Toast, Rolls, marmalade, Honey, Coffee or tea. 8.20 a.m. Sand sighted - Hooray! We seem to have been at sea weeks instead of hours.8.30 Just entering harbour - a sight not to be missed. From nearly every house overlooking the wharf are people waving anything from a handkerchief to a sheet & shouting a welcome. Our Tommies replied with one accord, & such a mighty "No!" to the query of are we downhearted from the Frenchmen. Our men's singing lustily of "Tipperary" as we pull into the inner harbour is great. On getting in we find the "Gloucester Castle" just crammed with Tommies also, and this ship by the way, we left behind us in Southampton. We have just heard that 20 of No. 8 Gen. Hosp. is reported lost - what a lie! Here we are just longing to steam ahead & wondering why we've been held up so long. The streets to be seen from harbour are a glorious sight - one mass of flags.10.30 Disembarking of troops & horses.11.35 The "Turcoman" loaded troops - highlanders - [?]. Other troop ships in harbour also - "Norseman", "Cawdor Castle". 12.30 Lunch - Soup, Cottage Pie, Veal, Curry, Salad, Pudding, Coffe, Apples. Matron has just arrived to say that we are to be billeted at Joan of Arc School & has taken four nurses with her, the rest are to await the return of the Taxi. Just down below is an amusing scene - which were I an artist I would like to put on canvas under the title "Tommy's first French lesson" - the R.H.A<ref>R.H.A. - Royal Horse Artillery</ref> men who have just disembarked are waiting under the sheds with their horses. The men look tired out & are lying about on the floor in all positions for the most part sleeping. Two little French boys come along & a Tommy whips a little "Parlez-vous Francais" book from his pocket & begins questioning the boys through this medium. They soon collect quite a crowd of Tommies all eager to pick up what French they can & the boys seat themselves on the floor & give them their first lesson. 3.45 At last leave dock & taxi to Jeanne d'Arc L'ecole which is some two miles distant. The Ecole d'la Jeanne d'Arc is evidently a Convent which has ben turned into a hospital for British Officers & pat of it is given over as sleeping room for nurses. What a sight to be sure! There are trunks to the right of us, trunks to the left of us, trunks everywhere in fact, on the terrace & it is with difficulty we manage to gain admittance to the building at all. Two hundred nurses are sleeping in this place. At last we gain the floor to which our 20 of the No. 8 Gen Hosp. are allocated & find that all of us are to sleep in a room which in the ordinary course of events would accommodate 2 persons. Already about 16 beds have been put up & they are so close together that we decide that it is impossible & encamp in the corridors. What a business it is putting up the beds to be sure. How we laugh. Easels prove good wardrobes & when they are crowded the rest of our clothing gets hung up on the floor. At last the beds are up and we decide to get some tea. So Easby & Simmons<ref>Simmons: </ref> go off & purchase food, whilst Gwatkins, Adam & I go in search of an ironmonger or locksmith as the padlocks on our kit bags have been broken en route & we wish to replace them. At last after a lot of haggling re price the locks are purchased. Adam who is a pretty good French linguist acts as interpreter & we trust to her honesty over the money question. Back to the school again to our picnic tea & plenty of merriment there is over it too. 7.10 p.m. We go to the Hotel Moderne in the Ave. Strasbourg for dinner, where the various hospitals & officers are being messed. Get lost coming back & have to ask the way of two Frenchmen. 9.30 p.m. To bed - Washing accommodation is very funny & it is marvellous what ingenuity one displays in getting a bath in private in a roomful of people - it can be done, but it takes a Sister in the Service to do it.

===Sunday 23rd===
Just a week since we started to get here. My first night on a campbed was not bad, although I had sundry struggles to keep myself in my rugs & off the cold surface of the bed. 8 o/c We refuse to get up, but "arise" as Adam puts it. Have breakfast in picnic fashion but we all agree the game is not worth the candle & in future will walk down to the Hotel for coffee & rolls. 10 a.m. Report ourselves at the Hotel Centrale, when Miss Suart<ref>Miss Suart:<ref> gives us each two post-cards. We are allowed two a week but must put on no address or they will be destroyed. 12 o/c Lunch at the Hotel Moderne - we tram home. The heat is fearful. All turn in for an afternoon nap. Awakened at 1/4 to 3 to find that the beds of No. 6 Hosp. have disappeared & the owners are busy packing their stuff for a move. Gwatkin & I prepare to improve our present quarters & carry our beds around to the further end of corridor which No. 6 has just vacated. On our way down to dinner a young French girl stops us & presses chocolate upon us & is most disappointed because one or two of our party passes without taking any. The French kiddies proudly call out "Goodnight" to us at all hours of the day. After dinner we five "Tommies" walk down to beach from where we get a glorious view of the Cape Le Havre. On the way a regiment of Eng. Horse Artillery with field equipment pass & French girls run by their side with jugs & give them drinks & fill their water bottles. 9.30 Upon returning to Jeanne d'Arc School we find a large empty room overlooking the sea which has been vacated upon the departure of No. 6. This we commandeer & once more pitch our camps - this for the 3rd time od asking - "All things come to him who waits" - & we feel that we have at last "struck oil" for after the close quarters of the corridor this is indeed a palatial dwelling & altho' tired as dogs we merrily collect our kit & erect our easels, which are answering the purpose of wardrobes, & then to our well earned rest.

===Monday 24th===
After breakfast we went shopping & had such sport with "Le Miltaire Anglaise" who also were shopping. - their difficulty in making the assistant understand that they wanted "serviettes" & "hand towels" was most amusing. Fortunately Adam the interpreter of our party was able to help them out. GWatkins, Simmons & I bought materials for bathing suits as we were under the impression we should be in Le Havre at least 2 weeks. We also decided to do some laundry so went into a shop to get some soap wondering what we should do to make the shopkeeper understand what we wanted. We had scarcely entered when a spontaneous exclamation of "There's Sunlight!" from the trio made us all laugh so much to the wonder of the proprietor - we had all caught sight of packets of "Sunlight Savons" on the top shelf. Came home & had a nap & then tea with the idea of washing the clothes afterwards. In middle of tea however Sister-in-Charge came to say that we were moving tomorrow therefore great excitement ensued & the clothes were forgotten in wondering where our next camp might be pitched. We all decide to wash our hair at night. In the middle of hair washing lights are put out we have to finish in the dark with nothing but pithy expressions to enlighten the task.

===Tuesday 25th===
12 noon. Everything packed up when order comes that we are not to move until further notice as our hospital equipment has been commandeered to enlarge the hospitals Nos. 1 & 2 as they are overcrowded with wounded, therefore No. 8 Gen Hosp. is non-existent & we nonentities. We are all very sick about it, wonder what will become of us, and speak as strongly as we feel of "the service" - a unanimous agreement that we dislike counter orders, & a bursting forth of the familiar song "We're here because we're here, because etc. by Gwatkins. We feel very sad as we watch Nos. 9 & 10 depart. After tea Adam, Easy & I go down Le Rue de Paris & shop & then on to the dock. Try to get an English paper but in vain, so get "Le Havre" but glean no news of the English troops. After dinner we come straight home & once more unpack & put up our beds - life in "the service" seems a matter of packing and unpacking.

===Wednesday 26th===
A terribly wet day which is enough to damp the best of spirits. We shop all the morning & upon returning and that the baggage of No. 10 has returned & the Sisters also. An orderly tells us that they have had an awful time - forty of them were packed on a cattle truck & they had to stay for twelve hours with only biscuits & bully beef to eat. They had had no sleep for forty hours. Upon hearing this we felt glad that our counter order had come before we had actually started. No. 10 had got to Rouen stayed there half and hour & then pushed off again not knowing where they were bound for until they found themselves landed in Le Havre once more.3 p.m. Rumour says that 13 sisters of No. 8 are to go tonight to the hospital down town - The Yacht Club-. We hear that the Germans are the cause of No. 10's return being too near to allow the hospital to get to its destination. As we were going to Hotel Moderne for dinner tonight there was a huge crowd of cheering people outside 7 we found the cause of all this noise was the arrival of a Belgian General & other officers. The excitement was intense & some of the French women even kissed the Belgians. During dinner we are surprised by the appearance of Colonel Nash & our spirits once more rise - Perhaps after all we shall remain intact. What news we wonder? Matron looks pleased anyway. After dinner she tells us she wants to see us tomorrow at 10 a.m. to arrange for drafting us on.

===Thursday 27th===
Adam & I did the ironing - we got absolutely soaked through going down to meals the rain fairly pelted down & the streets were like rivers.

===Friday 28th===
Made our bathing suits in the morning & went bathing in afternoon. Eleven refugee Sisters come in from Amiens where they have been nursing.

===Saturday 29th===
Went bathing in the afternoon. After dinner find that Matron & Miss Long have taken eleven of the Sisters and have left us & that we are to become attached to No. 1. We all feel very much hurt that Matron should have gone without a word.

