Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879-1957)

Also known as
Campbell, Grace Margaret (1879-1957)
Field of activity
Matron; army matron; army nurse; ex-service leader; hospital matron (general); hospital owner; nurse (general); Nurse
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-769074

Biographies

WILSON, GRACE MARGARET (1879-1957), nursing sister and army matron-in-chief, was born on 25 June 1879 in South Brisbane, eldest child of John Pearson Wilson, clerk, and his wife Fanny Campbell, née Lang, both Scottish born. Educated at Brisbane Girls' Grammar School, Grace entered Brisbane Hospital as a probationer in 1905 and gained her certificate in 1908. In London she trained in midwifery at Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital before joining the staff of the National Hospital for the Paralysed and Epileptic (Albany Memorial).

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

During World War I Grace Wilson was Principal Matron of No 3 Australian General Hospital serving in Egypt, Lemnos and France. She was appointed a Commander (Military) of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1919 for army nursing service in France. Grace Wilson was mentioned in dispatches five times as well as being awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal (2 May 1916) and the Florence Nightingale Medal.

After being educated at Brisbane Girls' Grammar School, Grace Wilson commenced her nursing training at Brisbane Hospital and continued at Queen Charlotte Hospital (London). Upon completion she became a sister at Albany Memorial Hospital (London) and then returned to Australia to be Matron at the Brisbane Hospital.

During World War I Wilson was Principal Matron No. 3 Australian General Hospitals in Egypt, Lemnos and France. She then became temporary Matron-in-chief for the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). Wilson was mentioned in dispatches five times, awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal and Royal Red Cross Medal as well as being appointed a Commander (Military) of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1919 for army nursing service. In 1937 she led the A.I.F. Nurses' Contingent to the Coronation.

During her career Wilson was matron at Rosemount Military Hospital, Brisbane, and the Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and was sister-in-charge at Somerset House Private Hospital, Melbourne. From 1933 to 1940 she was matron at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, and at the outbreak of World War II became matron-in-chief of the Australian Army Nursing Service (A.A.N.S). From 1940 to 1941 Wilson was matron-in-chief of the Nursing Service with the A.I.F., before becoming executive officer with the Nursing Control Section at the Manpower Directorate.

Matron Grace Margaret Wilson died in 1957.

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

Grace Wilson served as a nurse in both world wars. In the First World War she was principal matron of the 3rd Australian General Hospital in England, Lemnos, Abbassia and France. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross in 1916 for her work in the Australian Army Nursing Service and was appointed as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1919 for her work in France. In the Second World War Wilson was matron-in-chief of the nursing service with the Australian Imperial Forces. She served in the Middle East until ill health forced her to return to Australia in August 1941.

  • 1905 - 1908 Education - Nurse training at the Brisbane Hospital
  • July 1914 - October 1914 Career position - Matron at the Brisbane Hospital
  • October 1914 - April 1915 Career position - Principal Matron with the 1st Military District, Australian Army Nursing Service
  • April 1915 Career position - Transferred to the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) as Principal Matron of the 3rd Australian General Hospital
  • May 1915 - August 1915 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in England
  • August 1915 - August 1916 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Lemnos, Greece
  • 1916 Award - Royal Red Cross (RRC) received
  • October 1916 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbassia, Egypt
  • October 1916 - April 1917 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Brighton, UK
  • April 1917 - September 1917 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville, France
  • September 1917 - April 1918 Career position - Temporary Matron-in-Chief at the Australian Imperial Force Headquarters in London
  • April 1918 - May 1919 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville, France
  • 1919 Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Military) (CBE)
  • May 1919 - January 1920 Career position - Principal Matron with the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford, UK
  • January 1920 Life event - Returned to Australia
  • November 1920 - January 1933 Career position - Matron at the Children's Hospital, Melbourne
  • August 1925 - c. 1940 Career position - Matron-in-Chief of the Army Nursing Reserve
  • 1929 Award - Florence Nightingale Medal received from the International Committee of the Red Cross
  • January 1933 - c. 1940 Career position - Matron at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne
  • September 1940 - August 1941 Career position - Matron-in-Chief of the Nursing Service with the Australian Imperial Force, serving in the Middle East
  • September 1943 Career position - Executive Office of the Nursing Control Section of the Department of Manpower Directorate in Victoria

View the full record at Encyclopedia of Australian Science

Related people and organisations

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

Australian Women's Register

Resources for Grace Margaret Wilson

Selected resources (18)

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

Australian Women's Register

  1. Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879 - 1957)Australian Dictionary of Biography Online : Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879 - 1957)
    McCarthy, Janice
    [2006]
    Published: Australian National University
    Series: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120587b.htm
  2. Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989
    Australian Women's Archives Project
    [2003]
    Published: Australian Women's Archives Project
    Series: http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/honours.html
  3. Where are the Women in Australian science?
    Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
    [2003]
    Published: Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
    Series: http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/wisa/wisa.html
  4. Just wanted to be there : Australian Service Nurses 1899-1999
    Reid, Richard
    [1999]
    Published: Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs
  5. Australian nurses since Nightingale 1860-1990
    Burchill, Elizabeth
    [1992]
    Published: Spectrum Publications Pty Ltd
  6. The Diggers : makers of the Australian military tradition
    Coulthard-Clark, Chris
    [1993]
    Published: Melbourne University Press
  7. RSL Returned Sisters' Sub-branch Thanksgiving Service, 100 Years of Australian Army Nursing
    [2002]
    Series: http://www.perthcathedral.org/
  8. Visit GallipoliThe Nurses' Experience of Gallipoli from their Letters Department of Veterans' Affairs : Visit Gallipoli
    Series: http://www.gallipoli.gov.au/5environment/nurses.html
  9. "What is the ANZAC spirit?"
    Kirlew, Franziska
    [2002]
    Series: http://www.pa.ash.org.au/afssse/simpson/prize2002/essays/kirlew2002.htm
  10. Who's who in Australia 1950
    Alexander, Joseph A
    [1950]
    Published: The Herald
  11. Who's who in Australia 1944
    Alexander, Joseph A
    [1944]
    Published: The Herald and Weekly Times
  12. Australian women at war
    Adam-Smith, Patsy
    [1984]
    Published: Nelson

Encyclopedia of Australian Science

  1. Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879-1957), Nursing Sister and Army Matron-in-ChiefAustralian Dictionary of Biography John Ritchie 12 522-523 : Wilson, Grace Margaret (1879-1957), Nursing Sister and Army Matron-in-Chief
    McCarthy, Janice
    [1990]
    Published: Melbourne University Press
  2. Wilson, Grace Margaret, Biographical EntryAustralian Women's Archives Project : Wilson, Grace Margaret, Biographical Entry
    [2003]
    Published: National Foundation for Australian Women
    Series: http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0159b.htm
  3. Who's Who in Australia 1944
    Alexander, John A.
    [1944]
    Published: The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
  4. Australian War Memorial Research Centre: Grace Wilson, Portrait (c. 1942)
    Black and white photograph of Grace Wilson, Matron-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps
    044158
  5. Australian War Memorial Research Centre: Grace Wilson, Portrait (May 1915)
    Black and white photograph of Matron (Margaret) Grace Wilson "doing a round", Lemnos, Greece.
    A05332

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