===Sunday 30th===
Awakened at 4.45 a.m. by the arrival of the next of the Sisters flying from Amiens. We go down to make them tea. They tell us sad tales of woe of refugees coming into the town & say they herd the sound of guns very plainly. At 7 a.m. we set off for a walk, fall in with two Tommies who tell us of a British Naval victory & also the reason of the apparent in allowing the Germans to take all before them. There had also ben a military victory 200 English keeping 200000 Germans in hand. This is the first real news we've had. 10 a.m. We report ourselves to Miss Hodgson<ref>Miss Hodgson: </ref> our new Matron & then go to the English Church. At lunch we hear that No. 8 is to be reunited & that we are not to leave our rooms until further orders. In the afternoon 12 "Tommy" nurses met over tea & the amount of gossip & talk of "things & bits" that went on was indeed very funny. Easy snapshotted the party. Upon coming out from dinner we see some poor refugees who had come into the town from Cambria - Poor old things they had no hats on their heads & just all they out cherished of this world's goods tied up in a bundle. It was pitiful to see them & we collected amongst ourselves & gave them some coins. On reaching the School we find ourselves in state of excitement. The PO headquarters have packed up and gone. No. 10's baggage is being taken away by the orderlies but they have no idea where they are going beyond the dock. The Sisters of No. 10 expect to get marching orders at any moment, the poor things have nowhere to lie down for the night & Adam finds one lying on two hard boxes with nothing to cover her, so takes Easby's big coat for her. We are told to be ready to go at 10 minutes notice & that the town is to be fortified & that all the General Hospitals are to leave the town within 24 hours. 10 p.m. We all turn in but do not feel inclined to sleep as we may be called up at any moment. We are indeed roughing it, Sisters sleeping on the floor outside the building - some with not even a rug to cover them.

===Monday 31st===
Unable to leave the School as we were awaiting orders, I altered my "party frocks". Afternoon we went & looked over a French School which had been turned into a Military Hospital - this was a most interesting visit. A sister took us over most of the wards which were small classrooms transformed & held from 9 to 10 beds. The patients of various nationalities - French, Negro, Arabian & Algerian - all looked very happy & well cared for & very proudly showed us bullets which had been removed from various parts of their bodies. They were busy eating their evening meal of bread & meat when we went in & most of them had fruit on their lockers & some were smoking. We took them some cigarettes with which they seemed very pleased. The Sister who showed us round was in charge of 59 its & had the help of two orderlies. The nurses wore military caps with a Red + in the front. We were very interested in the sterilising room & theatre. The head surgeon was busily arranging fruit & flowers for the patients but very graciously showed me around. The tins used for sterilising dressings are smaller than those used in England & are bound with different coloured strapping to indicate what kind of dressing is in the box. The instrument cupboard looked very similar to ours. The theatre was small but scrupulously clean & the surgeon said he averaged 4 to 5 ops daily, but only operated in the morning. There were between 3 to 4 hundred pats in the hospital. Gwatkins and I took one or two snaps of different wards. On our way to the hospital we fell in with two French regiments who were marching down the Rue Maillison with all their kit on their backs. An order was suddenly given causing the men to halt & left turn, & we found ourselves entrapped much to the amusement of soldiers and Sisters. There was an outburst of merriment from all & a gangway was made though which we passed to the saluting apologies of the Officer and men.One officer greatly admired or uniforms & remarked "Nice dresses" in English, much to our amusement. GWatkins took a snap of them.

==Notes==
<references />

SMITH, Margaret

2026-05-11T07:54:40Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Margaret '''SMITH''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p219 created at AMD5; December 12, 1903</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

SCOTT, Amy W

2026-05-11T07:53:46Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Amy W '''SCOTT''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>The Times, April 13, 1901 p12a&12b</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901 Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

RUSSELL, Elizabeth

2026-05-11T07:50:46Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Elizabeth '''RUSSELL''' was born in Hamilton. She trained at Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Elizabeth '''RUSSELL''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p13 created at No1 General Hospital, Wynberg; dated July 14, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p200 created at Toronto; dated June 6, 1901</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nursing Record & Hospital World, February 10, 1900, p114</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''Sardinian'' October 30, 1899 arriving Cape Town December 1899. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

RICHARDSON, Marcella P

2026-05-11T07:49:30Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Marcella P '''RICHARDSON''' was born in Regina.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Marcella P '''RICHARDSON''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p28 created at No3 General Hospital, Kroonstad; dated August 7, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p66 created at No10 General Hospital, Norvals Pont; dated July 15, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p76 created at No13 General Hospital, Johannesburg; dated October 17, 1901</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada?s Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''SS Laurentian'' January 21, 1900. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

POPE, Georgina Fane

2026-05-11T07:48:29Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Georgina Fane '''POPE''' was born January 1, 1862 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her father was a Statesman. She trained at Bellevue Hospital, New York, USA.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Georgina Fane '''POPE''' was sent by Canada as their Senior Nurse to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p13 created at No1 General Hospital, Wynberg; dated July 14, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p30 created at No3 General Hospital, Kroonstad; dated August 7, 1901</ref><ref>The London Gazette, October 31, 1902; p6907</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p200 created at Toronto; dated June 6, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''Sardinian'' October 30, 1899 arriving Cape Town December 1899. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901. Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross (RRC) for her services as the Senior Canadian nurse in South Africa.

==Post Boer War==
In 1906 she began work as a member of the permanent Canadian Army Medical Corps at the Canadian Hospital in Halifax. Two years later, she attained the position of Matron, the first in the history of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. She went overseas in 1917, but was invalided back to Canada at the end of 1918.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]][[Category:RRC]]

MACDONALD, Margaret Clotide

2026-05-11T07:44:36Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Margaret Clotide '''MACDONALD''' was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia. She trained at New York City Hospital, New York, USA. She served in the Spanish-American War

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Margaret Clotide '''MACDONALD''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p66 created at No10 General Hospital, Norvals Pont; dated July 15, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada?s Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''SS Laurentian'' January 21, 1900. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901. Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

HURCOMB, Deborah

2026-05-11T07:42:15Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Deborah '''HURCOMB''' was born in Montreal.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Deborah '''HURCOMB''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p66 created at No10 General Hospital, Norvals Pont; dated July 15, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada?s Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''SS Laurentian'' January 21, 1900. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901. Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901.

Invalided home from 2nd tour.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

HORNE, Margaret L

2026-05-11T07:34:11Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Sister Margaret L '''HORNE''' was born in Montreal.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Margaret L '''HORNE''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p27 created at No3 General Hospital, Kroonstad; dated August 7, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p66 created at No10 General Hospital, Norvals Pont; dated July 15, 1901</ref><ref>The Times, October 19, 1900 p8b&8c</ref><ref>The Times, October 26, 1900 p8c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada?s Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''SS Laurentian'' January 21, 1900.. The ''Britannic'' left Cape Town for England on October 6, with invalids and passengers.The following were listed: Sick ... The ''Britannic'', arrived in Southampton waters Sunday and docked yesterday morning. ?The following were listed: Sick ...

Invalided to Base August 15, 1900

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

FORTESCUE, F Eleanor

2026-05-11T07:06:21Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister F Eleanor '''FORTESCUE''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p219 created at AMD5; December 12, 1903</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.
''
==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

FORBES, Sarah

2026-05-11T07:05:01Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Sister Sarah '''FORBES''' was born in Liverpool.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Sarah '''FORBES''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p13 created at No1 General Hospital, Wynberg; dated July 14, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p30 created at No3 General Hospital, Kroonstad; dated August 7, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p200 created at Toronto; dated June 6, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''Sardinian'' October 30, 1899 arriving Cape Town December 1899. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901. Sailed SS Corinthian January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on RMS Saxon, arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

CAMERON, Florence

2026-05-11T07:03:35Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Florence '''CAMERON''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p265 created at Ottawa; dated December 3, 1902</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p219 created at AMD5; December 12, 1903</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed ''SS Corinthian'' January 28 1901 to Liverpool, then from Southampton on ''RMS Saxon'', arriving Cape Town March 2, 1901. Departed Durban June 25, 1902 in ''SS Winifedian'', arriving Halifax July 22, 1902.

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: (Now Mrs Blake)<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

AFFLECK, Minnie

2026-05-11T06:50:24Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Sister Minnie '''AFFLECK''' was born in Middleville, Ontario.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Minnie '''AFFLECK''' was sent by Canada to care for the sick and wounded during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p223 created at The Irish Hospital, Pretoria; dated July 11, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p13 created at No1 General Hospital, Wynberg; dated July 14, 1901.</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p30 created at No3 General Hospital, Kroonstad; dated August 7, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/287 QSA Medal Roll p200 created at Toronto; dated June 6, 1901</ref><ref>The Times, December 19, 1900 p10b&10c</ref><ref>Nicholson, GWL (1975) Canada's Nursing Sisters. AM Hakkert Ltd.</ref>

Sailed in the ''Sardinian'' October 30, 1899 arriving Cape Town December 1899. The ''Roslin Castle'' left Cape Town for Halifax, N.S., December 13 with the following (on passage home)... The ''Roslin Castle'' arrived Halifax January 1901.

The Queen's South Africa Medal Roll notes: p30: Transferred to Springfontein May 9, 1901<ref>Queen's South Africa Medal Roll</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

MENBY, Ruth

2026-05-11T06:47:14Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Nurse Ruth '''MENBY''' was a nurse from the United States of America who served on the American sponsored Hospital Ship Maine during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p240 created for the Hospital Ship Maine, Shorncliffe; dated May 23, 1901</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

McVEAN, Sarah

2026-05-11T06:46:28Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Nurse Sarah '''McVEAN''' was a nurse from the United States of America who served on the American sponsored Hospital Ship Maine during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p240 created for the Hospital Ship Maine, Shorncliffe; dated May 23, 1901</ref>
==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

LUDKENS, Virginia

2026-05-11T06:44:40Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Nurse Virginia '''LUDKENS''' was a nurse from the United States of America who served on the American sponsored Hospital Ship Maine during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p240 created for the Hospital Ship Maine, Shorncliffe; dated May 23, 1901</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

HIBBARD, ME

2026-05-11T06:44:03Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Nurse ME '''HIBBARD''' was a nurse from the United States of America who served on the American sponsored Hospital Ship Maine during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p240 created for the Hospital Ship Maine, Shorncliffe; dated May 23, 1901</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

McPHERSON, Margaret

2026-05-11T06:43:08Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Nurse Margaret '''McPHERSON''' was a nurse from the United States of America who served on the American sponsored Hospital Ship Maine during the Boer War.<ref>WO 100/225 QSA Medal Roll p240 created for the Hospital Ship Maine, Shorncliffe; dated May 23, 1901</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Boer War]]

British Army Nurses

2026-05-11T06:32:52Z

Keiron: /* The Nurses */

__NOTOC__
==History and Heritage of British Army Nurses==
This is a wiki for the history and heritage of British Army nurses and nursing, including the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and its antecedents (Army Nursing Service; Princess Christian’s Army Nursing Service (Reserve); Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service and its Reserve, Territorial Force Nursing Service, Territorial Army Nursing Service).

The origins of the project lie in my PhD research, a prosopography of nurses who served during the South African (Boer) War. This work was subsequently expanded to include nurses who may have served as Army nurses before the Boer War, as well as the impact of Boer War veterans on the development of military nursing during the First World War. Over time, the site has evolved into a general repository for information relating to British Army nurses.

----

<gallery class="center" mode=packed heights=120px>
File:AmbulanceTrain1.jpeg|alt=ambulance train WW1
File:barge_care.jpg|alt=barge WW1
File:jerusalem1943.jpeg|alt=Jerusalem 1943
File:qaimns_ww2_jobs.jpg|alt=At work WW2
</gallery>

----

==The Nurses==
This wiki holds pages for over 2,500 British Army nurses<ref>plus some from other Commonwealth countries and some civilians and religious orders who cared for British sick and wounded</ref> spanning more than a century of military nursing history. You can use the search bar to find any nurse by name, or browse by clicking one of the category links below. You can also search for specific terms — such as a hospital, ship, location, or medical condition — to find nurses connected to that topic.
<references/>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:50%" | Service
! style="width:25%" | Era
! style="width:25%" | Notable
|-
| [[:Category:ANS|Army Nursing Service (ANS)]] || [[:Category:Victorian|Victorian]] || [[:Category:MM|Military Medal]]
|-
| [[:Category:PCANSR|Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR)]] || [[:Category:Boer War|Boer War]] || [[:Category:RRC|Royal Red Cross]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNS|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)]] || [[:Category:Post Boer War|Post Boer War]] || [[:Category:Died in Service|Died in Service]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNSR|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR)]] || [[:Category:WW1|World War One]] || [[:Category:Lost at Sea|Lost at Sea]]
|-
| [[:Category:TFNS|Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS)]] || [[:Category:Between the wars|Between the Wars]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:TANS|Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS)]] || [[:Category:WW2|World War Two]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:QARANC|Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC)]] ||[[:Category:PostWW2|Post WW2]] ||
|}

Pages marked as [[:Category:Stub|Stub]] are newly created and awaiting further research and editing.

==Work in Progress==
This site is an ongoing project, with material being consolidated from earlier websites and archival sources. Current work focuses on transferring and developing the following sections:

*[[The Boer War]] – nurses serving in South Africa, 1899–1902
*[[Royal Red Cross Table|Royal Red Cross Recipients]] – award history and biographical records
*[[Reports of nurses serving in WW1]] – first-hand accounts and official reports
*[[Researching Army Nurses]] – sources and methods (now complete)

The collection of pages for individual nurses, which forms the spine of the site, is being added to continuously. If you have information about a nurse that you would like to share in order to help create or develop a page, please use the contact form to get in touch.

British Army Nurses

2026-05-10T21:09:58Z

Keiron: /* The Nurses */

__NOTOC__
==History and Heritage of British Army Nurses==
This is a wiki for the history and heritage of British Army nurses and nursing, including the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and its antecedents (Army Nursing Service; Princess Christian’s Army Nursing Service (Reserve); Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service and its Reserve, Territorial Force Nursing Service, Territorial Army Nursing Service).

The origins of the project lie in my PhD research, a prosopography of nurses who served during the South African (Boer) War. This work was subsequently expanded to include nurses who may have served as Army nurses before the Boer War, as well as the impact of Boer War veterans on the development of military nursing during the First World War. Over time, the site has evolved into a general repository for information relating to British Army nurses.

----

<gallery class="center" mode=packed heights=120px>
File:AmbulanceTrain1.jpeg|alt=ambulance train WW1
File:barge_care.jpg|alt=barge WW1
File:jerusalem1943.jpeg|alt=Jerusalem 1943
File:qaimns_ww2_jobs.jpg|alt=At work WW2
</gallery>

----

==The Nurses==
This wiki holds pages for over 2,500 British Army nurses<ref>plus some from other Commonwealth countries and some civilians and religious orders who cared for British sick and wounded</ref> spanning more than a century of military nursing history. You can use the search bar to find any nurse by name, or browse by clicking one of the category links below. You can also search for specific terms — such as a hospital, ship, location, or medical condition — to find nurses connected to that topic.
<references/>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:50%" | Service
! style="width:25%" | Era
! style="width:25%" | Notable
|-
| [[:Category:ANS|Army Nursing Service (ANS)]] || [[:Category:Victorian|Victorian]] || [[:Category:MM|Military Medal]]
|-
| [[:Category:PCANSR|Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR)]] || [[:Category:Boer War|Boer War]] || [[:Category:RRC|Royal Red Cross]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNS|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)]] || [[:Category:Post Boer War|Post Boer War]] || [[:Category:Died in Service|Died in Service]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNSR|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR)]] || [[:Category:WW1|World War One]] || [[:Category:Lost at Sea|Lost at Sea]]
|-
| [[:Category:TFNS|Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS)]] || [[:Category:Between the wars|Between the Wars]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:TANS|Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS)]] || [[:Category:WW2|World War Two]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:QARANC|Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC)]] || ||
|}

Pages marked as [[:Category:Stub|Stub]] are newly created and awaiting further research and editing.

==Work in Progress==
This site is an ongoing project, with material being consolidated from earlier websites and archival sources. Current work focuses on transferring and developing the following sections:

*[[The Boer War]] – nurses serving in South Africa, 1899–1902
*[[Royal Red Cross Table|Royal Red Cross Recipients]] – award history and biographical records
*[[Reports of nurses serving in WW1]] – first-hand accounts and official reports
*[[Researching Army Nurses]] – sources and methods (now complete)

The collection of pages for individual nurses, which forms the spine of the site, is being added to continuously. If you have information about a nurse that you would like to share in order to help create or develop a page, please use the contact form to get in touch.

British Army Nurses

2026-05-10T21:06:33Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==History and Heritage of British Army Nurses==
This is a wiki for the history and heritage of British Army nurses and nursing, including the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and its antecedents (Army Nursing Service; Princess Christian’s Army Nursing Service (Reserve); Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service and its Reserve, Territorial Force Nursing Service, Territorial Army Nursing Service).

The origins of the project lie in my PhD research, a prosopography of nurses who served during the South African (Boer) War. This work was subsequently expanded to include nurses who may have served as Army nurses before the Boer War, as well as the impact of Boer War veterans on the development of military nursing during the First World War. Over time, the site has evolved into a general repository for information relating to British Army nurses.

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<gallery class="center" mode=packed heights=120px>
File:AmbulanceTrain1.jpeg|alt=ambulance train WW1
File:barge_care.jpg|alt=barge WW1
File:jerusalem1943.jpeg|alt=Jerusalem 1943
File:qaimns_ww2_jobs.jpg|alt=At work WW2
</gallery>

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==The Nurses==
This wiki holds pages for over 2,500 British Army nurses<ref>plus some from other Commonwealth countries and some civilians and religious orders who cared for British sick and wounded</ref> spanning more than a century of military nursing history. You can use the search bar to find any nurse by name, or browse by clicking one of the category links below. You can also search for specific terms — such as a hospital, ship, location, or medical condition — to find nurses connected to that topic.
<references/>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! Service
! Era
! Notable
|-
| [[:Category:ANS|Army Nursing Service (ANS)]] || [[:Category:Victorian|Victorian]] || [[:Category:MM|Military Medal]]
|-
| [[:Category:PCANSR|Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR)]] || [[:Category:Boer War|Boer War]] || [[:Category:RRC|Royal Red Cross]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNS|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)]] || [[:Category:Post Boer War|Post Boer War]] || [[:Category:Died in Service|Died in Service]]
|-
| [[:Category:QAIMNSR|Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR)]] || [[:Category:WW1|World War One]] || [[:Category:Lost at Sea|Lost at Sea]]
|-
| [[:Category:TFNS|Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS)]] || [[:Category:Between the wars|Between the Wars]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:TANS|Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS)]] || [[:Category:WW2|World War Two]] ||
|-
| [[:Category:QARANC|Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC)]] || ||
|}

Pages marked as [[:Category:Stub|Stub]] are newly created and awaiting further research and editing.
==Work in Progress==
This site is an ongoing project, with material being consolidated from earlier websites and archival sources. Current work focuses on transferring and developing the following sections:

*[[The Boer War]] – nurses serving in South Africa, 1899–1902
*[[Royal Red Cross Table|Royal Red Cross Recipients]] – award history and biographical records
*[[Reports of nurses serving in WW1]] – first-hand accounts and official reports
*[[Researching Army Nurses]] – sources and methods (now complete)

The collection of pages for individual nurses, which forms the spine of the site, is being added to continuously. If you have information about a nurse that you would like to share in order to help create or develop a page, please use the contact form to get in touch.

CORNELL, Bertha Mary

2026-05-10T20:48:35Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Bertha Mary '''CORNELL''' was born on 21st September 1872 at Saffron Walden, Essex. Her father was a basket maker, later recorded as a Hamper Manufacturer.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/1748</ref> She attended St George's College, Wethersfield.<ref name="wo399"/> The 1881 Census records her living with her family in Wethersfield, Essex.<ref>England Census 1881 RG11/1805</ref> The 1891 Census shows her working in Islington as a Draper's Assistant.<ref>England Census 1891 RG12/176/38</ref>

She trained as a nurse at the West London Hospital, Hammersmith for three years from 1896 to 1898, leaving on 14th December 1898 as Staff Nurse.<ref name="wo399"/>

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
She applied to join the Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR) and was accepted on 9th March 1900, receiving Membership Certificate No. R400. The ''Nursing Record and Hospital World'' (1900) records her embarking on the SS ''Briton'' for South Africa. She served at No.1 General Hospital, Wynberg<ref>WO 100/229 p.2</ref> and at No.8 General Hospital, Bloemfontein.<ref>WO 100/229 p.55</ref>

==Nursing Service Post Boer War==
Following the war Sister Cornell remained in South Africa as a military nurse. From January 1904 to March 1910 she served at the Military Families Hospital, Bloemfontein.

In 1905 she was recommended to become a Staff Nurse in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) (QAIMNSR) but declined, preferring to remain as a Sister in the PCANSR employed at the Military Families Hospital. Her personal file records: "Miss Cornell elected to stay as a Sister (pay £40 per annum) in the PCANSR rather than become a staff nurse in the Reserve under QAIMNS Regulations. At present we recognise only the QAIMNS Reserve and therefore the conditions under which Miss Cornell refused to join are now obsolete."<ref name="wo399"/> This note was signed by Principal Matron Caroline Helen Keer, herself a Boer War veteran.

Sister Cornell then left military service to return to the United Kingdom to undertake midwifery training at the City of London Lying-in Hospital from April to July 1910,<ref name="wo399"/> before returning to South Africa. Her termination of service was noted by the then Matron-in-Chief Ethel Hope Becher, also a Boer War veteran: "Miss Cornell has been employed in South Africa since March 1908 and will in all probability be re-engaged on her arrival there."<ref name="wo399"/> On returning to South Africa she joined the Kleinfontein Mine Hospital.

==Nursing Service in WW1==
At the start of WW1 Sister Cornell was called back for service. As she was still technically a PCANSR Sister on obsolete terms and conditions she had to apply afresh to join the QAIMNS(R). She arrived in the United Kingdom on 5th October 1915 and enlisted in the QAIMNS(R) on 25th October 1915. On 14th November 1915 she was ordered to report for duty aboard the ''[[HMHS Essequibo]]'', then moored at Belfast, and served a period on the hospital ship before her next posting.<ref name="wo399"/>

Her next posting was to Poona, India, where she served at the Deccan War Hospital. She subsequently requested a home posting because of illness in her family.<ref name="wo399"/>

On return to the home establishment she joined the Pembroke Dock Military Hospital. Her confidential report dated 20th January 1918 noted that she had joined on 1st May 1917, that her professional capabilities were well up to the rank in all respects, that her administration was good, that she was well able to train orderlies, and that she possessed all the required moral qualifications with decidedly good influence. The report noted she had acted as Matron during leave periods with success and considered her fitted for promotion.<ref name="wo399"/>

In March 1918 she was transferred to the Colchester Military Hospital as an Assistant Matron. Her confidential report from August 1918 gave a mixed assessment, leading Bertha Cornell to write directly to the Matron-in-Chief Ethel Hope Becher — a previous Boer War colleague — requesting a personal interview:

<blockquote>"I have the honour to request that I may be granted a personal interview regarding a Confidential Report written by the Matron of the Military Hospital, Colchester. To my knowledge it is the first adverse report written of me during my fourteen years service in the Army. I have been appointed Assistant Matron of this Hospital for four months, and during that time I do not consider that I have been given my position in that capacity by Miss Brown. Her statement that I have not served in a higher rank is not correct. I was matron in a hospital when called up for Service, which post I had held for three years, also the previous year serving as Matron at the Military Families Hospital Pretoria. I do not wish to trouble you unnecessarily, but shall deem it a great favour if you will grant me this interview."<ref name="wo399"/></blockquote>

The outcome of this interview is not recorded. In September 1918 she was transferred to the Reading War Hospitals and promoted to Acting Matron. Her confidential report from No.5 Section (Katesgrove and Central Schools) noted that during her time there she did her work very efficiently, that her administrative capacity was good, that she managed the hospital with tact and was very kind to her staff, and that her general influence was good.<ref name="wo399"/>

In February 1919 she was posted to Harwich as Acting Matron of the Great Eastern Military Hospital. After a few months there she was demobilised and returned to South Africa aboard the SS ''Briton'' on 8th December 1919 — the same line on which she had sailed to the Boer War nearly twenty years earlier. On return to South Africa she wrote to the Matron-in-Chief requesting a recommendation should any District Sister posts become available.<ref name="wo399"/>

Bertha Cornell and her three sisters lived in East London, South Africa, until her death in 1959.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:PCANSR]] [[Category:QAIMNSR]] [[Category:Boer War]] [[Category:WW1]] [[Category:Post Boer War]]

WISHART, Ann Mitchell

2026-05-10T16:52:37Z

Keiron: Created page with "__NOTOC__ ==Nursing Service in WW1== Nurse Ann Mitchell '''WISHART''' was called up to the Territorial Force Nursing Service on 14th September 1914.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/15671</ref> She served at the 4th London General Hospital, based at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London. ==Resignation== In April 1915 Ann Mitchell Wishart wrote to Principal Matron Miss Ray at the 4th London General Hospital to resign from the Territorial Force Nursing Service, citing..."

__NOTOC__
==Nursing Service in WW1==
Nurse Ann Mitchell '''WISHART''' was called up to the Territorial Force Nursing Service on 14th September 1914.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/15671</ref> She served at the 4th London General Hospital, based at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London.

==Resignation==
In April 1915 Ann Mitchell Wishart wrote to Principal Matron Miss Ray at the 4th London General Hospital to resign from the Territorial Force Nursing Service, citing her father's illness. The Principal Matron replied expressing regret and suggesting she take her holiday entitlement before making a final decision, adding "Hoping your Father is better." Miss Wishart replied firmly that she could not alter her decision, noting that her father's condition was gradually improving.<ref name="wo399"/>

Principal Matron Ray forwarded the correspondence to Matron-in-Chief Sidney Browne, noting that Miss Wishart "seems determined to go. I suppose there is nothing more that we can do."<ref name="wo399"/>

The War Office accepted the resignation on 4th May 1915 but conveyed through the Principal Matron that the TFNS Advisory Council were "surprised that she should wish to resign at such a critical time when all well trained nurses available are required to nurse our men who are wounded at the front."<ref name="wo399"/>

Her home address at the time was 14 Battlefield Gardens, Langside, Glasgow.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:WW1]] [[Category:TFNS]]

BARKER, Alicia

2026-05-10T14:00:40Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Alicia '''BARKER''' was born on 23rd December 1864 at Mangan, Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland. Her father was a gentleman farmer. She was educated at home as a Resident Governess, receiving a good English education. She was recommended to the Army Nursing Service by the Very Reverend George Adams Cowell, Dean of Kildare, and Mrs Sara M. Cowell of The Deanery, Kildare testified that she had known Miss Barker from her birth and that she bore the highest character.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/358</ref> She was known as and signed herself as Alice.

She trained at the City of Dublin Hospital, serving for one year as a trainee and four years as a Staff Nurse. She subsequently served for three years as Sister in Charge of the Surgical Wards at the South Charitable Infirmary and County Hospital, Cork.<ref name="wo399"/>

Her application to the Army Nursing Service was supported by thirteen testimonials from leading medical figures in Dublin and Cork. The Lady Superintendent of the City of Dublin Nursing Institution described her as having been in the position of Nurse in Charge, noting she was "most vigilant, faithful, with tact and administrative ability... She is ladylike, clever, and well educated... a truly valuable worker." Dr J. Hawtrey Benson, Examiner in Clinical Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, described her as "one of our best Staff Nurses in the City of Dublin Hospital." Dr C.R. Townsend, Senior Physician at the South Infirmary Cork, called her simply "a first class nurse."<ref name="wo399"/>

==Nursing Service in Victorian Wars==
Alicia Barker was appointed Nursing Sister in the Army Nursing Service on 9th May 1898, joining at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley.<ref name="wo399"/> Her six-month probationary report from the Lady Superintendent of Nurses, Helen C. Norman, dated November 1898, stated that she had given satisfaction in every way and was a very capable nurse, kind in her dealings with her patients.<ref name="wo399"/> She served at Netley from 9th May 1898 until 27th October 1899, when she embarked for South Africa.

==Nursing Service in the Boer War==
Sister Alicia '''BARKER''' served throughout the South African War 1899-1902, participating in Operations in Cape Colony from November 1899 to November 1900, and Operations in the Transvaal from December 1900 to May 1902.<ref name="wo399"/> She was awarded both the Queen's South Africa Medal and the King's South Africa Medal for her service.<ref name="wo399"/><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p24 created at No2 General Hospital, Pretoria; dated August 27, 1901</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p85 created at No15 General Hospital, Elandsfontein; dated September 23, 1901.</ref><ref>WO 100/229 QSA Medal Roll p94 created at No3 Stationary Hospital, De Aar; dated September 24, 1901</ref><ref>War Office (1900) Nominal Roll of Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service (Reserve) as at 30th September</ref>

==Nursing Service Post Boer War==
Following her return from South Africa, Sister Barker was appointed to Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) as Sister 30th March 1903<ref>The London Gazette, May 26 1903, p3365</ref> and served at a number of home stations:

* London: 27th November 1902 to 18th May 1905
* Chatham: 19th May 1905 to 31st October 1907
* Aldershot: 1st November 1907 to 20th February 1910
* Woolwich (Royal Herbert Hospital): 21st February 1910 to 9th October 1912<ref name="wo399"/>

==Nursing Service in WW1==
Sister Alicia '''BARKER''' was posted to Hong Kong on 10th October 1912, where she served until 1st February 1918 when she was granted sick leave.<ref name="wo399"/> While serving in Hong Kong she contracted Dengue fever on duty, which was followed by debility. A Medical Board on 9th September 1918 pronounced her permanently unfit for further military service, with a disability degree of 100%.<ref name="wo399"/>

She was retired from 1st October 1918 after a total of 20 years and 4 months' service. Her retirement was submitted to the King for approval on 10th January 1919. Her rate of pay when last on duty was £95 per annum.<ref name="wo399"/>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:QAIMNS]] [[Category:Boer War]] [[Category:Victorian]] [[Category:Post Boer War]] [[Category:WW1]]

HARDY, Alice

2026-05-10T13:42:19Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Alice '''HARDY''' was born in Lincolnshire. Her home address was 28 Swine Gate, Grantham, Lincolnshire. Her next of kin was her father, H.P. Hardy, at the same address. Before mobilisation she was a Staff Nurse at the General Hospital, Nottingham.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/11813</ref>

==Nursing Service in WW1==
Staff Nurse Alice '''HARDY''' joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service on 10th May 1916.<ref name="wo399"/> She embarked for Salonika from London on 9th January 1917, disembarking on 23rd January 1917. She served at the 33rd General Hospital, Salonika, joining for duty on 31st January 1917.

In late 1917 she was admitted to hospital with a sore throat, which progressed to diphtheria. She was struck off strength on 22nd December 1917 but returned to duty on 8th January 1918 after a period of convalescence. She subsequently joined the 63rd General Hospital, Salonika on 26th January 1918.

She was invalided home on 17th August 1918. She was demobilised at the Dispersal Hostel, Brockenhurst on 3rd April 1919, having served from 29th May 1916 to that date.<ref name="wo399"/>

The Matron-in-Chief, TFNS, issued the following testimonial on 20th May 1919:

<blockquote>"Miss Hardy is an excellent Surgical and Medical Nurse, is a good administrator, and her work has been done most efficiently. Her influence is good, and the Reports submitted by the Matrons under whom she worked have been most satisfactory. She has done excellent work in the Service."<ref name="wo399"/></blockquote>

==After Military Service==
Following demobilisation Alice Hardy returned to district nursing. In 1920 she resigned from the Territorial Force Nursing Service, noting that she was undertaking a course for her Certificate of Health and Beauty, a qualification she considered would be to her advantage as a district nurse. Her demobilisation form recorded that she had hoped to serve in the Indian Military Service following the war.<ref name="wo399"/>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:WW1]] [[Category:TFNS]]

HMHS Anglia

2026-05-10T11:05:07Z

Keiron: Created page with "__NOTOC__ ==The Ship== rightThe ''HMHS Anglia'' was built in 1900 by William Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton. A steel twin-screw steamship of 1,862 gross tons, she was originally operated by the London and North Western Railway on the Holyhead to Dublin ferry route, and from 1908 on the Holyhead to Kingston (now Dún Laoghaire) route. During the First World War she was requisitioned and refitted as a hospital ship, ferrying the wounded from..."

__NOTOC__
==The Ship==
[[File:HMHS Anglia1.jpg|300px|right]]The ''HMHS Anglia'' was built in 1900 by William Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton. A steel twin-screw steamship of 1,862 gross tons, she was originally operated by the London and North Western Railway on the Holyhead to Dublin ferry route, and from 1908 on the Holyhead to Kingston (now Dún Laoghaire) route. During the First World War she was requisitioned and refitted as a hospital ship, ferrying the wounded from France to England.<ref>Epsom & Ewell History Explorer: [https://eehe.org.uk/25026/hmhsanglia/ Sinking of the Hospital Ship Anglia 1915]</ref>

==The King's Evacuation==
Shortly before her loss, the ''HMHS Anglia'' was used to evacuate King George V from France following a riding accident. This connection would later have significance for the nursing staff who served aboard her.

==The Sinking, 17th November 1915==
On the morning of 17th November 1915 the ''HMHS Anglia'' left Boulogne harbour for England carrying 13 officers and 372 other ranks, of whom 166 were cot cases accommodated on beds or stretchers. She was escorted by the River-class destroyer ''HMS Ure''.

Just after midday, approximately one mile east of Folkestone Gate, she struck a mine that had been laid by the German submarine UC-5. The explosion holed the ship on the port side forward of the bridge and she immediately began to sink bow first, listing heavily to port. The bridge was wrecked, though her captain, Lionel John Manning, survived. He attempted to send an SOS but found the wireless operator injured and the equipment destroyed.

The first two wards flooded almost immediately, giving those within little chance of survival. Because of the severe list only one lifeboat could be launched from the port side, saving approximately 50 people. The torpedo gunboat ''HMS Hazard'' and the collier ''SS Lusitania'' came to assist. The ''SS Lusitania'' launched two rescue boats but was herself struck by a mine during the rescue and sank, her crew being rescued by the same small boats. Other vessels that responded included HM Torpedo Boat No. 4, War Department vessel ''Langton'', and the ''SS Channel Queen''.

The ''HMHS Anglia'' sank within 15 minutes. An estimated 164 people died, including 1 nursing sister, 9 RAMC staff, 4 Army officers, 125 other ranks and 25 crew.<ref>Epsom & Ewell History Explorer: [https://eehe.org.uk/25026/hmhsanglia/ Sinking of the Hospital Ship Anglia 1915]</ref>

==The Nursing Staff==
Throughout the sinking the nursing staff remained at their posts. Despite the speed of the disaster, order was maintained and the conduct of the nurses was widely praised by survivors. The ''British Journal of Nursing'' recorded:

<blockquote>"It is with pride we record that when the hospital ship Anglia sank in the Channel on November 17th, after striking a mine the Matron, and nursing staff worked with the utmost heroism. One patient stated that when he begged the Matron (Mrs. Mitchell), and two Sisters to get into a boat which had just come alongside they would not hear of it. 'I'm not leaving this deck till I see all my own wounded men off,' said one, and another touched an even higher level: 'Our duty is to see you men off safe - we have the right to be last this time.'

The patient who relates this says: 'Not until the water was lapping up over my feet did I slide off, and up to then not a single nurse had left her post in the sinking ship. It was just heart-rending to see their single-minded devotion to the wounded chaps under their care.'

Happily, only one, Miss Mary Rodwell, lost her life in performing her duty, but every nurse upon the ship was ready, and willing, nay, claimed the right to be last on the sinking ship. They have added lustre to the Roll of illustrious nurses whom the profession all the world over is proud to acclaim."<ref>''British Journal of Nursing'', 27 November 1915, p.435</ref></blockquote>

The one nursing sister who lost her life was [[RODWELL, Mary]]. Sister [[MELDRUM, Alice]] also served on the ''HMHS Anglia'' and survived the sinking. She was subsequently awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross (ARRC) for her actions that day, receiving it from the King in a private investiture — the King having himself been a patient aboard the ship just days before she was lost.

==Aftermath==
The survivors were transported to hospital trains, with 112 soldiers and two sailors arriving at the Horton (County of London) War Hospital, Epsom, that evening. The hospital's physician, Dr Lord, recorded:

<blockquote>"The night of 17th November, 1915, will never be forgotten, for it was the occasion of the admission of 112 soldiers and two sailors, survivors of the hospital ship Anglia... All, more or less, were suffering severely from immersion in the sea, and many were severely wounded. Their condition on arrival was most pitiable."<ref>Lord, J.R. ''The Story of the Horton (Co. of London) War Hospital: Epsom''</ref></blockquote>

The following morning King George V sent a personal message of sympathy to all Anglia patients.

==UC-5==
The submarine that laid the fatal mines, UC-5, came to grief on 27th April 1916 when she grounded on the Shipwash Shoal and was captured by the Royal Navy. Her commander, Ulrich Mohrbutter, attempted to scuttle but the charges failed to detonate. The submarine was towed to Harwich and later put on public display at Temple Pier on the Thames before being transported to the United States for exhibition. Her previous commander, Herbert Pustkuchen, who had laid the mines that sank the ''Anglia'', was killed in 1917 while commanding UC-66.<ref>Western Front Association: [https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2020/october/cpl-henry-white-and-hmhs-anglia/ Cpl. Henry White and HMHS Anglia]</ref>

==War Grave Status==
In March 2017 the wreck of the ''HMHS Anglia'' was declared an official war grave, making it illegal to remove or disturb any human remains at the wreck site.<ref>Western Front Association: [https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/2020/october/cpl-henry-white-and-hmhs-anglia/ Cpl. Henry White and HMHS Anglia]</ref>

==Nurses who served on HMHS Anglia==
* [[MELDRUM, Alice]] — survived the sinking, awarded ARRC
* [[RODWELL, Mary]] — died in the sinking

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Hospital Ships]] [[Category:Lost at Sea]] [[Category:WW1]]

File:HMHS Anglia1.jpg

2026-05-10T11:03:12Z

Keiron:

MELDRUM, Alice

2026-05-10T10:51:45Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
Alice '''MELDRUM''' was born in Trevor, North Wales on 2nd May 1880. Her father was a retired Troop Sergeant Major in the 16th Queen's Lancers. She was educated at a private school in New Brighton, Cheshire.<ref name="wo399">TNA: WO 399/5770</ref> The 1901 Census recorded her working in domestic service for the family of a retired Army officer.<ref>England Census 1901 RG13/2028/28 p.23</ref> She trained at the Bolton Infirmary from 1905 to 1908<ref name="wo399"/>. In 1911 she was working as a District Nurse, a role she returned to after the war.<ref>England Census 1911 RG14/27703</ref>

==Nursing Service in WW1==
Sister Alice '''MELDRUM''' joined the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) in 1914. On 7th May 1915 she was transferred to the ''[[HMHS Anglia]]'' as a Staff Nurse, later serving as Sister.<ref name="wo399"/>

The ''[[HMHS Anglia]]'' was requisitioned and refitted as a hospital ship, ferrying the wounded from France to England. On 17th November 1915, carrying 13 officers and 372 other ranks, she struck a mine laid by the German submarine UC-5, approximately one mile east of Folkestone Gate. The ship was holed on the port side forward of the bridge and immediately began to sink bow first.

The ''British Journal of Nursing'' recorded the conduct of the nursing staff:

<blockquote>"It is with pride we record that when the hospital ship Anglia sank in the Channel on November 17th, after striking a mine the Matron, and nursing staff worked with the utmost heroism. One patient stated that when he begged the Matron (Mrs. Mitchell), and two Sisters to get into a boat which had just come alongside they would not hear of it. 'I'm not leaving this deck till I see all my own wounded men off,' said one, and another touched an even higher level: 'Our duty is to see you men off safe - we have the right to be last this time.'

The patient who relates this says: 'Not until the water was lapping up over my feet did I slide off, and up to then not a single nurse had left her post in the sinking ship. It was just heart-rending to see their single-minded devotion to the wounded chaps under their care.'

The end came with dramatic suddenness. With wounded, nurses, doctors, and sailors, clinging to the stern the Anglia seemed for one brief moment to stand on her bows, and then disappeared.

Happily, only one, Miss [[RODWELL, Mary|Mary Rodwell]], lost her life in performing her duty, but every nurse upon the ship was ready, and willing, nay, claimed the right to be last on the sinking ship. They have added lustre to the Roll of illustrious nurses whom the profession all the world over is proud to acclaim."<ref>''British Journal of Nursing'', 27 November 1915, p.435</ref></blockquote>

After a brief period of sick leave Sister Meldrum returned to France. She did not serve on a hospital ship again. She served at No. 4 General Hospital, 35 Casualty Clearing Station, No. 2 Casualty Clearing Station, and 32 Stationary Hospital<ref name="wo399"/>. A record of her service is preserved in [[Alice M's Report]].

She was admitted to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Millbank in 1920 and was demobilised once declared fit to return to civil duties. She joined the permanent cadre of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) in June 1920<ref name="wo399"/>.

On 10th February 1922 Alice Meldrum received the Associate Royal Red Cross (ARRC) from the King in a private investiture. The ARRC was awarded for her actions when the ''[[HMHS Anglia]]'' was sunk. At this time the ARRC was not being awarded at formal investiture due to the volume of awards. Notably, Miss Meldrum had previously cared for the King on a hospital ship following a minor accident in France<ref name="wo399"/>.

==After Military Service==
Alice Meldrum returned to District Nursing after the war. In January 1921 she was appointed Assistant County Superintendent for Derbyshire, Queen's Victoria Institute for Nurses,<ref>''British Journal of Nursing'', 8 January 1921, p.23</ref> and in December 1921 she was appointed County Superintendent for Derbyshire, Queen's Victoria Institute for Nurses.<ref>''British Journal of Nursing'', 12 November 1921, p.307</ref>

On 28th March 1931 she was presented with a long service badge as a Queen's Nurse by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.<ref>''British Journal of Nursing'', April 1931, p.88</ref> She resigned from the permanent reserve in 1929, at which time she was County Superintendent, Derbyshire County Nursing Association<ref name="wo399"/>.

Alice Meldrum died in a nursing home in Derby in 1943.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:WW1]] [[Category:QAIMNSR]] [[Category:RRC]]

Alice M's Report

2026-05-10T10:40:40Z

Keiron: Created page with "A few notes on a Sister’s experiences on a Hospital Ship Of my many and varied experiences at a General Hospital, at numerous Casualty Clearing Stations, at a Stationary hospital and on board a hospital ship, the latter was to me the most interesting as it was the most exciting experience of my life. I was posted to the Hospital Ship Anglia in may 1915 and was on board her until 17 November when we struck a mine while crossing the Channel on our way to Dover with a com..."

A few notes on a Sister’s experiences on a Hospital Ship
Of my many and varied experiences at a General Hospital, at numerous Casualty
Clearing Stations, at a Stationary hospital and on board a hospital ship, the latter
was to me the most interesting as it was the most exciting experience of my life.
I was posted to the Hospital Ship Anglia in may 1915 and was on board her until 17
November when we struck a mine while crossing the Channel on our way to Dover
with a complement of wounded patients, and the ship foundered.
Work on a hospital ship varies very much according to what is going on ‘up the line’.
During the heavy fighting we often did two journeys a day to and from England. As
soon as we were warned that a convoy of patients was expected on board each
Sister went into her own ward where the cots were made ready, feeds prepared, hot
bottles filled, and everything put in readiness for the reception and comfort of the
wounded and helpless patients. We usually kept these patients on board for the day
only but, occasionally kept them overnight. Then we found it easier for each Sister
to do 3 hours on night duty and thus were all in readiness for the unloading which
usually took place the first thing in the morning. As a general rule the patients made
very bad sailors.
On arrival at Dover, where the Ambulance Train was in waiting, the patients were
quickly transferred and, after a fresh supply of stores had been taken in, the ship at
once returned to Boulogne, Calais or Dieppe. On the return journey the cleaning of
the wards took place; beds were remade and everything put in readiness for the next
journey.
One never-to-be-forgotten day we were told to prepare for a distinguished patient
and, shortly afterwards, the Director General of Medical Services arrived and told our
Matron that the King was coming on board having met with an accident up the line.
Four orderlies were sent to the station to meet the train and the King was carried
below to a small ward which had been previously prepared for him., and beautifully
arranged with flowers. We had only a small load that day and soon got away, feeling
very important, with destroyers encircling us on either side and blue jackets on board
to keep a lookout for mines and submarines. It was very rough but, fortunately, we
reached port without any mishap.
Our last and very memorable journey was on the 17th November. We had taken
about 500 patients on board at Boulogne, and a very happy crowd they were,
fractured femurs and head cases who had been in different hospitals in France for
some months. In their anticipation of returning home they were anxiously on the
lookout through the portholes for the first sight of the white cliffs of England. Alas!
Many of them were destined never to reach there alive.
About 12 noon, and when some six miles from Dover, we had just given the patients
their dinner when there was a tremendous crash and iron girders etc came falling
down like match wood. We realised all too quickly that we had either been
torpedoed or had struck a mine. My first act was to fix a lifebelt on myself, feeling
that I was then in a better position to help others. All Sisters and orderlies did
115
likewise and the patients who were able to do so were ordered to put on theirs (every
patient had a lifebelt under his pillow), and walking cases were ordered on deck. We
immediately set about removing splints for the obvious reason that if the patient with
his legs in splints got into the sea his body would go under while the splint would rise
to the surface. We carried as many as possible on deck and those that could threw
themselves into the sea; others were let down in the life-boat but, unfortunately, it
was only possible to lower one boat as the ship was sinking so rapidly. The patients
kept their heads wonderfully. There was no panic whatever and when one realises
that, in the majority of cases, they were suffering from fractured limbs, severe
wounds and amputations, it speaks volumes for their spirit, their grit and real bravery,
for they must have suffered real agonies of pain. After we had satisfied ourselves
that there was no possible chance of getting any more patients out, for by that time
our bows had quite gone under and only the ship’s stern was above water, with the
propellers going at a terrific rate and blinding us with spray, we then got down onto
the rudder and jumped into the sea where hundreds of patients were still struggling
in the water. It was some time before the destroyers could get out to help us and,
when they did, boats were quickly lowered and we were taken into them.
Unfortunately, in some cases, the struggling patients hung onto the sides of a boat
and capsized it, and once again we were thrown into the sea. Alas! By this time
many of the patients had gone under, but it was a never to be forgotten sight to see
armless and legless men struggling in the water, very many of whom were eventually
saved.
I personally was in the water about 40 minutes before being taken on a destroyer,
and that would be about the time experienced by most of us. Our relief can be
readily understood and never shall we forget the men on the destroyers whose
kindness and helpfulness was beyond words. On reaching Dover, imagine our
delight on finding many of our patients lying on the admiralty pier whom we had last
seen floating in the water, and who had been picked up by other destroyers, and
whom we had hardly expected to see again. Many were the handshakes and kindly
greetings and expressions of real thankfulness at meeting again on terra firma. And
with it all there was a humorous side to it, for we must have looked very weird in the
different garments that had been so kindly supplied to us by the officers and men of
the destroyers who did everything in their power for our welfare. I would remind you
that 40 minutes in the water in November is not the kind of sea-bathing that many
would indulge in from choice, and yet largely due to the kindness of the men on the
destroyer I do not think that any of us suffered seriously from cold. After a good
meal on the ambulance train we were soon on our journey to London.
So ended my experience with a Hospital Ship.
The sinking of H.S. Anglia is now a matter for War records only but to me it certainly
supplied the most exciting moments of my life as a member of QAIMNSR and little
as I should again like to go through the experience of being on a sinking ship, still I
shall always look back to my time on HMHS Anglia prior to that incident as some of
the happiest moments I have ever spent. We were a very happy party on board and
our work was always interesting, in addition to which the life was healthy, for we
were much of the time at sea, and yet in port we always had opportunities of going
116
ashore for getting exercise in rambles round Boulogne or whatever place we put in
at.
The actual sinking of the ship itself pointed out to me the value of the life-belt and the
advantage of having it always to hand for in my own case, and still more so perhaps
in the case of wounded patients, the majority of us could never have kept afloat in a
cold sea for forty minutes if we had not had life-belts to sustain us. Also another very
valuable means of saving life was the buoyant deck seat, of which we had many on
board. As soon as we had attended to the patients below, we got as many as
possible on deck to set about unleashing these seats and throwing them overboard.
Many a man must have been saved by being picked up by the boats of the
destroyers while hanging on to these floating structures. Anyone who has been to
sea and spent some time in one ship will realise what we all felt when we saw HMHS
Anglia disappear from view. She had been our home for many months and we all
felt very sad about it. The King, who had personal experience of the Anglia, and who
had graciously expressed his thanks for the attention received on board, made
special enquiries on hearing of the loss of one of his Hospital Ships as to the welfare
of all who had been on board her at the time.
A. Meldrum
QAIMNSR
August 1919

Reports of nurses serving in WW1

2026-05-10T10:40:20Z

Keiron: /* The Reports */

__NOTOC__
==Context==
In the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) archives within the [https://www.museumofmilitarymedicine.org.uk Museum of Military Medicine] there is a collection of reports written by Army nurses in 1919. They were asked to write these and return them to Maud McCarthy, Matron-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force in France & Flanders (BEF).

They had been requested by ‘The Women’s Work Sub- Committee’, part of the Imperial War Museum which had been set up in 1917. The reports were a reflection on their work, and the authors were chosen to give a range of contexts and experiences.

==The Women's Work Sub Committee==
The Imperial War Museum came into being in 1917 as both a memorial to and a place of record of every type of British and Commonwealth activity that took place during the Great War<ref>Paterson, S. (2018). “An Unusual Phenomenon”: The Women’s Work Sub-Committee at the Imperial War Museum and how it Recorded what Women Did during the Great War. Collections, 14(4), 533–546. https://doi.org/10.1177/155019061801400408</ref>.The founders created a ‘Women’s Work Subcommittee’ under the charge of Agnes Conway. “The six female members included devoted suffragette turned war worker, Lady Priscilla Norman as Chairman, and Voluntary Aid Detachment worker Miss Agnes Ethel Conway as Honorary Secretary”<ref name="mercer">Mercer, A (2013): The Changing Face of Exhibiting Women’s Wartime Work at the Imperial War Museum, Women’s History Review, DOI:10.1080/09612025.2012.726119</ref>. Lady Norman had helped run a hospital in France in 1914, and Agnes Conway had assisted in the care of wounded Belgians<ref>Grayzel, S. (2002) Women and the First World War. Harlow England: Pearson Education Limited</ref>.

Lady Norman was the daughter of the 1st Baron Aberconway and sister of the Liberal politicians Henry D McLaren and Francis McLaren. In 1907 she became the second wife of Sir Henry Norman, also a Liberal MP. She was an enthusiastic suffragist, though not a militant, and before the war held the post of Hon Treasurer of the Liberal Women’s Suffrage Union. When hostilities broke out in 1914, she and her husband ran a small voluntary hospital at Wimereux, in northern France. She was awarded a CBE for her war services.

Agnes Conway, born in London in 1885, came from a well-connected family; her father, Sir Martin Conway, was an art historian, politician, explorer and mountaineer. He was also a passionate collector, served as Trustee of both the Wallace Collection and the National Portrait Gallery, and became the first Director General of the Imperial War Museum when it was established in 1917. Agnes Conway studied history, Greek and archaeology at Newnham College, Cambridge and dedicated twenty-five years of her life to archaeology<ref>Thornton, A. (2011) The Allure of Archaeology: Agnes Conway and Jane Harrison at Newnham College, 1903–1907. Bulletin of the History of Archaeology, 21(1), pp.37–56. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/bha.2114</ref>.

The committee’s main objective was the compilation of a thorough record of women’s wartime activities. They set about collecting material from women’s organisations and noteworthy individuals, assembling an archive of written material and also commissioned photographers to record women’s work.

Most of the collection, now known as the Women’s War Work Collection, was compiled by volunteer labour between 1917 and 1920. The collection was broad and tried to capture all aspects of women’s work in this period. Areas of interest included employment, the Army, benevolent organisations, the British Red Cross Society, food, land, relief funds and welfare<ref name="mercer"/>. The evidence in this collection demonstrates that what women did in the Great War was nearly everything.

In 1919 the committee approached the Army to get some written reports from nurses and VADs working in a variety of settings. In turn, Maud McCarthy, Matron-in-Chief in France & Flanders, sent out a letter to a number of individuals asking for reports. It is not clear how many people she sent letters too, nor whether the collection of reports in the Museum of Military Medicine<ref>Museum of Military Medicine, QARANC Collection, 43/1985.12.1 to 43/1985.12.29</ref> is the complete set of returns.

The QARANC Association Heritage & Chattels Committee researched each of these nurses, and their reports are reproduced here alongside their biographies. In order to place the reports in order here is a description of the chain of evacuation.

==Chain of Evacuation==
The First World War created major problems for the Army’s medical services. A man’s chances of survival depended on how quickly his wound was treated. In a conflict involving mass casualties, rapid evacuation of the wounded and early surgery was vital.

[[File:Casevac.png|center]]
<center>Diagram of the chain of evacuation during the great war 
@Lt Col (Rtd) Keiron Spires QVRM TD</center>

===Regimental Aid Post (RAP)===
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) chain of evacuation began at a rudimentary care point within 200-300 yards of the front line. Regimental Aid Posts were set up in small spaces such as communication trenches, ruined buildings, dug outs or a deep shell hole. The walking wounded struggled to make their way to these whilst more serious cases were carried by comrades or sometimes stretcher bearers. The RAP had no holding capacity and here, often in appalling conditions, wounds would be cleaned and dressed, pain relief administered and basic first aid given. The Regimental Medical Officer in charge was supplied with equipment such as anti-tetanus serum, bandages, field dressings, cotton wool, ointments and blankets by the Advance Dressing Station (ADS) as well as comforts such as brandy, cocoa and biscuits.

If possible, men were returned to their duties but the more seriously wounded were carried by RAMC stretcher bearers often over muddy and shell-pocked ground, and under shell fire, to the ADS, sometimes via a Collecting Post or Relay Post to avoid congestion.

===Advanced Dressing Station (ADS)===
These were set up and run as part of the Field Ambulances and would be sited about four hundred yards behind the RAPs in ruined buildings, underground dug outs and bunkers, in fact anywhere that offered some protection from shellfire and air attack. The ADS did not have holding capacity and though better equipped than the RAPs could still only provide limited medical care. Here the sick and wounded were further treated so that they could be returned to their units or, alternatively, were taken by horse drawn or motor transport to a Field Ambulance Main Dressing Station. The Main Dressing Station (MDS) roughly one mile further back did not at first have a surgical capacity but did carry a surgeon’s roll of instruments and sterilisers for life saving operations only.

In times of heavy fighting the ADS could be overwhelmed by the volume of casualties arriving and often wounded men had to lie in the open on stretchers until seen to.

===Field Ambulance (Fd Amb)===
These were mobile front-line medical units for treating the wounded before they were transferred to a Casualty Clearing Station. Each Army Division would have three Fd Ambs which were made up of ten officers and 224 men and were divided into three sections which in turn comprised stretcher-bearers, an operating tent, tented wards, nursing orderlies, cookhouse, washrooms and a horse drawn or motor ambulance. They did not deploy as a complete unit but as an ADS and an MDS. Later in the war fully equipped surgical teams were attached to the Fd Ambs and urgent surgical intervention could be performed to sustain life. By the autumn of 1915 some Fd Ambs had trained nurses posted to them.

In these early stages, men were assessed and then labelled with information about their injury and treatments. As in a Casualty Clearing Station, medical officers had to prioritize using a procedure known as triage. Many of the wounded were beyond help; morphia and other pain killing drugs were the only treatment.

===Casualty Clearing Station (CCS)===
These were the next step in the evacuation chain situated several miles behind the front line usually near railway lines and waterways so that the wounded could be evacuated easily to base hospitals. A CCS often had to move at short notice as the front line changed and although some were situated in permanent buildings such as schools, convents, factories or sheds many consisted of large areas of tents, marquees and wooden huts often covering half a square mile. Facilities included medical and surgical wards, operating theatres, dispensary, medical stores, kitchens, sanitation, incineration plant, mortuary, ablution and sleeping quarters for the nurses, officers and soldiers of the unit. There were six mobile X-ray units serving in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and these were sent to assist the CCSs during the great battles. CCSs were often dangerously vulnerable with large depots containing munitions and supplies located alongside them, and which were targeted by enemy aircraft and artillery.

A CCS would normally accommodate a minimum of fifty beds and 150 stretchers and could cater for 200 or more wounded and sick at any one time. Later in the war a CCS would be able to take in more than 500 and up to 1000 when under pressure. In normal circumstances the team would consist of seven medical officers, one quartermaster and 77 other ranks, a dentist, pathologist, seven QAIMNS/ QAIMNSR/ TFNS nurses and other non-medical personnel. Major surgical operations were possible but sadly, men who had survived this far often succumbed to infection. The CCSs were usually in small groups of two or three to enable flexibility: one might treat cases for evacuation by train, ambulance or waterways to the base area, leaving one free to receive new casualties and another was able to treat the sick who could be moved in order to receive battle casualties in an emergency.

Initially the wounded were transported to the CCS in horse-drawn ambulances – a painful journey, and over time motor vehicles or even a narrow-gauge railway were used. Often the wounded poured in under dreadful conditions, the stretchers being placed on the floor in rows with barely room to stand between them. The admissions and evacuations were incessant and almost all that could be done in the time was to feed the patient and dress his wounds. One of the greatest boons was the provision early in 1915 of trestles on which the stretchers were placed. Comforts such as sheets, pillowcases and bed socks were obtained from such organisations as the British Red Cross Society. As the number of casualties grew so the need for experienced staff increased. In the first Battle of Ypres difficulties were highlighted with an influx of between 1,200 and 1,500 casualties in twenty-four hours and in the Battle of the Somme of July 1916 there were between 16,000 and 20,000 casualties on the first day of the offensive. By August 1916 selected CCSs had as many as twenty-five nurses on the staff.

Gas was first used as a weapon at Ypres in April 1915 and thereafter as a weapon on both sides. Patients were brought into the CCS suffering from the effects and poisoning of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas among others.

The seriousness of many wounds and infection challenged the facilities of the CCSs and as a result their positions are marked today by military cemeteries.

From the CCS men were transported en masse in ambulance trains, road convoys or by canal barges to the large base hospitals near the French coast or to a hospital ship heading for England.

===Ambulance Train===
These trains transported the wounded from the CCSs to base hospitals near or at one of the channel ports. In 1914 some trains were composed of old French trucks and often the wounded men lay on straw without heating and conditions were primitive. Others were French passenger trains which were later fitted out as mobile hospitals with operating theatres, bunk beds and a full complement of QAIMNS/ QAIMNSR/ TFNS nurses, RAMC doctors and surgeons and RAMC medical orderlies. Emergency operations would be performed despite the movement of the train, the cramped conditions and poor lighting. Hospital carriages were also manufactured and fitted out in England and shipped to France.

In the early trains there was often a lack of passage between the coaches and with only a few nurses it was necessary for a nursing sister to pass from coach to coach, whether the train was in motion or not, usually carrying a load of dressings, medicines etc. on her back in order to tend to the wounded on each coach. During the night she also had a hurricane lamp suspended from her arm. The medical staff consisted of three medical officers of the RAMC including the Commanding Officer, usually a major, two lieutenants, a nursing staff of three or four with a Sister taking on supervision of the whole train, complemented by 40 RAMC other ranks and non-commissioned officers (NCOs).

An average load was 4-500 patients with a large number in critical condition. Often they were transferred to the train still in full uniform in shocking condition caked with mud and blood and owing to the cramped conditions their uniforms had to be cut away. Many journeys were long such as the one from Braisne to Rouen taking at least two and a half days. There were deaths on all journeys. The nurses’ workload was heavy, and they worked under dangerous conditions with the barest necessities and no comforts.

===Hospital Barges===
Many wounded were transported by water in hospital barges. Although slow, the journey was smooth, and this time allowed the wounded to rest and recuperate. The barges were converted from a range of general use barges such as coal or cargo barges. The holds were converted to 30 bed hospital wards and nurses’ accommodation. They were heated by two stoves and provided with electric lighting which would have to be turned off at night to avoid being an easy target for German pilots. Nurses would have to make their rounds in pitch dark using a small torch. Outside the barges were painted grey with a large red cross on each side with the flag poles flying the Red Cross to signify they were carrying wounded soldiers. The interior was painted white with ventilators in the side roofs and later skylights built in to the barge. There would normally be at least one QAIMNS/ QAIMNSR/ TFNS Sister, a Staff Nurse and RAMC orderly per barge but with a full load of patients an RAMC Sergeant, Corporal, three nursing Sisters, two orderlies, a cook & cook’s assistant. The skipper of each barge was usually a Royal Engineer Sergeant and the barge would be towed by steam tugs.

As the war progressed many soldiers were evacuated straight onto the barges from the trenches and battlefield and were ridden with lice and filthy. Due to the lack of ventilation there were problems with gas attacked patients with the smell of gas remaining on their clothing and breath which caused sickness, sore eyes and breathing problems to the nurses and patients.

===Stationary Hospitals, General Hospitals and Base Area===
Under the RAMC were two categories of base hospital serving the wounded from the Western Front.

There were two Stationary Hospitals to every Division and despite their name they were moved at times, each one designed to hold 400 casualties, and sometimes specialising in for instance the sick, gas victims, neurasthenia cases and epidemics. They normally occupied civilian hospitals in large cities and towns but were equipped for field work if necessary.

The General Hospitals were located near railway lines to facilitate movement of casualties from the CCSs on to the coastal ports. Large numbers were concentrated at Boulogne and Étaples. Grand hotels and other large buildings such as casinos were requisitioned but other hospitals were collections of huts, hastily constructed on open ground, with tents added as required, expanding capacity from 700 to 1,200 beds. At first there was a lack of basic facilities – no hot water, no taps, no sinks, no gas stoves and limited wash bowls. The staff establishment was normally thirty-four medical officers of the RAMC, seventy two nurses and 200 auxiliary RAMC troops.

Some general hospitals were Voluntary Hospitals supplied by voluntary organisations, notably the Red Cross and St John’s Combined Organisation who ran one at Étaples. In the base areas such as Étaples, Boulogne, Rouen, Le Havre and Paris, the general hospitals operated almost in the same way as civilian hospitals in the UK, with X-ray units, bacteriological laboratories etc. The holding capacity was such that a patient could remain until fit to be returned to his unit or sent across the channel in Hospital Ships for specialist treatment or discharge from the forces. Some of the general hospitals were handling the treatment of patients until well into 1919; in March 1920 there were still four active medical units in France – one General Hospital, one Stationary and two CCSs.

===Hospital Ships and Military and War Hospitals at home===
Most hospital ships were requisitioned and converted passenger liners. Despite the excellent nursing and medical care many patients died aboard because of their extreme wounds. The risk of torpedoes and mines as they crossed the channel was very real.

On arrival at a British port the wounded were transferred to a home service ambulance train and on to Military and War Hospitals which were divided into nine Command areas.

===Note===
Not included are numerous people and organisations who were also involved in the evacuation chain. The nursing staff were supplemented by trained nurses and by volunteers of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VADs). The VADs worked in the general hospitals and in the last two years of the war in stationary hospitals. In the early days of the war there was a Red Cross train and No.16 Ambulance Train was staffed by the Friends Ambulance Unit. The VADs with trained Red Cross nurses were also employed right through the war on many railway stations and provided food, drinks, comforts and some first aid facilities.

Explanation of the chain of evacuation and treatment of wounded soldiers during the Great War – guest article by Caroline Stevens, Editor of Unknown Warriors: The Letters of Kate Luard, RRC and Bar, Nursing Sister in France 1914-1918

==The Reports==
* Casualty Clearing Stations
** [[DUNCAN, Alice | Alice Duncan]] ([[Alice's Report]])
** [[FOSTER, Dorothy | Dorothy Foster]] ([[Dorothy's Report]])
** Kate Luard
** Katherine Skinner
* Hospital Barge
** Millicent Peterkin
* Hospital Trains
** Jessie Connal
** Kathleen Flower
** Laura James
** Janet Orchardson
** M Philips
* Stationary Hospitals
** Sybil Stratton
** [[PLIMSAUL, Annie | Annie Plimsaul]] ([[Annie's Report]])
* General Hospitals
** Christina Davidson
* Officers Hospitals
** Emma Dodd
** Eva Fox
** Adelaide Walker
* Base Hospitals
** Kathleen Barrow
** Lucy Card
** Gladys Howe
** Maud Hopton
** Evelyn Killery
** Una Lee
* Hospital Ship
** [[MELDRUM, Alice | Alice Meldrum]] ([[Alice M's Report]])

==References==
<references />

Reports of nurses serving in WW1

2026-05-10T10:39:44Z

Keiron: /* The Reports */

WOODLEY, Ada Annie

2026-05-10T10:23:03Z

Keiron:

__NOTOC__
==Biography==
[[File:Poppy.png|100px|right]] [[File:Ada Woodley small.jpeg|200px|right]] Ada Annie '''WOODLEY''' was born at Littlebury, Essex. She was the daughter of Sarah Perrin (née Woodley) of Littlebury, near Saffron Walden, Essex. She died intestate and her mother was her sole next of kin.

==Nursing Service in WW1==
Sister Ada Annie '''WOODLEY''' joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service on 21st June 1915.<ref name="WO399">TNA: WO 399/15706</ref> She served at the 2nd Western General Hospital, Royal Infirmary, Manchester.

In September 1917 she was found unfit for duty by a Medical Board and was formally discharged from the Territorial Force Nursing Service on 28th November 1917. In November 1917 she was referred to the Radium Institute, Portland Place, London, for specialist treatment<ref name="WO399"/>.

Matron-in-Chief Sidney Browne personally intervened to expedite Sister Woodley's gratuity, recognising the gravity of her condition. A gratuity of £24 7s 8d was issued on 1st January 1918.

Sister Ada Annie Woodley died at Littlebury on 10th January 1918. Despite the formal termination of her service, she was recorded as a death in service, acknowledging that her illness was a consequence of her military nursing duties. Her solicitor described her as "a most deserving case" who had "probably kindled up her present illness by overwork."<ref name="WO399"/>

==References==
<references />
Image: (c) IWM (WWC H19-4)
[[Category:WW1]] [[Category:TFNS]] [[Category:Died in Service]]